Hi Gary,

I'm pretty sure I'm your first "someone" -- I told drandalray in this post that he could earn 82 credits in six months. I still stand by that, but that doesn't mean it's easy. Anybody trying to earn three years' worth of college credit in six months should understand that it's a major undertaking, and it's not something you can accomplish in your "spare time" -- you have to make it a very high priority to have any chance of success.

I'm not far from 49 myself (I just turned 47 last Tuesday), but I'm not married and I don't have children, and I cut way back on my work schedule while I was doing my 120 credits in 60 days blitzkrieg. Still, I hope that if I were married, and my spouse wanted to attempt a similar feat, I'd give her all the backing I could, and run interference for her on the household responsibilities (and I'd collect some payback at the end of it all ). If the kids are old enough, I think they can be called upon to sacrifice a bit for the cause too. I remember helping my mom with her math homework and pitching in on laundry, shopping, cooking, etc. while she was going to nursing school.

I think if you're on an accelerated schedule to earn a degree, and doing the bulk of it with CLEP and DSST exams, you're already meeting the family more than halfway. You're kind of saying "I know this will disrupt our lives, but I'm trying my best to keep the disruption as short as I can, and the result will benefit all of us." That being the case, I think it's more than fair to ask the family to pitch in.

-Gary-