Looking Back on How Far I've Come

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As I think about how close I am to completing my Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies, I find myself reminiscing on how I felt when I first began this journey seven years ago.

Sometimes it Takes a Nudge

Beginning my freshman year in college at the age of 43 seemed a little crazy. I already had a good career going, so why in the world would I put myself through the added stress? On the other hand, I had told myself many times that once my children were grown, I would pursue a degree. I just needed a slight nudge to get myself moving in the right direction.

I had a few conversations with a dear friend and co-worker on the subject. Throughout our careers, someone would always ask us about our degrees and we would grudgingly state that we didn't have one. So we made a pact that one day we would be able to smile and answer that question with pride.

The First Step

In the Fall of 2007, we began taking the necessary steps on this long but exciting journey. In Spring of 2008, we began our college careers as 40 something year old freshman.

As is typical for most college freshman, I changed my degree about three times. I thought about a degree in IT until my first programming class. I thought about a degree in graphic design, but I'm not artistic in that graphical sense. I thought about a business degree until I completed calculus and never wanted to go through another math class.

After taking numerous English, History and Communications classes, I decided to narrow my degree choice to something in the Liberal Arts field. I found a passion for reading, writing, and editing and that's how I came to choose a degree in Communication Studies.

This degree encompasses every type of communication you may need in life from business, technical, cultural, visual, oral, written and any other form of communication you can imagine.

The Final Step Leads to a New Beginning

Have I learned everything there is to be a great communicator? No. But I know I am better prepared for any circumstance that may come my way in the future.

What I have learned through pursuing my degree is that pushing myself to do more and be better brings a sense of accomplishment and pride. I know that if I continue to follow this same philosophy for the rest of my life, there are no limits to what I can do.