And he could also be excused for pinching himself to check if it's real when he graduates from Otago Polytechnic today with a bachelor of occupational therapy degree.
Mr Smith is the oldest student to graduate from the polytechnic with that degree.
He is also believed to be the oldest person to have gained this qualification at any New Zealand tertiary institution.
Not academically-minded early in life, he had never expected to be completing a tertiary degree.
And there were a couple of times early in his past four years of study that he thought he might not make it.
His success has only just started to sink in.
On Wednesday, after he collected his graduation regalia and put it in his car, he ‘‘just choked up'', as graduation became real.
‘‘It feels really amazing.
‘‘It's just like Everest. It's something I never actually dreamed about [doing],'' he said.
Born and raised near Hamilton, he initially trained and worked as a carpenter.
He has since worked in many fields, including briefly as a scrubcutter and later as a builder, and has spent at least 20 years working in social support fields, including helping young people at risk.
For several decades, he has honed his skills as a guitar player and singer-songwriter, including in Australia, where he lived for more than 25 years.
During his tertiary studies, he partly supported himself through busking, performing at the Otago Farmers Market, near the Dunedin Railway Station.
He and wife Nancy (56) have lived in Dunedin since coming back from Australia in 2011.
She is also studying occupational therapy at the polytechnic, and several of their five children have been studying at the University of Otago.
After deciding to retrain, he had a few tough moments in his first couple of years of study, but ‘‘brilliant'' support from his teachers kept him going.
Mr Smith is undergoing the formal process that will eventually enable him to become registered to practise as an occupational therapist.
He has always enjoyed helping people, including during his training in occupational therapy.
‘‘It's about making a difference in people's lives.''
Polytechnic School of Occupational Therapy academic leader Jackie Herkt yesterday praised Mr Smith's ‘‘fantastic'' achievement and said he was ‘‘a great role model''.
Ms Herkt hoped that, after he was registered, some Dunedin employer would ‘‘snaffle him up, with a great job'' , and noted his passion for work and his wide range of skills.
Mr Smith said ‘‘you never stop learning''.
‘‘It's a little bit like you're being born again.
‘‘It's a new world.''
