In the early 1990s I stepped away from college for what I thought would be a year or two break, in order to focus on other things. Little did I know at the time that the other things would turn out to include meeting and marrying my wife, having children and partaking in the oh-so-many adventures that come with raising a family.

The years rolled by at a quickening pace until one day I realized it had been 20 years since I had attended college.

By the time I reached my 40s I had gathered lots of work and life experience. On the work front I received promotions, but also found doors to greater opportunity and pay were closed because I lacked a college degree. On the life front, I grew tired of working jobs with odd hours that kept me out of sync with the schedules of family, friends and the world in general. I grew fed up with my state of affairs and decided go back to college and complete my bachelor’s degree.

I applied to the University of Maine at Augusta and a couple of weeks later smiled upon receiving my congratulatory admissions letter. I smiled because of the good news declared in the letter, but also because it felt like I had made a declaration of my own, one that cemented the notion that I was finally moving forward to meet my degree goal.

On my first day back at college I revisited the feeling of swinging a backpack stuffed with text books over my shoulder before strolling toward the building that held my class. As I neared the main entrance a wave of dread flooded over me. I imagined a classroom filled with fresh faced 18- to 21-year-olds with me being the lone “old guy” off in in the back corner, the guy who nobody would, or could, relate to.

Fortunately, a funny thing happened when I stepped inside the classroom. I discovered I wasn’t the lone old guy. Older students were the class minority, but there were a number of them peppered throughout the class. Seeing them gave me a sense of relief as I took my seat.

At the time, I didn’t know I was part of a trend of older students returning to college.

I soon discovered I wasn’t alone in another way, too. Much to my surprise I learned that in today’s public university classroom, the saying “Age ain’t nothin’ but a number” really does apply. Instead of being viewed as ancient pariahs of the classroom, older students are viewed as equal learning partners. They’re also viewed as students who can add valuable insights to class discussions and projects because of their life experience.

It turns out this older student was the one bringing the “old age” hang up with him to college, not the younger students in his class. My return to college showed me I could un-hang my hang up for good.

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