The 2012-2013 school year is coming to a close. I feel that whenever I write on this blog, I hit some life-altering obstacles that leave me both hurt and excited to the revelations I’ve experienced.
When I last left off, I had taken a semester off from school to ground myself in reality, group my resources, and balance my mind. I’d say the effects of this effort have renewed my perceptions forward with my climb to my degree. Here is my story up to now:
The Fall of ‘Safety’
My new job had taken a great turn. I was traveling the United States, working with a creative videography team, and learning efficient workflows for my personal benefit. In my spare time, I was keeping up with friends and living the life I wanted to live. Except that all took a terrible turn for the worst in the eve of talks about “Sequestration”. I had already seen it coming months before, and had been prepared to transition back to school for my degree. Working on my paperwork, I exercised the thoughts of how I’d plot going from working full-time to being a full-time student.
When you know you’re about to lose your job, going to school is the least of your worries. There are bills to pay, rent to be made, and families to take care of. If I were in school, while at the same time working over 20 hours a week to pay bills AND take care of a family, I would just not make it. To continue would mean something would have to be cut out, or I would have to invest in taking a loan out, so I believe the obvious option for many people would be to drop out of school. In my case, I have no family to support aside from my immediate family of parents and siblings. But a proud man does not admit his defeat after winning on the battlefield, at least I didn’t. I never told my family about how there was no more money coming in on my end, or the cost of repairs onto my car for a recent accident, or how I was struggling with food because rent still needed to be paid until my lease was up. I could have done so many things to ease my worries, but I held on to the hope that I’d be self-sufficient until the time came to be safe again.
Concentrate and Study Again.
It was to my luck that my registration process for my degree went through. After I moved out of my home and back with my parents, I had just enough money left to pay bills for the month, and credibility to my record to be accepted for a loan to pay for classes. Signing the paperwork for those loans was like giving my confidence to an imaginary bully to take care of while I sailed a sea of stress on the USS Sallie Mae. But I had come back to the university with my plan: finish in two years, get Liz back, sort life out, minus the Liz part. It’s like the path to getting an education in my situation is a constant game of shaking a Magic 8-Ball, “Outlook good. Outlook not so good. Signs point to Yes. Have a drink and buck up.”
It seemed that getting back into the groove of academics on a graduate level were just as hard as picking up skateboarding after not skateboard since I was a child, “The heck am I doing and am I pushing off right?”
The first issue I found when taking off was whether I had a cohort or support group to get me back on track, to which an immediate answer would be “Very doubtful”. If there was, and I had missed it, it’s probably because of the following: I did not expect there to be anyone to care about me, and any effort expended on searching for a cohort group meant less time finding ways to pay for bills and studying.
To my luck, I had been accepted as the Graduate Assistant at University Career Services, and gained valuable knowledge on career counseling, outreach programming, and office etiquette. Believe me when I say on the latter that my last office was not as positive as the staff here. I finally felt like a valuable resource again, was paying for my bills and keeping on track with classes.
I would say that the transition from full-time worker, to bum, to student would have been smoother, but it definitely helped that I had the support of an on-campus team, an academic advisor that picked up easily where I last left off, and peers who somewhat knew what I was going through.
Finishing the Race
It’s very fitting that I’m ending the year again with a bang. My thesis is gaining a full picture in my head, I am in the right direction with my life, and things are just feeling generally good. I’ve especially learned something valuable while in my internship for the practicum course of my program: the pursuit of accomplishments is a road paved by good people, especially at George Mason University. What can I say that has not already been said by the graduates and alumni of this university, or the students who would one day walk the same path I have? Being a first-generation student means fighting a struggle, specifically one that involves the obstacle of financial stability. Many students are not as blessed as I have been to get a bachelor’s degree, and in one more year (fingers crossed), get a Master’s degree. But for those students that actually get that opportunity, it is not to be wasted.
I hate it when someone says “Thanks for nothing [university or college], but my degree is useless now”, because that is not true. What I’ve learned is that students, from the moment they enter college, should be adding badges of accomplishments to their person constantly. George Mason University is a campus of opportunity, innovation, and entrepreneurial exploration, and students should not feel that their time here is wasted. From the moment a student adds a peer to their network, or adds a volunteering or professional bullet point of experience to their resume, they are adding a step to the road of accomplishments. One should simply focus their life on the social aspects of the campus environment, but the professional bonuses that come with it. Sure, we can grab a drink at the local bar, but let’s talk about this latest project I’m working on and how you can provide input. Why not, I’ll come to your campus event and entertain the idea of a workshop, but let’s also discuss how it can fit into my future.
So as students begin their victory lap to graduation, and I’m seeing the ending in sight for myself, I will constantly believe that accomplishments, and the obstacles that precede them, are only shaped by the pursuit to better ones self. I look forward to day I can walk across the stage for my Master’s degree, turn around, and hand off the baton to the next generation of students.
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