From Laid Off to Learning
If you were one of the hundreds of thousands of Americans laid off this past year, the ability to appreciate the fact that you’re in good company will only get you so far. Whether you saw the layoff coming or it hit you like a ton of bricks, you’ll need to take a proactive approach to returning to the Land of the Regular Paycheck.
After the initial shock of being laid off wears off, many people are getting up, brushing themselves off, and heading back to school. Why? Laid off or not, people enroll in a degree program for a variety of reasons: a better credential for their resume, a change of career, or simply a desire to learn something new.
Over the next few weeks, this blog will feature stories of individuals who found themselves suddenly without a job, so they made the big decision to back to college. Maybe you’ll relate to some of them. Or maybe you’re writing your own success story. Either way, you’ll find the inspiration and motivation you need to go back to school right here.
Faced with a Layoff, a Writer Returns to His Real Passion
Even in the midst of a layoff, some people prefer to consider the glass half full rather than half empty. And instead of focusing on the lack of a steady paycheck or the interruption in one’s career, there are a growing number of individuals who view the forced hiatus as a blessing rather than a curse. Once the sting of a layoff wears off, many take the time to focus on things that might have been overlooked during years of employment, like getting a degree.
Going back to school is always a good idea, but it makes even more sense after you’ve been laid off. It’s important to refocus your priorities after being let go, and for some, there’s no better way to get a fresh outlook on life than to enroll in a degree program.
John Hedtke, 53, is a Eugene, Oregon-based writer who was put on “working notice” by his publication–that is, he will be laid off by the end of the year so that he can finish his assignments. Hedtke is taking it all in stride–as a writer with 26 non-fiction books to his credit as well as a healthy savings account, he’s not too worried about his career or his financial solvency. In fact, he’s quite excited, because shortly after he found out about his layoff, he decided to go to college–for the first time.
That’s right–despite a lengthy and fulfilling career as a professional writer, Hedtke doesn’t have a college degree. And now that he has made the decision to earn a degree after all these years, you can bet that he’s not doing it to further his career. Rather, Hedtke is heading to campus to pursue a passion that he’s had for more than 40 years–art.
“I am planning on going to college to get a degree in art, because I’ve wanted to be a painter for more than 40 years,” Hedtke says. He adds that he will also take classes in art history, French, and Italian because those subjects interest him as well.
We often think of a college degree as a means to an end, with that end being the start of a new career. But whatever happened to learning for the sake of learning? Hedtke might just be single-handedly bringing it back into style.
“This degree is largely for my own satisfaction,” he says. “Getting letters after my name would be nice, but I really want to learn to draw and paint rather than rack up an accomplishment.” Hedtke does admit that being able to illustrate will make him more valuable as a writer for certain publications, but it’s just really icing on the cake. “All of this is secondary to my primary goal of learning how to draw and paint.”
Hedtke will begin his college career by taking placement exams and a few courses–drawing will be one of them–at Lane Community College in Eugene starting in January. His plan is to eventually transfer to the University of Oregon, but he wants to start, as he says, “a little gently” at first, noting that he will most likely be 30 to 35 years older than the majority of the students.
Hedtke plans to support himself through freelance writing projects as he pursues his degree, but he is also looking into any financial aid benefits he might be eligible for through the Displaced Workers Program.
Whether Hedtke turns out to be the next Picasso remains to be seen, but what is more important is that he is fulfilling a dream that has been several decades in the making.
Article by Dawn Papandrea and courtesy of CollegeSurfing Insider. OR Article by, and courtesy of CollegeSurfing Insider.
