We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we’ve established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile.
I started college immediately out of high school. I quit after my first year because I just wasn’t ready to be a dedicated student, and I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I went back to school a few years later and earned an Associates Degree, which worked just fine for the jobs I held.
Eventually, I returned to school through Eastern Oregon University‘s online program intending to earn a four-year degree in business. At the time, I really wanted to pursue a degree in graphic art, but that program was not offered online and I lived a little over two hours away.
Enter a divorce, unemployment, and not really any viable job prospects on the horizon, and an invitation from my parents for the girls and me to come live with them while I finished my degree. I jumped at the opportunity for two reasons: 1. I knew there was no way I would be able to complete my degree otherwise, and 2. Moving with my parents meant I could attend on campus which would enable me to earn the graphic art degree I really wanted.
That was 2011.
I walked in the graduation ceremony at EOU last spring, but I had two classes to take in order to complete my degree requirements. One class was terminated and not offered any more, and the other class was not offered until this Spring Term. I was able to substitute a different class for the one that was no longer offered, but was unable to register for the Spring Term class because I was still paying for the Winter Term class because I am no longer eligible for financial aid.
I was also able to find a job last spring working in the field of graphic art and marketing. In addition, part of my responsibilities include being the webmaster and designing and maintaining a new website for the company. Incidentally, the last class I needed to take was an Intermediate Web Authoring class. Because of my on-the-job experience and completed work, my advisor and I were able to petition to have the class waived based on real-life experience! Which means I am officially done.
I am the proud recipient of a four-year degree, and I could not be more excited!
This is a journey I have been on for 24 years, and I am so very glad it is over! Whenever I see this quote, “It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.”, I think normally I would agree, but in this case I don’t. Don’t get me wrong, the journey was worth it, but the end of this particular journey is so much more rewarding than the journey ever was.
Nature Girl. Mom. Wife. Friend. Photographer. Sewer. Crafter. Artist.
To borrow a phrase – “Yeet Ye Riche”