At 47, T.J. Wilt from Nashville is pursuing a lifelong passion he had set aside for a more ‘practical’ career in business. Now, on track to graduate with a Bachelor of Architecture at age 48 in May 2025, he’s proving it’s never too late to chase your dreams.

Wilt’s love for architecture began in sixth grade, inspired by an art teacher who had the class draw floor plans. However, when college came around, he chose the expected path, earning a finance degree from Belmont University in 1999 and later, an MBA. He built a successful career in business but his architectural aspirations remained unfulfilled.

The pandemic in 2020 brought about deep self-reflection for many, including Wilt. Dissatisfied with his corporate finance job and faced with personal changes, he decided it was time to finally pursue his architectural dream. “COVID made us all kind of take a step back and say, what’s this all about? What’s life all about? I took that opportunity. I was like, you know what, I’m gonna go back and follow this passion that I’ve had forever,” Wilt said in a University news release.

When he discovered that his alma mater Belmont had just launched an architecture program, he seized the opportunity. The Adult Degree Program offered a 40% tuition discount and credit for prior coursework, allowing him to enroll in the fall of 2020.

Wilt found companionship with other ‘second degree seekers’ and adult learners in the program who had also made bold career changes. “Kim, Tess and I were immediately lumped in together and I was thankful for that. We’ve all had career switches and we’ve all come back,” he shared.

For Wilt, this second act is about more than just professional fulfillment. It’s about demonstrating to his sons that it’s never too late to courageously pursue one’s passions in life. “My boys…to show them it’s never too late to follow a passion, it’s never too late to be happy. That was a big piece of it for me,” he said.

Currently co-owner of a local outdoor retailer, Cumberland Transit, Wilt is making it work by structuring his small businesses to allow him to focus on his studies—and the future. “I’m not worried about when I graduate…I’m not worried about 20-30 more years of work. I have no plans to stop,” he affirmed.

Wilt is excited to be part of Belmont’s first architecture graduating class and has grown close with his professors as they shape the program’s future. “We are all building the future of the program together, which is a priceless experience for me,” he said.

Looking ahead, Wilt is eager to explore his love of mid-century modern design and sustainable housing, especially using shipping containers. While he dreams of designing timeless residential projects, his recent studies have also cultivated an appreciation for commercial architecture. “I don’t want to build anything that’s going to be torn down in the next 10 years. I want something, whatever I build, I want to have people look at and say, ‘oh, that’s gonna stay there for the next 100 years, 200 years,'” he expressed.

When Wilt graduates next spring, he’ll be realizing a childhood dream deferred but never forgotten. He’ll be showing his boys—and himself—that happiness and purpose are always within reach, at any stage of life, with a little faith and hard work.