In the mid-1960s, Edward Durham briefly studied data processing at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. He dropped out after about a year and moved to Atlanta.

He lived there for about a decade, working in sales and eventually opening a men’s wear store with a friend.

“I didn’t pursue my education,” he said. “I was just enjoying life.”

Mr. Durham, 75, returned to New York in the early 1980s and took a second shot at his studies. He bounced among a handful of colleges, spending a few months or weeks at each one before he decided to drop out for good.