So, how old would you be if you didn’t ….
The advice often given someone who laments their age and uses it as an excuse to not to go on for training or a degree is:”So how old would you be in “X” years if you didn’t go? The same age, right? So, wouldn’t it be nice to be a (insert specialty here) by then?”
A friend of mine in Mississippi picked up his PhD in Fisheries Biology at the age of 60-something. But, was on the fast track compared to a Brit’ who started his doctoral research at 62 and just graduated, at the age of 91, from Cambridge. A big salute to a fellow veteran (no I wasn’t in WWII) who became the first in his family to get a terminal degree–though one should never say terminal to a 91-year old new graduate.
One of my favorite lines of encouragement is: So what is 2-3 years compared to the rest of your life? And I have, until this last year, lived life with that in mind. I am headed back to that lifestyle soon. I see Chinese classes, Photoshop tutoring, some volunteer teaching in Gansu and a new book of prose poems in my not-so-distant future.
Here is the original reference to the story of the most augustine (I made it up) grad’ of an pretty august institution:
War veteran Michael Cobb’s PHD at 91 – Telegraph
Suppose you can get a job at 91 that will pay off a student loan bill from Cambridge?
One response so far
What happens if he dies and defaults on the student loan?
For me, I’m going with my original plan of someday earning an honorary PhD. Besides, I think there are only 5 universities in the US that offer the PhD I’d want.