还记得那位陪女儿考研却比女儿先考上的妈妈吗?
周亚松，早在2015年就因为给女儿陪考而率先考上华中师范大学的研究生。今年7月， 56岁的她又收到了韩国大学院的博士录取通知书。
活到老，学到老——这句话在周亚松的身上得到了印证。
有些人，人到中年、事业安稳、家庭和睦，不免就想继续年轻时的教育。
[Photo/Pexels]
国外知乎Quora上就有这么一道经典的体验题——“人到中年回到学校读书是什么体验?”底下充满了各种中年继续教育的励志故事：
网友Eamon O'Kelly 38岁的时候就回到学校念本科。
I went back to university full-time at 38 to finish my BA degree. I was the oldest student in all my classes but I would see a few older students around the college. I studied history and economics and did very well: I didn’t have the distractions that are common among traditional-age students such as partying and boyfriend/girlfriend dramas; I had the discipline that comes from 20 years in the workplace, and thus did everything well and on time; and I had real-world experience that benefited me greatly.
我38岁回到大学攻读全日制学士学位。我是所有班级中年龄最大的学生，但我也会在学院里看到一些年长的学生。我学的是历史和经济学，成绩很好：我没有受到传统年龄段学生常见的分心因素的影响，比方说参加派对以及恋爱那一套等;我有20年的工作经验，因此每件事都做得很好、很准时;这些现实世界的经验让我受益匪浅。
之后她又在41岁去了纽约大学法学院念研究生。
When I was 41, I went to law school of NYU. Again, I was among the older students but not the oldest: There was a woman in my class who had graduated from college the year I was born! The same factors that had benefited me in undergraduate studies also stood to me in law school (the real-world experience was particularly useful). I graduated in the top ten percent of my class at one of the best law schools in the United States.
我41岁的时候去了纽约大学法学院。我仍然是年龄较大的学生之一，但不是年龄最大的：我班上有位女同学在我出生那年就大学毕业了!使我在本科学习中受益的因素也同样在法学院帮到了我(现实世界的经验尤其有用)。我毕业于美国最好的法学院之一，成绩在班上名列前茅。
I have always loved history but studying it seriously at university broadened and deepened my understanding in ways that I cannot begin to describe. I also find economics inherently interesting and my undergraduate economics courses have helped me tremendously in my career as an antitrust lawyer.
我一直热爱历史，但在大学里认真学习历史，以我无法描述的方式拓宽和加深了我对历史的理解。我还发现经济学本身就很有趣，我本科的经济学课程对我反垄断律师的职业生涯帮助很大。
Dianne Mclaren-Brighton发现自己40多岁读研究生并不比20多岁读本科的时候难多少。年龄不是问题，她还交到了忘年交。
I got my master’s degree when I was in my 40s. It wasn't any more difficult than it was to get my BA in my late teen-early 20s. Most of my classmates were in their mid to late 20s, but other than having a few cultural references that were different, the age difference was not an issue. In fact, I now have a terrific friend who is a decade younger than I and whom I would never have met had we not been in school together.
我在40多岁的时候拿到了硕士学位，感觉并不比我在20岁出头的时候拿到学士学位困难多少。我的大多数同学都在20多岁左右，但除了有一些不同的文化背景外，年龄差异不是问题。事实上，我现在有一个很好的朋友，对方比我小十岁，如果我们不在一起上学，就不会有这段缘分。
Amer Khwaja也是类似的情况，他发现此前担心的很多事情根本就没有发生。
I went back to school at 43 and got my BS in photography. I was very nervous about it:
我43岁回到学校，拿到了摄影学的学士学位。起初我还挺担心的：
❶ I thought the other students would be smarter than me, that wasn’t the case.
我以为其他学生都会比我聪明，但事实并非如此
❷ I thought the other students wouldn’t like me, that wasn’t the case, they didn’t like me anymore or less than normal. For the most part, people just do their own thing.
我以为其他学生不会喜欢我，但这也没发生。他们喜不喜欢我跟一般情况没什么两样。大多时候，大家都只顾着做自己的事情。
❸ I actually feel I had an advantage in classes in that the professors were mostly about my age so I could relate to them better than the other students.
其实我感觉我在班里还有点优势，因为教授们基本上都是我这个年纪的，我感觉我比年轻学生更容易和他们相处。
❹ I liked college a lot because of my real-world experience, it made me understand things so much better and I was far more motivated to learn than some of the other students who were straight out of high school.
因为我有现实世界的经验，所以我挺喜欢读大学的。这些经验让我理解起知识来更快，而且我学起来也比其他同学有动力得多，他们才刚刚高中毕业。
Gill Bullen则表示，她的老公作为拥有过两段职业生涯的退伍军人，回到大学里学计算机是一件又实用又开心的事情。
My husband left secondary school at 15, and joined the Royal Navy; when he left (by then a junior officer) ten years later, they recommended that he should go to university, but he refused; he felt that at 25 he was too old.
我丈夫15岁就从中学加入了皇家海军;10年后他离开军队(当时是一名初级军官)，有人建议他去上个大学，但他拒绝了;他觉得25岁年纪太大了。
Fifteen years and a second career (in industrial purchasing) later, he suddenly decided he wanted to go to university. He had a wonderful time there, was suddenly a good ten years younger, got a very good degree (in Computing) and went on to a happy third career as a freelance programmer and systems analyst.
十五年后，也是第二段职业生涯(工业采购)之后，他突然决定要上大学。他在学校里度过了一段美好的时光，整个人突然年轻了10岁，还获得了一个非常好的学位(计算机专业)。接着，他便开始了第三段愉快的职业生涯：做自由职业程序员和系统分析师。
曾经为很多大学生做过职业规划的Jann Hoke发现，很多“非传统学生”通常都是成绩拔尖的。
Almost without exception, the best and most motivated students are the non-traditional students. ("Non-traditional" is defined as a college student who doesn't fit the stereotype of being 18 - 22 years old.)
几乎无一例外，最好最积极的学生是非传统学生。(“非传统学生”意思是不符合18-22岁这个通常区间的大学生。)
In my experience, non-traditional students are more likely to be on time for class and be prepared. Their essays are usually far more interesting because of their life experiences. They ask good questions and they understand that they are paying me to teach them (through their tuition). They want value for their money and are willing to work with me to see that they get it.
根据我的经验，非传统的学生更有可能准时上课并做好充足准备。鉴于他们的生活经历，他们的文章通常要有趣得多。他们会提出各种好问题，也明白他们是付钱给我来教他们的(通过学费)。他们希望自己的钱花的值，并愿意与我合作以确保他们有所收获。
网友Traye White用三段排比鼓励了一把所有想要通过教育继续追梦的中年人。
People will always tell you you're too old, talk to you about the income you'll lose, bring up the opportunity cost. But you're already asking the question. In your 40′s you're thinking about going back to school and making yourself better, you already want to go back. Do it.
人们总是会跟你说你太老了，说你会失去多少收入，还会提到机会成本。但你已经在问这个问题了。在你40多岁的时候，你在想回到学校，让自己变得更好，你已经想回去了。那就去吧。
You can't put a financial price tag on your feelings of accomplishments and self-worth. Maybe it leads to a better job, maybe not. But you want a college degree, so go get one. As long as you don't neglect your family and bankrupt yourself chasing some foolish dream, do it.
你不能用金钱来衡量你的成就感和自我价值。继续教育也许会带来更好的工作，也许不会。但你想要大学学位，那就去搞一个。只要你不是为了追逐一些愚蠢的梦想而忽视你的家庭或者让自己破产，那就去做吧。
Most people work dead-end jobs for minimal pay and have very little time to enjoy themselves. If education gives you the slightest bit of happiness and satisfaction, shines a small glimmer of light on a dull existence, it's worth it, do it.
大多数人做着一眼望得到头的工作，赚着微薄的薪水，几乎没有时间享受自己的生活。如果教育能给你带来一丝快乐和满足感，在枯燥的生活中闪耀出一丝光芒，那就值得，去做吧。
当然，接受教育并不是一剂万灵药。
有些年轻人或许在父母唠叨的时候抱怨过他们为什么不能在自己的生活里去做些有意义的事情，比方说读书、研究摄影、接受教育等等。
但是事实是，工作过的人可以体会到，上完一天班回到家，最想做的不是接受教育，而是躺平吃瓜看剧。
Note
antitrust /ˌæntiˈtrʌst / adj 反托拉斯的;反垄断的
terrific / təˈrɪfɪk / adj 极好的;绝妙的;了不起的
freelance /ˈfriːlæns/ adj 特约的;自由职业的
existence /ɪɡˈzɪstəns/ n (尤指艰难或无聊的)生活，生活方式
glimmer /'ɡlɪmə(r)/ n.微弱的闪光
学士学位 a bachelor's degree
硕士学位 a master's degree
