Michael Nicholson really likes being in school.
The 71-year-old Kalamazoo Michigan native has such a strong love for learning that hes earned 29 college degrees
- and hes not done yet. He's currently aiming for his 30th degree, a master's in criminal justice.
"I just stayed in school and took menial jobs to pay for the education and just made a point of getting more degrees and eventually I retired so that I could go full-time to school," he told ABCNews.com.
For 11 years, Nicholson supported his higher education habit by working as a parking-meter attendant at Western Michigan University, he told the Kalamazoo Gazette in 2009, earning a tuition discount that made several of his master's degrees more affordable.
"I enjoy learning as a means of independence," Nicholson told the Gazette. "I have academic freedom; I can study or do whatever I want to do."
His passion for learning came from his parents, neither of whom were able to go to college. "We were motivated to continue with our educations and go as far as we could go," he told ABC of his family, adding his mother wanted something better for us than simply working at a factory, so she kept doing the necessary for us to continue."
Nicholsons first degree was a bachelors in religious education, the Gazette reported. Hes since earned two associates degrees, three specialists degrees and a doctoral degree, not to mention his 22 masters degrees, including ones in health administration and special-education administration.
"I would like to get to 33 or 34. I'm almost there," he said. "When I complete that, I'll feel like I've completed my basic education. After that, if I'm still alive -- that would take me to 80 or 81 -- I would then be free to pursue any type of degree."
His wife is no slacker either - she's earned 7 degrees herself, and is a large part of why Nicholson is able to do so well in school.
"She helps me with my homework all the time," he said. "I cannot function on a computer, so she has to do it."
All of Nicholsons degrees have been earned from brick and mortar institutions as opposed to online schools, and in addition to WMU he's attended classes at schools over the country. So far he's even managed to attend 28 out of his 29 graduation ceremonies.
When asked what words of advice hed offer to others, he encouraged students not to quit too soon.
A lot of people tend to throw in the towel and have to come back to it later, he said. Don't give up on your aspirations too soon."
fukkin fool
