Brain Superlongevity Project
A personal long-term "brain workout" anti-senescence research project to document potential benefits for adults over 50.
Earlier this year I completed a marine biology degree online. It took me 3.5 years part-time with some breaks. The only thing that might be considered mildly remarkable about this is my age, 55. I think that is mostly because people at this age are generally more interested in other things than education, as it was not particularly difficult.
That said, I find that accredited online college education is amazing (since I wouldn’t be caught dead schlepping a backpack to night school at this stage…or maybe I would—literally, lol), and I want to continue with more degrees. The degree keeps me focused, and it is necessary to have it for my future plans to change into biology and environmentalism from my current career in cybersecurity.
Since I have been interested in the topic of superlongevity for the last few years, I decided to finally use my Brave News World domain to document my progress on my next degrees online. This will slowly take on aspects of a research project as I connect my studying with my mental fitness (or lack thereof). I will be taking difficult subjects including advanced mathematics (not historically my favorite) and science. I will try various supplements, diets, and exercises to maintain or achieve optimal brain health. This will all be documented.
I have recently started my next degree, a computer science bachelor’s degree at Western Governors University, a fully online non-profit accredited school that has an almost unique “competence-based learning” program that allows students to study as much as they want for one price per six-month term. This means students can study and pass courses at an incredible pace if desired, e.g., one can study 10 hours a day and complete a bachelor’s degree in a year or under, thereby saving a massive amount of time and money. WGU has a streamlined selection of classes focusing on I.T., teaching licensure, business, and healthcare. I am completing the computer science because of my working career, and I am to finish it in under a year. I already have my generals done from my prior two bachelor’s degrees, and I have experience in the field, so I think it is an achievable goal. I am interested in other degrees at WGU also, including the I.T. MBA, the teaching licensure for chemistry, and the master’s of healthcare administration.
To continue with my career change, I am aiming to start a microbiology master’s degree online in the fall of 2025. This is a one-year degree full time or two years part-time. I will decide later what I can handle while working. I mostly telework, so I save a lot of time not commuting, therefore full-time student and full-time work is not inconceivable. I also am considering an early retirement next year if I can afford it. I am paying for school as I go, so I will not be taking any loans out. WGU is very affordable, but the microbiology degree is less so. This degree has crossover into many biological fields, including oceanic microbiology, healthcare, soil science, and mushroom cultivation, all of which I’m interested in. I’m happy to report that curiosity doesn’t subside with age if the right circumstances are created.
To be continued…