Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Why am I doing this?


I am so looking forward to the end of this semester. As many adult learners, I do not have the luxury of living off mommy and daddy while going to school. I have been doing the college thing since my days in the Army (1997) to now. At the end of this semester, I will have accumulated approximately 95 credit hours of college from 6 different colleges. Seven if you count the credit hours earned from my Army training. Although I am nearing the end, I still have until the Spring of 2011 until I earn my degree. That last thought chaps my ass.

I continually ask myself why I am doing this. I already have a nice house and a great family. The job I have now pays a significant amount more that what an entry level HD FS major will start out with. I need or want for nothing. I am pretty much on my own terms in life. When I get my master's degree in rehabilitative counseling, I will probably still take a pay cut and have a significantly longer commute. Two years until graduation seems so far away. I have not had a semester off since I have started to include the summer 2008 semester. I am taking 2 classes this summer, 3 classes in the fall 2009 semester, and 3 in the spring 2010 semester. Count it out and that is 7 straight semesters without a break. I feel that I am a glutton for punishment.
What I tell myself is that I want to accomplish this goal. I want to accomplish is when it is and is not conveinent for me. I want to be a role model for my kids and for others who are multi tasking like me. When others tell me that they can not do college, I just look at them and tell them that if I can do it under these circumstances and responsibilities, so can they. The biggest key to being successful and sane is time management. I accomplish the task at hand and prepare for tasks as few others do. I am by far not one of the smartest students at Penn State-York. However, I know I am one of the best at time management and preparing class.
What am I getting out of this? A bald head and a serious case of insomnia. No seriously, I am getting the satisfaction knowing that all of this education and training will one day go towards assisting service-connected veterans with their reintegration into civilian life. They will have the opportunity to had one of them identify and assist them. Why am I doing this? I am doing this for my fellow veteran and for our community and so that my children will understand the importance of education.

2 comments:

Sara Hilton, Admissions Counselor said...

Corey, this is such a great entry. I think college students are constantly stopping to ask themselves, "Why am I doing this?" and your blog really hits the heart of that issue.

Susan A Sharp, Admissions said...

Corey,
What a great blog! You made me laugh with a few of your comments. You are great. You are already successful but you will be more successful in the future. I am so proud of our veterans and it is so great you want to help them. You also are a great father. Keep up the good work.