going back to school

I hear it is a trend lately - masses of adults hitting the books because they are re-questioning the course of their lives in lieu of the recession.
As much as I would like to believe that I am not a follower of the masses, in fact, I am just like everyone else and I have signed on to do graduate studies. I am taking my first university class in 14 years.  I am apprehensive and curious, and, frankly, a little intimidated.
I am not sure where this will take me. My course, a study of social theory in interdisciplinary studies, is not particularly "useful" as far as most everyone I talk to can tell, but it is fascinating. Already I have engaged in online forum discussions with other adult students who, like me, bring as much life experience to the role of student as academic experience. We write wiki posts. We share ideas. All is done online, which at first I found a bit daunting and cold. But, trying something new is good because I have completely changed my position on this. The advantage is clear: we don't have to all be in the same place at the same time. And it follows that it is more respectful of the breadth of my life, especially as an adult learner, and that breadth impacts what I bring to the material.
In addition the depth of discussion is in a different realm, much more intense than discussions I engage in ordinary life. No longer is my opinion merely valid because it is one opinion of many people's valid opinions, now I must have good strong critical arguments that I can justify my position based on their author's own terms, based on what he/she set out to achieve. Disagreeing with an author's position simply because I don't like his conclusions or her style is not enough for this level of discussion. Now I must disagree based on grounds of logic, clarity and rhetoric.
It is a new (and simultaneously, old) way to relate to books and a reminder of how little really deep thinking I get to do in my everyday life,. So many of my day-to-day discussions and readings (and blogs) are really "samplings" of ideas.
I look forward to continuing on with this, even with the challenges of fitting it into my already crammed schedule. It is informing me in all areas my life and I like that. But my life is also informing it, and I like that too. Now my next challenge is to find a way to turn it off: stop thinking about it and talking about it to all my friends!