What would you like to be when you grow up? That is a question children often hear. And they would usually answer, they want to be a lawyer, teacher, or doctor. How about you? Now that you are an adult, were you able to realize those dreams you had as a child? Dreams change as a person reaches different stages in life, but some dreams are hard to let go of and will always be at the back of your mind.
Are you at the point in your life where you are contemplating going back to school? Maybe you have not finished your education and want to have a degree now. Or you have a different career from the one you really want. Sometimes, life gets in the way, and you cannot pursue that dream you have. It might be because of money issues or because your parents ask you to take another course in college, which is very common in Asian households.
Many people think it is too late, or they are still waiting for the right time, but there is no such thing as too late or too old. The right time is now. Time passes by fast; before you know it, another year passed, and you turned a year older and hopefully wiser.
“Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right.’ Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along”
GEORGE HERBERT
Here are five tips that can help you start your new journey:
- List down your plan. Nothing is better than to take a long, hard look at those plans. Ignoring those dreams is easy if they stay inside your head.
- Weigh your options. Create a step-by-step plan with a timeline to make it easier to visualize. For example, you dream of returning to school and finishing a degree. However, you have full-time work and can’t afford to resign. What are your options? A: Take night or weekend classes, and B: Enroll in an online university. Example:
- Option A: Attend night or weekend classes
- Step 1: Research universities that offer night classes for the course I want to take. Target Date: October 15, 2022
- Step 2: Contact the chosen university and ask for requirements and other important information. Target Date: October 18, 2022
- Step 3: Prepare the requirements needed. Target Date: October 21, 2022
- Step 4: Enroll. Target Date: October 25, 2022
- Option A: Attend night or weekend classes
- Pluck up your courage. Embarking on a journey into the unknown takes a lot of courage and determination.
- Follow the steps you listed. Do not have second thoughts and postpone your plans. Just go for it because the right time is “now”. The longer you procrastinate, the more time you are wasting.
- Stay motivated and positive. You might hear negative comments from family and friends, but don’t let them stop you. You will encounter hurdles along the way but do not lose hope. Learn from your mistakes and adjust your plan as you go on.
“When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity. You have the choice. You can overcome and be a winner, or you can allow it to overcome you and be a loser. The choice is yours and yours alone. Refuse to throw in the towel. Go that extra mile that failures refuse to travel. It is far better to be exhausted from success than to be rested from failure.”
– Mary Kay Ash.
