Mid-life Master’s Degree Leads to New Career for Journalist

By Amy Metcalfe, ‘19G

If you had told me 20 years ago that I’d go to graduate school at age 48, I’d say you were crazy. I had no intention of going back to school. But after a long career in journalism, I decided I might want to teach, and I knew I would need a master’s.

I explored many programs, everything from entrepreneurship at RIT to creative writing at Brockport. But I landed at Nazareth in the marketing program.

At the time, I was working as the editor of POST magazine, raising two boys (ages 11 and 13), and often flying solo, as my husband’s firefighter schedule is unique. I’m not going to lie; it was tough. But like most things in life, you make time for what’s important to you. And once I decided this was for me, I was all in.

Juggling grad school with work as editor of POST magazine and parenting two children was challenging, but possible.

It was fascinating being back at school at 48. Unlike my immature, 17-year-old, distracted undergrad self, I wanted to learn everything and soak it all up. I looked forward to seeing my professors and learning from their real-world experiences, and I was enthralled with class discussions. It was wonderful to be using my brain for something completely different, and I really discovered how much I love to learn!

It also amazed me what I could accomplish in a day’s time when I actually utilized every waking minute. I don’t think I’ve ever been so productive as those days when I was in school, squeezing in homework at night or on lunch hours or at 5 a.m. 

Another thing that surprised me (and this is not something I considered going in) was being at school as “Amy,” not Ian and Cal’s mom or Jimmy’s wife. So for the first time in 16 years, I was an individual with a clean slate, which was fascinating and invigorating. What a gift to be able to see myself that way again.

From the very first class, our cohort was tight. Other cohorts may feel the same way, but I know we had something special. We all brought different experiences to the classroom. And by graduation, we had all become friends — people I still keep in touch with.

I'm at the far left, with classmates (left to right) Cody Brackett, Daniela Grugnale, Kaleigh Beene, Monica Bulger, and Maria Posato.

Perhaps the most wonderful and amazing thing to come out of this was the impact on my sons. They saw me in a different light, studying and doing homework. I practiced my presentations on them as they tried not to laugh. They celebrated with me when I got good grades. We were living parallel lives for a short while. They knew I could relate to their homework, as they could to mine. They came away knowing that learning never stops, even as you get older.

My sons, Ian and Cal, also gained and grew from my master's degree experience.

To anyone reading this who is considering going back to school, I promise you, you will not regret it. It has been one of the more memorable and time-worthy experiences of my life.

Amy Metcalfe was hired by eCornell as an Instructional Design Associate during her last semester at Nazareth. She has already taught her first class, Introduction to Journalism, at Rochester Institute of Technology.