Middle Adulthood: 35 to 55 or 65
The challenges of being a learner at my age are my life circumstances. My stage of middle adulthood will extend later than 55 due to having my children late in life. I am 55 years old and my sons are in 10th and 11th grade, many of my age peers are grandmothers. At this stage of life I am blessed with driving, looking for colleges, and worrying about my teen’s social lives. These activities which I am grateful to have in my life, present the largest challenge for me in time management.
I hesitated returning to school until my sons are in college, but the older adults I work with advised me that time goes anyway, so I may as well go to school now. One of the challenges at this age is being confident in my subject matter without the benefit of documented research or a doctoral degree. At this age, one must have valid documentation to make authoritative statements.
One of the joys of being a learner at this age is the self confidence that comes with experience of working in my field for many years. I am confident in my knowledge field. The confidence that comes with this stage of life can be a challenge and a joy.
My hope for my next decade as a learner is to complete my doctoral degree and continue to grow as a person. One of my personal goals is to educate nurses, but more defined to expose students to the joy of working with older adults. Erikson defined generativity as the concern in establishing and guiding the next generation (Erikson, 1985).I feel that I have identified that goal and hope to spend the next decade motivating the next generation of nursing students.
I received my master’s degree at the age of thirty, and as much as I enjoy school, felt that it was too late to return to school. What is the financial return on my investment? My advice to someone entering their fifties is not to hesitate to return to school if this is your desire. At the end of the day, education is about self fulfillment and achieving goals, not necessarily about the bottom line.
Erikson,E.H. (1985). Childhood and Society. Eight Ages of Man(pp.247-274) New York: W. W Norton.
