Adult Learner

The 38

In the “College Dropout” series we examined why the dropout rate stands at 47%, and how becoming educated is related to becoming an adult. But what if you’re already an “adult” when you go to college? In this episode we answer the question: are you behind in life if you go back to school in your 30s, 40s, 50s, or beyond? How can we can think about going back to school when you’re older in a way that’s not so discouraging?

I’ll be presenting a series of interrelated interviews with some Adult Learners I met at the City College of San Francisco, along with an interview I conducted with the chancellor of C.C.S.F., Mark Rocha.

Chancellor Rocha was an Adult Learner himself; a lifelong english teacher, he went back to school at 55 to get an engineering degree. Chancellor Rocha has some wise words (or not) for one of our Adult Learners, Max, who’s feeling a little “behind the 8-ball” being on a campus with so many angsty young adults.

Music by Eli Siegel