So I’ll start by saying I know post-secondary education (“college or university”) schooling is tough at most any level. It can be either because of a direct result of the degree pursued (a dr for example) or it can be for external forces causing strife (like life events or such). For context now, it was circa winter 2010 and I was about 3-4 years out of high school (wow!) and I was encouraged to go get a degree. Before this, when I was wrapping up high school, I had already applied to and been accepted into the music dept program at my local university, but I was not accepted to the school itself due to being just a few points shy on my SAT and ACT (dumb). So I put it off for a couple of years. Eventually, I did decide to go to the local tech college to get my Associate’s degree. I, among dozens of other students, were about halfway through our degrees when the tech school decided to “align with the university system” and changed everyone from a quarter-based system to a semester-based system. This made majority of our degrees that were typical 2-year into 3.5 or more year degrees. That coupled with me finally leaving my first ever retail job and getting my first ever “Corporate America” big boy job means that I paused college.
You know how they say (to some effect) that when you say you’ll go back a good percentage likely won’t ever go back or whatever? Well I did not get to nor choose to go back. Fast forward to 2019 and I’m feeling the the ceiling of my experience in technical support and knew I had to make a decision of some kind or be stuck in this kind of role for as far as I could foresee. I was able to talk to one of the local universities and was flabbergasted to find that after almost 10 years of being out of college that about 95% of my credits would transfer from my previous Associate’s degree program (obviously not classes on legacy stuff like Windows 7 or Server 2008, which made sense). I told the recruiter (or whatever) rep I was definitely willing to go back to “finish” my Associate’s; however, after a further review (matriculation I think they called it) of my official transcript, the rep told me that I would be able to get not only my Associate’s but also get a Bachelor’s because 100% of the courses in the Associate’s are in the Bachelor’s program + the Bachelor-only classes thereafter. After looking and talking it over at home, it made sense to shave off a whole year of transferred credits and get both an Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree a year early each. I’ve since been trucking along pursuing my degrees. I had not yet earned my Associate’s yet, but I do think it was one of many contributing factors in me finally getting out of technical support and into help desk. I absolutely love the role, the folks I work with, but above all that the freedom I now feel of not being bogged down like I was for 10 years to a headset and a tv callboard. I can think, plan, be flexible, contribute, and do all sorts of things previously impossible in my working life.
It’s been a realllllllllly long last couple of years as a result. Selling our first AZ house … buying land to build … Covid … selling said land b/c of covid and other factors … getting a new role at work… and of course school. But all of that aside, I can say that I officially triumphed and received my Associate’s degree in Information Technology in the mail yesterday! I am now smart! It was quite a bit surreal looking at a piece of paper that has taken so long to get, but it’s more than that.. it’s an accomplishment that I didn’t think I would ever get and at several points I felt “too old”, “not smart enough”, or had not met some indescribable quota in my mind to go back and get one. All excuses, of course, but nevertheless, it was pleasing to finally see my name on that (expensive) piece of paper and that I can now mark off that miniscule worry from the back of my mind. Getting my advanced education makes me feel great personally and professionally. Here’s to the same or a greater feeling after I get my Bachelor’s in a year or so.
Until next time,
Andrew
My Life. My Story. My World. 