Tuesday, June 3, 2008

College education...for mom!

Many, many, many years ago I decided to go back to school and get my college degree. This decision goes back to before I had kids (my oldest is now 17) so you do the math. Anyway, it seems like its taking a lifetime to get this degree but then what else have I got to do...have children, raise children, move around the country, pack and unpack the entire house, work, stay in shape..nothing to do, might as well go back to school.

I figured I could at least take classes since getting a good job was proving to be nearly impossible. It seems that moving every 18 to 24 months was not enough time to get that awesome job. Plus I really wanted to stay home with my kids for a little more than just six weeks after birth this time. Anyway, I went back to school taking one course here, one there, skipping semesters to have my kids and going back when I could. For a while my job paid for my education, when that ended because of another military move, I had to resort to my own cash, financial aid, etc. I, however, did not want to give up on my dream so I kept going and doing what I could to take classes.

Well now I am down to the last classes, most of which are electives. I have been a part time student at the University of Maryland University College for a while and I am really enjoying this online schooling thing, except for the mountains of reading I have to do, much more than live classes. I don't have a choice, I have to go online so I sacrifice some sleep time and take advantage of nap times to get my reading and my work done. So far I'm doing pretty good.

My major is in Social Studies with a minor in Humanities. Unlike most who get this degree and go to work as a social worker or counselor, I am not leaning in that direction. I'm still leaning towards the health and fitness industry. I love teaching people about fitness, nutrition, wellness which is why I am an AFAA certified trainer. I do love watching the faces of those who experience the benefit of a good workout.

The Spring semester is now over and I somehow I was able to get a B in both my Gerontology and Linguistic Anthropology classes. Now I'm in the second week of the summer semester taking another Humanities class called "The Religious Quest: Cross Cultural Explorations of Human Beliefs." So far it is a very interesting class but requires a lot of reading. I just hope I can keep up with the reading and the written reports they demand in a compressed class.

I can see what I'll be doing in my early mornings--reading, reading, reading!!!

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