As Dianne Guenther’s husband prepares to retire from his career with the Forest Service, she finds herself back in a college classroom, working toward an associate’s degree in accounting.

It’s been a year of some uncertainty for Guenther and she expects that phase of life to continue for probably another year or so.

Dianne grew up in Whitefish, but ended up moving around the country as her husband was transferred to jobs in different forests. In 2005 the couple moved to Columbia Falls when his job brought him to the valley.

It was a welcome move. “We knew we wanted to retire here,” Dianne said.

She got a job in the accounts-payable department at Plum Creek Timber Co. And, as she puts it, she got to take early retirement when Plum Creek cut the staff and she was laid off on April 14, 2010.

While losing a job wasn’t easy, Guenther said she harbors no ill will toward Plum Creek. “No one wanted to do it. It was brutal for” Plum Creek’s human resources employees and managers, she said.

She took about six months off, including spending 10 days in Germany visiting her niece. She then learned about the Trade Adjustment Assistance program from officials at Plum Creek. In December, she qualified for money to go to college. She spent a few weeks scrambling to get ready and enrolled for the spring semester at Flathead Valley Community College that began in January.

She expects to graduate with an associate’s degree in accounting in May 2012.

Guenther hasn’t yet decided if she’ll pursue a bachelor’s degree. Now 57, she’s not so sure she still wants to be in college at age 60. And, with her husband’s pending retirement, the couple wants to be flexible about their future and Dianne’s work plans. So, she’ll make that decision another day.

Guenther considers herself fortunate that her husband has a good job, allowing her to focus on education rather than earning a paycheck right now.

“I’m so amazingly grateful for the opportunity,” she said of her return to college. “It’s exciting to find out what you’re capable of and to learn new things you want to do.”

Exciting, yes. Easy, no, she says.

Memorizing information and taking tests have proven difficult skills to relearn. She felt fortunate that she came to college already possessing good computer skills, but then realized her computer knowledge paled in comparison to those of her younger fellow classmates. She terms their approach to technology as “fearless.”

Traditional-age students have been “receptive and open” to the older students on campus, she said, noting she’s never sensed any sort of “us versus them” perception on campus between the different aged students.

And, the support for returning students at FVCC is nothing short of amazing, she said.

The college’s learning center offers math and writing labs and the Trade Adjustment Assistance program pays for tutors if needed, all great benefits, she said.

Guenther has taken classes online as well as in the traditional classroom. “I prefer the classroom because it allows me to get all my questions answered,” she said.

Before working at Plum Creek, Guenther worked at a bank and for a college alumni association. So as she explored college majors, she gravitated toward something numbers-related.

A condition of the retraining money is that students prove they have a good chance at getting a job in the field of study they are pursuing.

“I had to submit and justify what I’d major in,” Guenther said. She called several area businesses asking about the possibility of getting an accounting job in a few years and conducted some online research about what industries were growing or shrinking. The findings indicated an accounting career was a suitable choice and her plans were approved.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.