I guess you could say that last week my graduation became official when I received this lil' piece of paper in the mail. While it's an associate degree--that took me 5-6 years to obtain (mostly due to the fact that I worked a full time job the entire time I was in school, and a couple of degree changes--more to come on that little tid bit)--I felt some sense of accomplishment to finally hold this paper in my hands. I learned a lot in the time it took to get this, not only academically, but also a lot about myself.
As mentioned, I had a few degree changes throughout the time I was in school, that went something similar to this : nursing, psychology, nursing (this time making it clear up to the point that I could apply for the nursing program) and then BAM!, I switched over to Art & Visual Communication w/an emphasis in graphic design. Talk about a major change...between psychology & nursing I could use credits I had already taken, but this switch from healthcare to art left me almost at square one as far as credits go, and while it was something I really wanted to do I was often left frustrated by the fact that so much time, money, and credit hours had been wasted, as what I HAD been doing no longer could count towards what I was NOW wanting to do.
But as I said...I learned a lot about myself in this process.
1. Never settle for anything less than what makes you happy.
I always, always, wanted to be a nurse. From the time I was probably in middle school I was sure that was what I wanted to do in life. I loved health classes and learning about the body, and was for sure that would become my academic endeavors once I graduated highschool. Eventually, as I began filling out paperwork for my application into the nursing program, I realized that this really WASN'T what I wanted to do. I wasn't sure why, I just knew it wasn't going to be something I would enjoy like I had always thought I would--so I dipped my feet into different areas of life and found something that really struck a chord with me---designing.
2. Just because your dreams, and what you perceive to be your strong skills, do not seem to coincide, don't give up. You may just surprise yourself.
Um...art was never my strong point. Seriously, I absolutely hated art classes in highschool (although I had a few decent projects manifest themselves). I was never confident in my artist abilities and dreaded having to share them/present them to others. It was not my thing. I am not a great drawer either, in fact....I would dare say that I have little to no drawing ability in these hands and fingers of mine. Thats why my switch to an art major surprised even myself. I have always felt I had some creativity, but being able to reproduce the ideas I had was never a strong point...until I actually tried. My projects in my college classes came to me, for the most part, a lot easier than I thought they would, and I began to surprise even myself. I had ability that I never knew I had. I'm still not an "artist" in terms of drawing and painting, but I can do it well enough to explore ideas and creativity, and then jump on the computer to fine tune them and make them look less of a 2nd grader level. Who knew?!
3. Dreams can change, and when they do, change your path and chase them! Even though it may not ideal at the time, you will be a lot happier in the end
This kind of coincides with #1. Changing my degree from healthcare to art, at the point in time that I did, was NOT ideal. In fact, it was probably one of the worst things I could have done as far as time & money was concerned. But as far as happiness goes, it was the best thing I have done. I have now found something that I enjoy doing. I have found my passion & a way to express myself that I feel I never would have found had I continued on the path to a nursing degree.
So, here's to another chapter in my life! I am excited to see what it has in store and what I can make of it!
