My husband graduated with his bachelor's degree this summer at the age of 56. We ordered a cake and celebrated with friends and family. He had earned his associate's degree in accounting literally decades ago and had plans to continue his education, but life detoured him, as it likes to do.

Then, a few years ago, his employer told him there would be no more promotions without earning his bachelor's degree. It felt like an empty box on his resume that just needed to be checked. Not having that diploma became a persistent barrier.

College is expensive and time-consuming. So many people lack a degree solely because they lack the resources. And student loans just feel like a burden deferred. We kick that dream of higher education further and further down the road because the cost alone is overwhelming.

Fortunately, my husband's employer put their money where their mouth was. They offered tuition reimbursement; he just had to make the time. So, with his family cheering him on, my husband took one class at a time, online, year-round and chipped away at this goal bit by bit.

It may have started out as a box he needed to check, but as he got back into the groove of classroom learning, he remembered that he had always wanted to finish his degree. His was a dream remembered and this was his chance to reach it.

My husband went back to school the same year our son started first grade. I love the example he sets for our son. He proves that it's never too late to pursue a goal. Dad worked on homework in the evenings and on weekends. He took his laptop with him on vacation and over holiday weekends with the family to get his work done. There were times he stayed home while my son and I explored and attended events.

Higher education categorizes students like my husband as nontraditional learners. But there are no "traditional" learners, really. Life does not follow scripted trajectories. We all face detours. If you were able to complete college right after high school, wonderful. But that doesn't mean you didn't face challenges. If you took a gap year, awesome. If you waited a few years and came back to it, great! And even if you learned on the job and never pursued university learning at all, that's fine, too. Every path is different and every path is valid. I want our son to see the beauty in that range.

Someone else's path does not affirm or negate your own. There are no prizes for being the first to graduate, first to get a raise or first to be promoted. Each route just looks different. Life is not a competition no matter how much society wants to make it one. No one is getting a trophy on their deathbed. Life's reward is in the journey itself, in all of its left turns and roundabout ways. What matters is the love found in the people you meet along the way. I would have missed out on so much joy and adventure if my life unfolded in a straight line. I am so grateful for opportunities that presented themselves in detours I had not anticipated.

Let my husband be an example for you as well. Take the pressure off and give yourself permission to take the long way around. Sometimes life's deviations are the most beautiful paths of all. As for my husband, I think his grey beard looks good with that cap and gown.

Do you know anyone who's doing cool things to make the world a better place? I want to know. Send me an email at [email protected]. Also, stay in the loop by signing up for her weekly newsletter at WriterBonnie.com. To find out more about Bonnie Jean Feldkamp and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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