Yesterday marked the final day in my final quarter needed to complete my bachelors degree online at Savannah College of Art & Design. Yes, I’m DONE. Finally.
Yesterday the kids and I sat down with the heaping pile of the curriculum I completed these last two years to take our 365 photo for the day. These same papers I was buried under at some point or another as these two amazing kids anxiously awaited my attention during every break I took.
I spent a lot of time this week reflecting on how much has happened in the last two years since I started this journey, and really found myself not only appreciative that I’ve finished but for all the support I’ve had from my family, friends, colleagues, classmates, and yes, even my own students.
So what was the most challenging part of your degree?
I’d definitely say that juggling work, school, and the kids posed the biggest challenge these last two years. When I started my bachelors degree in September of 2007 it was just one month before I had Jaylen. I had never taken an online course before, but I just assumed when I signed up that it’d be something I could handle around everything else I had planned, even the challenges of having a newborn baby in the house. I have to admit that there were many days and nights during my very first quarter after having Jaylen where I wasn’t so sure how I’d juggle it all. But I’ve learned that determination will get you through anything, and it has. Thankfully I have two amazing kids and an awesome husband who have come to accept how busy my educational goals have kept me. So I guess for me the challenge really hasn’t been in getting the degree “done” but instead in making time for those who I care for most while finishing my degree.
So how in the world did you juggle the kids, work and school?
Sometimes you don’t ask “how” and you just do it. I have to admit that without Jason I don’t know how I’d have finished this degree. He took a fair amount of time off after Jaylen was born to help me get through one of the most challenging quarters. Virtually every weekend he came to accept, as frustrating as it may have been, that the weekends were almost always devoted to me finishing most of my big projects, research papers, presentations, and more. So as he played Mr. Mom I was often locked in my room free of distractions, granted the kids did manage to sneak in from time to time. And well, there were just many moments where he was at work and I had deadlines mid week where I was up all hours of the day and night completing homework. Hope has been an amazing big sister helping with Jaylen. At times I admit that resorting to Blue’s clues meant I was able to get one more thing accomplished to achieve my goals. At times I have been so focused and thankful how much Jaylen enjoyed Blue’s clues that I’d look over and he’d be sound asleep.
Geez, how many degrees do you have now? How many more are you going to get?
I guess this now will make four degrees. I have a general Associates degree and two A.S. degrees (graphics and interactive) from Valencia. And now I have a bachelors degree – so I suppose that makes me “legit”.
I’m just about finished with my masters application at SCAD. If everything goes as planned I will begin my masters degree this fall. As for what follows that, who knows. We’re entertaining the thoughts of a PhD but one thing at at time people.
Now that you’ve successfully finished interviewing yourself AGAIN, do you have any final words?
Besides thank you to everyone who has offered me encouragement or support.I suppose I should remind everyone out there not to think of things as “impossible”. I have had many who have jokingly said that some of my goals are impossible or crazy. I guess I should remind you all that “success is journey not a destination.”
by Amanda Kern
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