A Mike Life – The Life of Mike!

How does it feel?

// September 16th, 2009 // family

(by the way, please enjoy the sad display of Photoshop abilities with this “enhanced” picture of myself)

Just over a week ago I finished school. It was a Saturday night in San Diego when I turned in the final assignment for my learning team, logged off my school website and told everyone in the room that it was done.

The one question that I heard more than once upon finishing was “how does it feel to be done?”

You’d think it would be an easy answer. Awesome! Stupendous! Fabulous! (okay, I’d never say ‘fabulous.’ Maybe)

Turns out, the answer was more challenging that I thought. I mean, at the moment I turned everything in on that Saturday night, there was no screaming, cheering or jubilation. It was mostly a slight exhale and then I went to the couch and continued reading one of the most amazing books I’ve ever read (Ender’s Game, for those that want to know).

I told Jina it seemed kind of “anti-climactic” for some reason.

Maybe it’s because when you start something like this, which was back in early 2006 for me, you slowly lose sight of the fact that what you are doing will have an end point and it ends up becoming a part of your life for awhile.

Since 2006! Aside from a break I took during the later months of Jina’s pregnancy, I’ve had school in my life for three years and some odd months. At some point along the way, it just became something I had to do every week. A chore. Like mowing the lawn.

Probably a second reason it didn’t end with excitement might have been that break I took. I was done with my core classes and was going to take CLEP tests to finish my remaining elective credits. But I enjoyed the time off and had no desire to have to study for these tests, which is something UoP doesn’t do for normal classes. No tests, just papers and assignments.

So I went back early this year to finish via the classroom method, because otherwise it just didn’t seem like it was going to happen. Jina encouraged me to do it, something I’m glad she did.

But I honestly wasn’t very proud of having to do that. I wish I could have just taken those tests. But with a new baby and the struggles that come with it, the classes were actually easier and better suited for me than tests were.

Either way, I think that whole thing made the finish line a little less exciting?

However…here I am now. Done. In around 30 days, I will be holding in my hand a diploma that says “Michael Robert Olbinski: Bachelor’s of Information Systems” or something like that.

16 years after graduating from high school, I actually have a college degree, something I never thought would happen. I’d given up on it. The idea of going back to school was so far from my mind. I had a good job and was moving up, so why did I need it?

But it was the idea of having kids and a family that kind of woke me up. If I ever lost my job, I would need something that got me in the same door other people had access to with less experience than me.

Now I have the experience and the degree. If I were forced to find other employment, things will hopefully be easier for me.

I also have my free time back. Just in the nick of time too because this weather photography hobby is really taking hold of me *grin*. But there are other projects I want to start on and things I can now do without worrying about homework every weekend. What those might be are up in the air, but at least I know now if I dedicate an entire Saturday to yardwork, or painting, or whatever, I know that on Sunday I can rest and not have a 1000 word paper to write.

Back to the question. I’ve thought about that a bit more over the week or so since I finished and it really didn’t hit me until the girl called on Monday to tell me I need to register for my diploma once my final grade is posted. Which happened yesterday. And so I registered and it said my diploma would be here in 30 days.

So how does it feel to be done with school and a college graduate?

Feels damn good.