I got my degree four years before my retirement.
Fun stuff and memories. When I was at UMBC in 1986 I was kicked off the Vax 8600's for writing funny scripts that would run in the batch queues and resubmit between the systems when they completed. Net result was seriously elevated rights, baffled sysadmins, and a hilarious crash when they were killed improperly. Things happen. Off to Essex Community College and their IBM mainframe for me!!!
Left college completely a year or so later because I kind of needed to eat, but fortunately I was also worked on the Vax 785 which was connected to this ArpaNet thing. The 8600's were on Bitnet. That knowledge got me 25 or so years of amazing work, friends, family, kids, and community.
Finally I figured I would go back and finish an AS at Essex Community College (since I could claim that tuition tax credit too). They still had my old credits and 2 years of part time got me a degree in CS.
Then I found you could transfer into U of M. And they had totally forgotten about the Vax thing (a funny story that I'll tell in person). So I spent 2 years doing that and finished my degree at 48. Not because I needed it, but because why not....
I guess you could say I gave up trying for it a long time ago, but I never quite gave up hope. It can be done.
CZ
