Shizuyo Omori: For a Lifelong Active Brain—Reskilling from Seniorhood

I want to live vibrantly every day and maintain a lifelong active brain. It is just like a machine; if you don't oil and maintain it, it will rust and stop moving. If you apply the oil of "learning" and perform the maintenance of "practice," your brain will be activated and become a "lifelong active brain." Life will become rich and vibrant.

University correspondence education, the Open University of Japan, vocational training schools, and studying for certifications are useful in themselves. If you increase the number of drawers filled with information, wisdom, and experience, you can pull out what you need when you need it, using it to be helpful, overcome difficulties, or avoid danger. No matter how old you are, it is never too late to learn. The more you learn, the more you can enhance your abilities and brain power. "Infinite potential" is a privilege held only by human beings.

When I was a high school student, I was absent for a long period due to a serious illness, and my grades plummeted. Due to family circumstances, I gave up on going to university and started working. At the age of 48, I still wanted to study at a university, so I enrolled in the Correspondence Courses at Keio University. Usually, studying is done through textbooks. When I passed through the school gates on schooling days—days when I could take classes on campus—I felt like I had returned to my youth at 18. In the correspondence courses, people of all ages and genders gather from various professions. I was moved by the motivation to learn shown by people over 70. I made great use of my student ID, as it provided student discounts at movie theaters, museums, and other places.

As a divorcee, I was balancing three things: work, child-rearing, and studying. Five years passed while I thought, "This might be impossible for me." At one point, I intended to withdraw and thought about disposing of my textbooks, but I felt it would be a waste of the tuition I had paid. Additionally, because I was able to earn my English credits smoothly, I was able to continue my studies and graduated at age 60.

The trick to graduating is to "declare it publicly to those around you." That way, you cannot give up. What I initially thought was "I can't do it" turned into "I'll try," and then changed into "I did it." My long-held wish to graduate from university came true, and I gained confidence. I had acquired the power to not give up, the power to think, and the power to look ahead.

Because the content of correspondence courses is not well known, there are misconceptions such as "correspondence students can enroll easily and are at a low level" or "the reason it takes correspondence students many years to graduate is because they are not smart." In the correspondence courses, students learn from the same faculty as the on-campus courses. If students earn the prescribed credits, they can obtain a degree (Bachelor's) as a graduate of Keio University. The diploma awarded is the same as that of the on-campus courses, and the word "Correspondence" does not appear on it. It is simply that the on-campus courses have a narrow gate for admission, while the correspondence courses have a narrow gate for graduation.

When I enrolled, the average number of years required to graduate from the correspondence courses was 8 years for the regular course and 5 years for those with a previous degree. The graduation rate was only 3%. There are reasons why it takes so many years.

There are two methods of learning in correspondence education: correspondence classes (textbooks) and face-to-face classes (schooling). (Currently, there are also media classes via the internet.) In correspondence classes, you proceed with your studies using distributed textbooks and take a subject exam after submitting a report. You only earn credits after passing both. From a student's perspective, it feels as though administrative processing and report grading take time because there are so many correspondence students. Furthermore, if you repeatedly fail, the textbook changes to a new one, and you have to start learning again with a new assignment. Naturally, this extends the period until graduation. These circumstances are part of why it takes time for correspondence students to graduate.

University correspondence courses are almost entirely self-study. You cannot graduate just by studying hard. If graduation is like standing at the summit of a mountain, you cannot reach the top if you have the wrong equipment or route; the same applies to academics. Based on this experience, I published a book titled "My Lifelong Learning Method: How I Graduated from Keio University at Age 60 While Working" (Godo Forest). I wrote about university correspondence education as a lifelong learning method, as well as various other ways of learning (not just formal education) and the tips for doing so.

After I went public about studying in the Keio University Correspondence Courses, I received support from many people. Mr. Y, a Keio University alumni, introduced me to Mr. S—the grandson of Aizo and Kokko Soma, the founders of Shinjuku Nakamuraya—describing me as "an admirable person who is studying by correspondence despite being at an age where she has grandchildren." My graduation thesis was a "Study of Naoe Kinoshita." The Somas were close friends with Naoe Kinoshita. Mr. S provided me with materials related to Naoe Kinoshita and introduced me to Kinoshita's grandson. They even held a graduation celebration for me at Nakamuraya. In addition, there were people who guided me through lands associated with Naoe Kinoshita and those who searched for and sent me materials. At one gathering, the graduation toast from the organizer (a Keio affiliate) was a cheer from a former leader of the Keio University Cheer Group. I was moved to tears.

My junior high and high school teachers were as happy as if it were their own achievement, and my children celebrated both my graduation and my 60th birthday, saying, "You did your best." My mother, who was hospitalized, looked happy as she showed my diploma to the people around her. It became the one act of filial piety I could offer her.

Studying in the correspondence courses was difficult, but it brought great joy and connections with many people. The phrases "'I can't' is something you say after you try" and "Live a life of 'I'm glad I did it' rather than 'I wish I had done it'" came to mind and became my conviction.