In response to The Observer’s shout-out in their October 9th issue about older students coming to NECC for educational opportunities, I want to shout back about how great NECC has been for us oldies who have ventured back into classrooms. I began my studies for my Associates in 2021 (which means that I was here before it was the cool thing to do) and have been enjoying my time ever since. NECC has provided a warm welcome, and I’m so glad to see the growing cohort of older students join in the ranks.
Being part of a community means that we get the opportunity to learn from and about each other. With all the variance in our ages, we get to do some cross-generational information-swapping stuff and come away with a deeper understanding of what the heck is going on in each other’s heads, ‘cause sometimes those generational divides are for real. But, listen, we’re all in this together, and it just makes life interesting to find out what we’re all about.
For the record, this Gen X-er (points thumbs at self) enjoys learning alongside people of all ages and experiences and sometimes even gets a thrill at being the oldest student in some of her classes. With the influx of more, older students, I am losing my title, so that does put me on edge a bit. But that doesn’t stop me from flashing my grey hairs or peg-rolling my jeans from time to time.
If you are not sure what Gen X means, it’s probably not your fault. We are the most forgotten generation and are generally omitted from the media. You’ll often see mentions of Boomers and Millenials, maybe even the Silent Generation or Gen Z, too, but us punks in the middle? It’s lucky we don’t give a fig, but it means that the rest of you have no idea we even exist even if we are sitting right next to you, so that’s kind of annoying. The crash course in Gen X is that we are defined as people who were born between 1965 and 1980 (so, 45-60 years old) and there are currently about 65 million of us in the US. We were the first generation to have, by and large, both parents working out of the home, so we were left to fend for ourselves. We also got to play outside for most of our childhood, and we are known for hydrating ourselves only during the summer months with the backyard hose. The result of all that neglect is that we are fierce, and we know how to do a lot of things. We are a generation who knows how to be alone, but we also know how to look after each other. And, we are particularly good at sarcasm.
And, lucky for you, we are also the people you should both fear and depend on in a crisis. (This is the crème de la crème of compliments, in my opinion.) According to a leadership expert at a recent conference, she actually did a call out to members of the Forgotten Generation in the audience: “Gen X, I didn’t forget you, even if the rest of the world has. But I have no advice for you. For a few reasons: First, you don’t need it. You are the most independent and self-sufficient generation in the history of mankind and there is literally nothing I can teach you. Second, even if I did have something to tell you, you wouldn’t care.
Third, the reason we ignore you is because the rest of us are all terrified of you. If the zombie apocalypse ever happens, we are all hiding behind you. Somehow, you’ll know what to do.”
So, fellow students who are of the younger persuasion, if you see a classmate with sparkling hair looking slightly dehydrated and have a bit of an edge to them, they are probably Gen X.
Do not be afraid. In fact, you’ll find that we are pretty decent human beings. And we will come in handy for the zombie apocalypse. With enrollment of older students on the rise, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to meet one of us and find out what life was like in the days of mohawks, corded phones, and station wagons.
And, of course, we’ll always be able to direct you to the nearest hose.
