Enriching your golden years: Retirees going back to school

You're never too old to earn a college degree

Students of all ages come to school with different goals. Many are looking for career training, while others are searching for a little more direction in life. At the retirement age, there are still plenty of reasons to earn a degree. Earning a degree can be fun and enriching, and it may even prolong your life.

The Alzheimer's Association encourages individuals to stay mentally active, specifically recommending enrolling in coursework programs. When you head back to school as an older adult, there's less pressure to find coursework that will fit on a career training track. Instead, you can choose courses designed to expand your mind and learn more about the world around you. Special exams can help you use your life experience to test out of college courses you don't need. With advances in technology, you can even go to school online.

Online degree programs for retirees

Going to school online comes with big benefits for seniors. Why spend your life getting to work on time, only to spend your retirement years stressing out about making a class meeting? Logging on to read, respond and further your studies puts the learning on your schedule. What's more, distance learning means that going back to school doesn't have to mean subjecting yourself to judgment from other students. Enjoy education in the privacy of your own home, comfortably.

Working through a degree program online allows you to interact with students and teachers using the Internet. Whether you're chatting online with your fellow students or using group work to complete a big project, an online degree program helps you connect.

You have just as many choices for your education as students of any age. You could try computer literacy coursework to get comfortable with computers and technology, or jump into a history class that focuses on an era that fascinates you, or enroll in a religious studies program that deepens your faith. No matter what brings you back to school, coursework and degree programs help you reach your dreams of higher education.

Earn college credit for life experience

With a lifetime of learning and experience behind you, wouldn't it be nice if colleges recognized your knowledge? Thanks to the College Board, many now do -- 2,900 accredited colleges and universities currently recognize the results of College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams, which cover a range of topics that can help you save some time and money in a degree program. Tests offered include the following subjects:

• History and social sciences: Reward your historical knowledge or prove your ability with human development and other social science basics
• Composition and literature: Whether you have a passion for American literature or a strong ability with composition, you can earn college credit
• Foreign languages: Test your knowledge of French, German and Spanish to bypass basic language requirements
• Science and mathematics: Work or life experience can help you succeed in tests covering biology, college algebra, and other science and math standards
• Business: Basic business law, accounting and other exams help you prove a lifetime of business knowledge

Fulfill college credit courses by passing CLEP exams and you can save time and money on college coursework you don't need. Meeting general education requirements can qualify you for more interesting classes, meaning that you don't have to wait to take that advanced writing or language course. Learn more about CLEP exams and find out which schools have agreed to accept exam results before you head to the testing center or enroll in a certain degree program.

Stay mentally active with continuing education

The Alzheimer's Association reports that keeping the brain active can increase its vitality, build reserves of brain cells and even generate new ones. A little education can do more than keep your days busy and keep you in touch with the outside world -- it can actually work to maintain the essential connections in your mind.

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