This story originally appeared in our June 14, 2017 issue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nChaudhry says that he ended up in a compound in Saudi Arabia with about 50,000 people in it, ex-pats \u201cfrom everywhere.\u201d He says that he made some bad decisions while trying to deal with the culture shock there.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy attitude in school now, a lot of it is inspired by that, because I messed up a lot,\u201d he admits. \u201cAnd now I realize that I failed so much that I don\u2019t want to fail. Given that I\u2019m an international student, I don\u2019t have a lot of the opportunities that Canadian residents or citizens have in terms of the financial aid. The only chance I have right now is to make use of this opportunity, because if I don\u2019t, then I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m going to get a chance to study in a country like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even though his time out of school wasn\u2019t too long\u2014three years\u2014Chaudhry says he chose to go back because there was no growth in the retail industry. But he did pick up some useful skills while working in that sector.<\/p>\n
\u201cHumbleness,\u201d he says, as an example. \u201cPeople are sometimes not the nicest, so it teaches you to be a bit more humble. Patience is another thing. I\u2019m still learning patience. I don\u2019t get up every day and go, \u2018Hey! I learned patience! I\u2019m done learning patience for the rest of my life!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Chaudhry says he also learned emotional intelligence\u2014still a work in progress\u2014and about people.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that you can\u2019t learn in school,\u201d he says, \u201cbecause in school, you\u2019re always so focused on getting your assignments done, and then even when you\u2019re within groups, everybody has a goal. So people do compromise, people do put some of their own biases or egos aside, and then get things done. But then when you\u2019re out in the workforce, especially in the service industry, you have to deal with all of it. You have to be calm when somebody is being a little aggressive, when someone is being a little bit more challenging, you know, just stuff like that. Just life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chaudhry says that human resources isn\u2019t going to be his only career, and that drive isn\u2019t constrained by age; it depends on the individual. He knows people close to his age who are only interested in getting a certificate and leaving.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people are okay with getting Cs and Bs; I\u2019m not,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople always say Cs do get degrees. But then if you have As, you make your own way. You do. And I don\u2019t have much to show to an employer in terms of my actual experience in HR, but having my grades in good standing, I can show them that I\u2019m committed\u2014not that I\u2019m any better than any of the students, but it does show commitment. It shows dedication, that I took the time to do well. And I think that\u2019s all there is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Becoming the change<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cWith age comes grace, wisdom, and beauty.\u201d This would be an accurate way to describe 49-year-old Charlene Adsit\u2014a third-year student in Camosun\u2019s Human Resources program\u2014although she\u2019d probably scoff at me for it. I meet Adsit in the Interurban library and find her to be a soft-spoken but commanding individual. When we start chatting, Adsit explains that she used the service industry to travel.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t get into a lot of trouble, I just got sidetracked,\u201d says Adsit. \u201cI was in the service industry, so I was able to travel within Alberta and BC. It was good money at that time. Being a young kid, I wasn\u2019t really thinking of the future. Then I started realizing some of my friends were graduating with degrees or diplomas and starting families. Well, I had the family; I kind of started backwards. So I just thought it was time to do something. And I always wanted to do higher education, but I\u2019d never really followed through. And now I have this time, I can do whatever I want.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adsit, who has also done some university courses, finds Grade 12 to be useful only for getting entry-level jobs. She says that attending post-secondary is very important these days.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think just Grade 12 cuts it for anybody,\u201d she says. \u201cI think if people don\u2019t have any kind of diploma, or any kind of training, it\u2019s really hard to make a decent wage, especially with our economy the way it\u2019s going. Our two older kids are in their late 20s and they\u2019re still barely even making it. One\u2019s a cook and one\u2019s a carpenter, but they don\u2019t have any tickets. I always find that people become more [hireable] when they get their training. They\u2019re not guaranteed a higher wage, but it\u2019s a lot higher than being on minimum wage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adsit has had numerous jobs, and she worked for the provincial government, which she says wasn\u2019t easy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t like my job,\u201d she says. \u201cSo then I worked up north, and I found I still didn\u2019t have enough skills, even though I worked for the provincial government. Generally, people think it\u2019s a cushy job, but I wasn\u2019t moving up; I was going to be filing. And I wasn\u2019t comfortable filing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adsit is from the Tahltan community in northern BC, and she says that she wanted to try to keep jobs within the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found that a lot of people that were hiring were not from the traditional territory,\u201d she says, \u201cwhich is normal, because it\u2019s a big boom town\u2014mining, all that kind of stuff\u2014not a lot of qualified people there. And I thought, if I get my education, get going in that direction, just really get people more into training, keeping those jobs in the community\u2026 I could have some sort of influence. And being First Nation, I thought, why not go for it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adsit says that she\u2019s glad she\u2019s had the experiences she\u2019s had, and she cautions younger people who are in programs because their parents expect them to or because they feel they have no other direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would really think about it,\u201d she says, \u201cbecause it\u2019s great to learn about things, and some people are lifelong learners. If you really don\u2019t want to be there, then don\u2019t register for a course if you know you\u2019re not ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adsit says she\u2019s the only one in her family who isn\u2019t educated, but that hasn\u2019t been her biggest hurdle toward getting an education.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the biggest battle would be with my husband,\u201d she admits. \u201cHe\u2019s kind of like, \u2018What are you doing, going to school at your age?\u2019 So I think that\u2019s the biggest battle, people that don\u2019t really understand. And I don\u2019t really take it to heart; that\u2019s their business, not mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adsit says that her work experience has given her some extra skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially for deadlines,\u201d she says. \u201cLearning how to get along with a small community\u2014especially in teamwork, where [the teams are] all assigned, and you don\u2019t pick them. Learning on different levels, and trying to get along with people you know that you don\u2019t really get along with\u2014you\u2019re going to have to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adsit says that she had a really open mind when returning to school, given that she\u2019d had 23 years of life experience out of the classroom. She says that it\u2019s a whole new experience for her, and that she\u2019s learned a lot.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s way different learning from when I [first] went to school. Here, we have a lot more teamwork, a lot more reports and stuff like that. When I was going to school, it was a lot of studying formulas and essay writing. But here, everything\u2019s really short and concise. I\u2019m not really struggling with that, but it\u2019s like, if you can make it shorter, make people understand it. It\u2019s quite different. And I find the younger people are more willing to take more risks than I actually am. So there\u2019s a big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the classes progress from 100- to 300-level, Adsit says that the students have become more grounded and focused.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my first 100 [course], I think it was an evening course, and I was just like, \u2018Oh, my; what am I getting myself into?\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cI was really frustrated, because [the other students] had their cell phone in their crotch and weren\u2019t really paying attention. But that\u2019s like with anything\u2014you start a new person at any job, and they have to learn about the organization. And it is different.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Adsit also says that there are all sorts of different students, and they bring diversity to the classroom.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, I\u2019m kind of honoured to see them, too,\u201d she says. \u201cI know they get frustrated with me, because sometimes I\u2019m thinking, \u2018You\u2019re getting off topic.\u2019 And I get it. And you know, for some people, it\u2019s social. But for me, it\u2019s not, because I\u2019m paying for it, and I\u2019m spending a lot of time coming here. It takes me a lot more work to get the same grades as someone just coming out of high school.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s get this done.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nRana Bhattacharyya speaks slowly, considering his words, and the result is the creation of a bubble\u2014a calm conversation in the noisy atmosphere outside the Interurban library. Bhattacharyya holds a degree in Geosciences and is currently a first-year student in Camosun\u2019s Plumbing and Pipe Trades program. Bhattacharyya is 30; he says he found his first degree harder to acquire, even though he says he had a fortunate enough upbringing.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy parents are immigrants, and I came here to Canada fairly young,\u201d he says. \u201cI was fairly lucky; they had a reasonable job and everything. I grew up in a small town, where it was fairly decent in the form of enterprise and everything. It was part of the nuclear industry in Ontario, so I was fairly spoiled in high school and middle school and all that. Then I went to do schooling and did a fairly long extended undergrad degree in university, because I changed my mind a few times, and was like, \u2018Maybe this is not a good fit; try something else out.\u2019 So it took me six years to do undergrad, and then also [moving] things between a school in Ontario and a school in Alberta. But then I finally finished school there and got into working for oil and gas companies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bhattacharyya says that the job started out well\u2014the industry was booming\u2014but it was frustrating not knowing if it would last after spending so much money to gain skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was very tough,\u201d he says, \u201cbecause you have to, right away, start doing 12-hour shifts. You sort of lose all your friends right away, and, you know, work long hours. So that\u2019s something I\u2019ve dealt with the last five to six years I\u2019ve been working. And it was interesting\u2014lots of cool projects to work on, in Alberta and the States, and lately I\u2019ve been to Southeast Asia to work. But I don\u2019t know where [the industry] is going. It\u2019s like the coal industry\u2014we still really need coal, but how long before some other technology comes in? And maybe there\u2019s not as much demand for that product now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The last eight years have taught Bhattacharyya that this time he doesn\u2019t want to go to school for something with uncertain employment prospects. And being at school has taught him just how different young people are as they enter post-secondary these days.<\/p>\n
\u201cTimes have changed since I was growing up,\u201d he says. \u201cThe economy\u2019s not as good now, and things are tighter. The younger students, I find they\u2019re also way more efficient than they were when I was doing school the first time around. So everyone\u2019s got some sort of focus and they know what program\u2019s good, what\u2019s maybe not very useful. They kind of pick and choose what\u2019s maybe good for them. And it seems like they\u2019re able to put a lot more focused, concise effort into whatever they\u2019re doing now. I\u2019ve become like that now, but it\u2019s kind of interesting to see the people coming in that already have that mindset, much more so; I guess it\u2019s kind of how the environment is now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bhattacharyya says he\u2019s a little less stressed than some of his classmates because he\u2019s gone through the process before and knows what to expect. He\u2019s also more efficient in how he approaches school now.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m ahead,\u201d he says, \u201ctrying to get the school part of it done quicker than the time I have. So it\u2019s not like I\u2019m going to just take my time and do whatever I want; it\u2019s more like I need to finish as soon as possible, to save as much money, and get to work as soon as possible. And that\u2019s going to be a year. And I\u2019m thinking a lot less about the social aspect in school, so not really joining that many clubs or anything this time around. It\u2019s more, \u2018Let\u2019s get this done,\u2019 so I can be done with it, and find work.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When I enrolled at Camosun as a returning\u2014mature?\u2014student, I wasn\u2019t sure if my youthful appearance would be a blessing or a curse. On the one hand, there\u2019s a stigma around adult students, like there\u2019s an expiry date on post-secondary education. On the other hand, it\u2019s harder to be taken seriously as a younger person, and the first reaction of most is to tell me I\u2019m too young to have much experience; looks like age discrimination goes both ways after all.<\/p>\n
But what struck me about each Camosun student I interviewed for this story was that the mature students appreciated\u2014and valued\u2014the younger perspective, their knowledge, and their experiences.<\/p>\n
When I joined the workforce 15 years ago, I was told that the average person will change their career six times in their working life. With today\u2019s economy, that means more education\u2014and hope that the expensive schooling doesn\u2019t result in a minimum-wage job.<\/p>\n
The new face of post-secondary\u2014at least here in Victoria\u2014might just be these mature students. As our city rapidly approaches an environment where only the wealthy can afford to live, the only hope many have is to move off the island, where there is affordable housing, living wages, and better employment prospects. And for many people, tapping into those employment prospects means going back to school. Regardless of age.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Why on earth would someone who is a bit older than the average student\u2014a mature student, as it were\u2014want to go back to school? Turns out there are plenty of good reasons\u2014and age is relative anyway. Going back to school as an adult doesn\u2019t necessarily mean you were like me, a problem student who got […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,194],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-june-14-2017"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14176"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14177,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14176\/revisions\/14177"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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