There is no such a thing as ‘too old to learn‘

Most of my classmates would chose a subject which would complement their on-going sudies. Many therefore prefer courses such as Financial Markets or Business. I, on the other hand, wanted to try something new and hence me chosing a subject which is somewhat linked to economics through psychology, but which is at the University of Edinburgh taught under the School of Informatics, and thus is rather technical.  Thanks to this opportunity to chose an extra subject, I now find myself in lecture rooms full of new faces which, unlike me, study mostly sciences or engineering programmes.

Had it not been for my study of Cognitive Science, I would have never had met my friend Henry. He is a student taking an undergraduate course in Informatics and Mathematics and to an extent may seem like every other undergraduate. Like most of us he always carries a backpack to school, he chats with professors on the corridors and eats his lunches in the cafeteria with his friends. He is, however, different from most of us. Henry has silver hair reaching beyond his shoulders and an equally light breard worthy of Dumbledore’s cousin.  In his 70s, Henry despises a life  on a couch of an ordinary pensioner. He says that bores him and puts him in a state of psychological decay. That is why he chose to enroll in  two of the most challenging courses out there and thus challenge himself and others‘ expectations. What I admire about him is the fact that unlike many of his age he does not succumb to the appeal of comfort in his home and unlike people of my age, does not study so that he could land a great job and live a lavish lifestyle. He does it for himself. He pushes his abilities forward and broadens his horizonts for the sake of his mental health and his own development. And because of that he inspires me and others to push ourselves just as hard.