How old is too old to be involved at Meramec?
BY: JACOB POLITTE
Managing Editor
Here we are again. This is my second year as Managing Editor of the Montage, and the beginning of my fifth year on staff. I am twenty-six years old, and I will be twenty-seven years old before this publishing cycle ends.
I’d like to address a common criticism that I’ve been receiving from people around me that I know read this paper (not necessarily STLCC students, but you should also read this).
Very often, I get asked “How long are you going to be in college? You’ve been there for eight years!” Which is technically true, although I took a 3 year break in the middle of that timespan following a disastrous year at SEMO.
The simple answer to that question, however, is “As long as I feel I need to.”
I’m not a full-time student. I take one or two, maybe three courses a semester. It really depends on how much I can afford, as I’m trying not to have to use financial aid until I transfer to a larger institution (a consequence of that disastrous year at SEMO). In addition to that coursework and my work on the paper (which takes up more time than people realize), I work a full time retail job that requires a lot of manual labor and significant person-to-person interaction.
I have responsibilities at home (that admittedly I don’t always meet on time). It’s just my mom and I following the passing of my stepfather, and my mom isn’t always able to do every task. I’m extremely busy. And I primarily use public transportation to get to Meramec for my classes and for Montage business. I have to budget my time more intensely than ever before, and I have very little time left over for myself sometimes. I’m so tired, and I’m not sure a lot of people can understand just how tired I really am.
Twenty-six isn’t anywhere near ancient, but I feel like there’s a certain perception from some people around me that I’ve stuck around college too long. If you’re reading this, you know who you are.
People are going to think what they want to think, but I think that’s a close-minded opinion.
Many of these people have never attended one hour of college themselves. They’ve told me as much. To be fair, these people are living proof that you don’t need a college degree to be successful. I probably don’t need one either to find a path in life that I can be satisfied with.
But here’s the deal. I’m in college because I want to be here. I wouldn’t have returned to it four years ago if I didn’t want to. I returned because I want better for myself, regardless of how long it takes to get there. That’s on me to figure out, without the opinions or influence of others.
Not to mention, the idea that college is exclusively for young people is such a stereotypical, close-minded view. There are students in my classes who are a lot older than me. Decades older, even. There’s an older gentleman in my current Criminal Evidence class even, and he’s heavily engaged in the class discussion. He’s there to better himself, and that’s awesome. He adds more to the class because he has a perspective that many others in the class do not have. Whatever age he is isn’t a determinant; if anything it’s a benefit.
There is no set start line or finishing line for bettering yourself. Of course, people who have never been to college, or people just entering it at the age of eighteen don’t have the foresight for this kind of view. I hope one day, their view changes.
I have gotten more opportunities and felt more accomplished during my time at STLCC and specifically with The Montage than I ever have at any point before it. I don’t regret a single thing about my time here. Arguably, not coming to STLCC immediately following my high school graduation in 2014 is one of my more significant regrets.
Perhaps it’s better that I didn’t, though. Perhaps I needed an idea of the level of maturity needed to succeed in a college environment, something I definitely didn’t have when I was at SEMO at the age of 18, away from my parents and the world I always had known for the first time. When I came here in 2018, I was older and wiser. I knew what was at stake this time. I don’t want to be stuck working at a gas station for the rest of my life, and I’m not going to. No matter how much they pay me (it’s not bad).
I came here to STLCC to better myself, and I think I’ve done that. Despite what other close-minded people have said.
That being said, I’m not sure what the future holds for my time with The Montage. I’m committed through next summer, and then I’ll reevaluate my status.
As I’ve said in a previous “Jake’s Take” column, I honestly never intended to be an editor for The Montage at all. When I joined in the fall of 2018 I was intent on exclusively writing entertainment reviews for the Montage website. I didn’t want additional responsibility beyond that.
It’s funny how things work out. And I’m proud of the work I’ve done and the paper overall.
But while I intend on having a great, stellar year of Montage issues and web exclusives, I do think it’s time for me to pass the torch to someone else, or maybe a collection of people with a different vision in the not too distant future. I hope that person, or persons are reading this. I hope that you decide to join us and that you institute your own vision for what this paper can be. And even if you don’t join The Montage, find a club or organization on campus. Find something that makes you happy and fulfilled.
I’ve helped lead this paper through an uncertain time, and I’ve lost a lot during the pandemic. Life is too short to not take the initiative to better yourself on your own terms.
Carpe diem. Seize the day on every single day that you’re here. And don’t let anyone tell you that you’re too old to be doing it.
