You’re a working adult who has made the decision to go back to college. You’ve done the research and with the help of Education-For-Careers.com you’ve compared schools and narrowed down your choices. You may be thinking of an online program to get that degree that you always wanted, or perhaps your boss is sending you back to school to prepare you for advancement. However you choose to further your education, and for whatever reason, the prospect of going back to school after ten or twenty or even thirty years is very exciting.

And also a little scary! When you were in college or high school, fads and fashions were much different. Kids dressed differently and spoke differently. When you were in school no one was texting, much less Twittering. The music was different and so were the television shows. You may have the feeling that setting foot on a college campus will be like going to a foreign country. There will be culture shock and you’ll feel like an old fossil.

You Are Not Alone

Yes, it is true that kids today have their own style and attitude. But here’s the inside scoop: the fact is that you will not be the only adult in class. Over the past ten years there has been an explosion of adults returning to college. Adults are enrolled in every conceivable way: as full-time and part-time students, on campus, off-campus, and in growing numbers through online or distance learning. This year more than six million adults will attend college in the United States.

The average age of the college student continues to rise. Data from the recent Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) shows that students at U.S. institutions of higher education cover nearly every age group from 18 to 65. Adult students (also called re-entry students) are generally aged 25 or over, with ages ranging from 25 to 69 at many colleges and universities. Adult learners are often female, but the numbers of men returning to college are climbing as they update professional skills and enhance career advancement.

Some adult learners may never have attended college, or they started college and then stopped because of personal, financial, or other reasons. The U.S. Department of Education recently reported that 13 percent of students now enrolled in college were single parents, up from 7.6 percent in 1993. Some adult students are retired, while others are single parents looking to achieve a better life. Many have spent time raising a family, in the workforce, or in the military, and want to go back to fulfill lifelong dreams or advance their career potential.

The reasons for the growing numbers of adult learners or re-entries are numerous. These include a desire to pursue a new career path; changing demands in the workforce; employer requirements to secure licensure or certification; the need to update existing job skills or secure new ones; or simply a desire to engage in learning.

So fear not! Go boldly back to college—and you will find that you have plenty of company.