It’s never too late to be a college student

Possibly College of the Rockies’ oldest student is Ed Carriger – but he won’t tell his age.

It had been 20 years since Edward Carriger last attended a class at college, but this didn't stop him from enrolling in a computer science course at College of the Rockies back in January, 2005. This month marks the beginning of his seventh year as a student at College of the Rockies.

Over the past few years he has taken more than 30 first- and second-year courses, including biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, English, history, geology, geography, criminology, psychology and political science. Such an impressive transcript would be attractive to many employers but Carriger is not looking for a job; he says he is simply looking to refresh his skills which assist him when he is tutoring other students.

After finishing high school, Carriger, a US citizen, attended college from 1942 to 1943 and again from 1946 to 1950. Between 1943 and 1946 he served as a radio technician in the United States Navy Air Corps. Having a strong background in science, he worked as a chemist and chemical engineer in the explosives industry in Arizona and the vegetable oil industry in New Jersey from 1952 to 1967.

In September, 1967, he moved to Canada and began his teaching career in Alberta. He taught most subjects and all grades with the heaviest loads in physical sciences and math at the secondary level. He continued teaching until 2005, when he again became a student.

And what advice does Carriger have for older adults considering returning to the classroom?

"If you want to keep your mind working at maximum capacity you need to study in a group setting or on your own. It is usually easier in a group setting where there is a social aspect too,” he said. “In any class you take you contribute to the learning of the other students with whom you come in contact. Sometimes you know you're having an immediate effect; other times you won't know of your effect until years later."

This semester, Carriger is keeping busy by taking environmental economics and biology of the environment. You may be wondering how old Carriger is. He says you should be able to get a rough idea of his age from the data provided in this article but if you're still having trouble he‘s willing to recommend a math course.

For more information contact Ed Carriger directly at: 250-489-5624 and 250-417-5236 (cell).