An evergreen learner – the phrase conjures up images of an aged person furiously at the books. While this is heart-warming and slightly amusing, it is also a reality for many who decide to embark on tertiary studies later in life.
To sum it up, evergreen learners are your average Joes/Janes on a quest for education a bit later in life. They are mums and dads, the working class, the elderly and the future class of graduates. Some do it to increase education and gain knowledge, others to become more employable and skill savvy, and the odd few do it for the sheer thrill.
You might ask how spending hours trying to decipher Economics problems can be a thrill. Personally, I always felt that mathematics was mental anguish to healthy students. But the thrill does come when you receive your results and the coveted distinction is achieved, or through the simpler pleasures like receiving new textbooks.
The smell and the fresh feel of mounds of studious torture is exhilarating. Then there’s the excitement of getting all the freebies most institutions provide for first-year students, such as bags, media planners, rulers, calendars, files, earphones, branded pens and even snazzy fitted T-shirts. These little trinkets may seem insignificant to some but to others, it is a benefit, especially considering education does not come cheap.
Like all things in life, studying is costly. The evergreen learner experiences this ‘bite’ monthly as in most cases, not all the learners pay their own fees, amid all other bills they are faced with. Making the monthly installment is an uphill battle; one is constantly plagued with the questions: fuel or fees, transport or tuition, exams or extras.
Then there’s the constraints on time. Piles of assignments, quizzes and life, stretching yourself between reading a chapter a day, working, exercising, dieting, social and societal commitments, chores and all ad hoc duties of life. The brain also gets stretched and all the incoming information leaves one feeling a bit frazzled.
Pulling the long hours and burning the midnight oil is no joke. Exam stress is enough to drive one up the wall, but being an aged student is not all doom and gloom. Experience is one of the perks it has (one takes a more mature and focused approach to studies).
You are no longer interested in partying all day and night, with that interest taken over by bettering yourself academically. You also appreciate the endeavour more – it may take a wee bit longer in most cases, but each step in the journey is gratifying.
The end result is that degree or diploma, and the priceless knowledge that despite all the odds, you have made it.
So to all the aged students, evergreen learners and persevering pupils, sit back, strap up and enjoy the educational journey – it’s one to remember!
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