• Josh Rose graduated from college at age 39 after nine years of active duty in the military.
• As a recent graduate, he says he feels behind in life compared to his younger peers.
• But having a degree allowed him to get a job in the tech sector and boosted his self-confidence, he said.

This essay as told is based on a transcribed conversation with Josh Rose, 39, of Texas, about his attempt to find employment after serving in the United States Armed Forces. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I was a pretty bad student in high school. I had stopped my academic endeavors, so I wasn’t much of a student at that time.

My father I went straight into the army leaving high school. I followed in his footsteps and joined the Air Force in 2004 after graduating from high school.

I served nine years on active duty – five years in the Air Force until 2009 and four years in the Army from 2010 to 2014, with two deployments to Afghanistan.

After my military service, I tried to get a degree several times, but didn’t stick with it until May 2024, when I graduated with a degree in computer science from the University of Arkansas at the age of 39. infrastructure engineering job in a bank.

I feel behind because many colleagues at my level are younger than me, but I think getting a degree was the right choice.

I tried a few colleges after serving in the military, but didn’t finish the course

My air force employment has never been so difficult. This mainly involved replacing a bad circuit board or radio component with a good one. I realized I had underperformed.

I was deployed to Afghanistan for a year. On site, we had access to the CLEP tests, which are college level exams. I attended several and earned an associate’s degree from Air Force Community College in 2007. That warmed me up to the idea of ​​college.

After leaving the Air Force in 2009, I applied to schools but didn’t get in. I spent a year applying for defense technical jobs based on my Air Force experience without landing anything. I also went to EMT school to become a paramedic, but didn’t find an EMT job either.

The job market was really difficult after the 2008 financial crisis. People who are currently in the workforce can probably relate.

In desperation, I returned to the army, join the army. I was out of options and felt like a complete failure.

When I got out four years later, I spent a few months traveling with my military savings. I also tried some colleges, but dropped out before graduating because of things I didn’t like about the classes.

Because I had access to the GI Bill, I studied without going into debt. Looking back, maybe I didn’t commit to the programs because I didn’t have to pay for the money.

I enrolled in a computer science program in 2019 to get a white collar job. Halfway through my first semester, I received a call from the Federal Aviation Administration about a job in telecommunications on their satellite network. I decided to drop out of school to do it. It paid well and was familiar from my time in the Air Force, but in hindsight it was a mistake.

Instead of following my passions, I followed money and stability. If I hadn’t, I probably would have graduated sooner.

I graduated at 39 and got a job in software engineering

It was not until May 2024 that I college graduate at 39 years old.

I stayed at the FAA job for about 16 months before deciding I missed the software route. After that, I tried to shorten the university course by enrolling in a coding boot campbut in May 2022, I decided to go back to school to get my degree, enrolling in a computer science program at the University of Arkansas.

It took me two years to complete the course because I could transfer credits from my previous college experiences.

During this time, I completed a summer internship at a Fortune 500 financial bank, which led to a full-time job offer. It was just before layoffs got really heavy, and the the job market seems to be contracting in the tech industry, so I feel very lucky to be employed right now.

I feel behind in life, but I think finishing my studies was the right choice

Having a degree has boosted my confidence. I wondered if I belonged in the professional world or if I was a monster who couldn’t pull himself together. Seeing something through to the end was rewarding.

My degree is the only reason I have a professional job right now. I was hired as an Infrastructure Engineer II and a degree was required.

The military helped me get established, earn an income, pursue an education, advance in my career, and receive benefits from the GI Bill. But it also set me back.

Joining the military in 2009 to escape the bad job market was probably a mistake. I should have stuck it out and found a civilian job.

Now I feel behind in life. In college, I felt ridiculous sitting next to these 24-year-olds who would eventually end up in jobs similar to mine. At my current workplace, many colleagues at my seniority level are younger than me.

I generally have better confidence in public speaking than my younger peers, but I think learning this craft at my age, with its rapidly changing technologies, is more difficult than it would have been when I was younger.

I’m working hard to get promoted and grow to where I think I should be. I’m still grateful and I think I’m in a much better place than if I hadn’t gone back to school. I can’t say for sure, but I think it was the right choice.

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