When I went back to college at 30, the first semester was pretty lonely. I’d moved to a town where I knew only one person: a computer science professor who had spent maybe half an hour with me talking about going to school there.
It was lonely outside of school, but in the computer labs, I felt like I was with my people. After years of not hearing anybody else talk about code, it was like music to my ears. It made me happy.
A short time into the semester, I had apparently developed a habit of saying the answers to questions in class mostly to myself. I wouldn’t raise my hand, or shout out the answer like the others. I would say it just loud enough for the guy in front of me to hear it.
One day, he turned around after I did this yet again, and he said, “Speak up!”. He told me I should be letting the class see how much I knew.
I only needed a little encouragement.
I tried harder after that to speak louder and participate more fully. My confidence grew. I was a dedicated student and had a natural talent for programming.
Over time I became good friends with this fellow student who had encouraged me and we worked on a robot project together.
By the time I got my degree, it wasn’t a lonely place anymore, thanks to the great people I went to school with.