finish my associate's degree

17 credits down…

I’ve always struggled with school. I dropped out, got a GED, but pushed myself and started college at the same time my would-be graduating class did. I’ve been working on and off to get my associates for the last 4 years. It as been a struggle working 2 jobs (now just one) and not to mention changing my major as often as I change my clothes. I’m taking 3 online classes this semester and have to take 3 classes next semester and I’M DONE, with my associates anyway!
Online classes might not have been the best idea. I’m a master procrastinator:/ I drive myself crazy and stress myself out by putting things off until the last minute. I have a hard time concentrating and teaching myself new material. I’m so close though…I HAVE to do this for myself! I think I can. I think I can…

im waiting to start the fall semester as a full time student, taking ballet biology chemistry and calculus

here we go

Dropped out of a four year program to start a business which has become my livelihood, have been taking business classes on the side since I started and I’m almost done! I’ve learned more from the actual business, but I wanted the piece of paper as well, probably to be the first male “graduate” on my mom’s side, the whole American dream, yada yada.

I’m not sure why I dragged this out as long as I did. I’ve been going to school on and off for 8 years and have always been a really good student. So why I have dragged out a 2 year degree this long I will never know! I am only two classes away from finishing now and I’m enrolled for this semester. I’m finishing it with British Literature and Physical Geology. Should be fun—yippee

I am dropping Algebra. UGGGHHH!
I will finish the computer class.
Then I will quit school so DH can take some classes.
Maybe later in life I will go back.

As a teenager, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to become a pediatric psychiatrist who specialized in working with terminally ill children. I knew it was going to mean a lot of school and, even if I accomplished my goal, that I would probably burn out on the emotional aspect of working with dying children and their families on a regular basis after a few years time. I wanted to do it anyway, figuring at that point I would have both a medical degree and psychology degree to fall back on if and when I needed a career change.

Somewhere along the way through high school, I took a very wrong turn and my life went completely off track to the point that I never even graduated. Here I am, almost 8 years exactly from when I dropped out of high school with a GED and finally in college. Initially when I started college, I was going for business, as it seemed to be the degree that would offer me the most job oppurtunities of the degrees my school offered. I took a break from school about 6 months ago and when I went to re-enroll, I found that I now had the option of psychology for a course of study. When I found out that all the courses I had taken already would transfer without losing any credits, I jumped for the oppurtunity.

Getting my associates to me will prove that some things lost for a while can be regained, and in this aspect, it will be regaining at least part of a dream that I once had and thought I had thrown away with a series of bad choices earlier in my life…

I’m struggling to get through the two classes I’m taking right now because of my course load being doubled up, but I’m trying to take it a day at a time and just do the best that I can. I need to prove to myself that I can do this, not because certain others seem to think I can’t, but because somewhere along the line, I started to lose faith in myself from listening to others and looking back at where I have failed myself over the years.

I got it in May, and it’s January… I’ve gotten a promotion, though I’ve gotten no other offers. I believe it has helped my resume get some more attention on the job posting boards.

I’m glad it’s over. It did kind of give me a sense of accomplishment. The best thing about doing it to me, was all of the valuable skills i learned doing the process… and not necessarily job related stuff, but more about just figuring out the systems that people create and discovering what it takes to excel in those systems and how that is directly related to your success in your role in that system.

I finished Music Appreciation with an A, then took the Fall Semester off so DH could take some classes. I’ll be back with the Spring semester that starts in January. I’m enrolled in MATH110 Intermediate Algebra and CSIS110 some computer class that is required.

I figured my credits incorrectly last time and included a class that does not count toward my degree. So at the end of the Spring semester I’ll have 53 credits and need 62. That’s 3 more classes. I can’t wait until this is done!

I’m going back, after a maternity break, starting with the summer semester. I’ll be taking Music Appreciation online. When that class is completed the total credits will be at 50! Only 12 more credits after that (3-4 classes).