Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Going Back to School in my Middle Age

It isn't getting any easier...this GOING TO SCHOOL stuff. For some ill-concieved reason I've wanted a doctorate degree every since I was a little kid. Maybe it was because my mom used to drag me around to her college classes when I was little. I remember sticking my finger into a rat cage of some lab class and getting bit by the stupid thing. It's a wonder I didn't get some weird disease from a lab experiment gone wrong.

Maybe it was from my adoration of Indiana Jones. We shared the same last name after all. He was often called Dr Jones and I thought it was cool. He was cool. I wanted to be like him. I'd even wear the hat and rope if asked. I joked as an adult that if I ever had a boy, I'd name him Indiana. I'm guessing that's why the good Lord gave me all girls. He must have thought it just a tad too selfish.

Fast forward 30+ years later and I take an inventory of that long lost goal. I had been graduated from my Bachelors degree over ten years. Time was flying by! A few technical school degrees get earned and I'm making a living. A few unusual turn of events and I find myself staring at a Masters degree program that only costs $12,000. At the same time I am (finally!) working for a company that offers tuition reimbursement. The way it plays out, I can get all but $2,000 covered by my employer. A Masters degree for $2,000!

A silver lining to the dark cloud that was my lost job one year ago.  The first domino in a series of crappy events that shook my whole family. But we've come out the other side and we're still together and doing just fine...and I'm back on the road to my life long goal of getting a doctorate degree.

When I graduate in two years (May 2016), I'll be searching for that final step: the affordable doctorate. For now, it remains my Pegasus. Something I've heard about but never seen. I'm not sure it really even exists. But it remains in my top tier goals and to this point, I haven't missed a goal yet.

~OJD

9 comments:

  1. That will give you a little time to decide what subject you want your thesis to be.

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    1. I still have no clue what I want to do my thesis on.

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  2. Great deal! Good for you! You can do it!

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  3. Many things will come and go in your life the Masters degree won't be going away..I always have said this to my only child who is educated with many majors from college and minors..I told her boyfriends will come and go and girlfriends will come and go but no one can take your educational degrees away, it has bode well for her, since she graduated in December of 2000 she had many jobs until she landed a man's job for a film company because of her finance degree, she beat out many competitors and gets to fly all around the world for her job, she is happy and well compensated, gets to travel on their dime and we see her when she gets near to Seattle, we drive or Amtrak it up she is our only child..She has good connections and doesn't live the life of most people in the film community, she has a good head on her shoulders and knows that her family tine one at that is more important than money and fame, she is our doll baby and always be, go for your education you will be happy you did!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  4. I meant to say her family is more important and love is more important than all the money in the sea, her favorite saying, she is wonderful, she wanted to go to school as a tiny doll baby and could not wait to get started, it opened worlds to her..No one will take your Masters and Doctorate away from you and it will open many doors to employment and it provides a lesson to your children to put education first in their young lives then they can proceed whichever way they want after they get their educational goals completed, I truly believe those who become educated get lucky lucky breaks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  5. well I need all the lucky lucky breaks I can get!

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