retrocation

My dad has really been talking about furthering his education lately. He loves reading especially, so starting today he went to the library to check out something of a more "literary" quality than he is used to reading; although, most of what he reads is very well written. At the same time though, like most non-traditional college students, he is extremely scared to go to college. I hope he does it though. If he doesn't, he will regret it the rest of his life. In fact, he already is. He claims that after high school he didn't do anything but start a family and immediately start working, and he says that in a manner that makes him sound like a petty person. That is not true. He went to mortuary school in Dallas, TX for a couple of years and became a certified embalmer. From there, he completed enough apprentice work to also become a funeral director. Besides that, he did apprentice work as an electrician before mortuary school, like his father before him, but determined that that career path wasn't meant for him. Basically he feels like programs such as that don't qualify as secondary education, and I don't understand why. Whether you receive a BA or a MA or, in his case, a certificate, it is still an accomplishement that requires you to further your knowledge. Plus, the knowledge he received is actually used in his line of work. How many college graduates do you know that that actually happened to? According to the numbers I've seen, most people don't. Still though, I like seeing the passion he has, and has always had, for learning. He never wants to stop, and I can't see anything wrong with that.