What better place to start than at the very end?
Wow, that was fast, wasn’t it? I haven’t even started my program, and already I’m going to talk about graduation! Am I crazy? Well, maybe, but if so hopefully there’s a method to my madness.
One of the things that can fall by the wayside when doing a distance learning program is the sense of completeness that comes from hearing your name be called and walking across the stage to pick up your degree. I started my Master’s just weeks after finishing the requirements for my Bachelor’s, in fact since Charter Oak State College only has one ceremony a year, my ceremony would have been eleven months after I was done, and by then I was half done with my Master’s, and it would have seemed like a step backward to go. Besides, it was in Connecticut, and by then I was in Northern Virginia, so it would have been a real hassle, especially to take the kids. I was going to get another chance anyway soon enough (or so I thought), and that would be just across the river in D.C., so I didn’t think twice about skipping it.
But then when it came time for my Master’s graduation ceremony, I was just so busy! I was working hard to complete all the degree requirements, and I didn’t want to have to take more time to fill out forms and make arrangements. I decided I wasn’t going to this one either, mostly as a way to have one less thing to think about at a difficult time. And I thought, hey, I’m doing a doctorate, right? I’ll skip this one and just go to that one.
So I’m putting it in print now, way back here at the start of this thing. When I complete my program at A.T. Still University, I’m going to my graduation ceremony, even though it means putting my mom and wife and all the kids in the car and driving them to Missouri and back. It will be nice for the kids to see it, to reinforce that they should take education seriously, and especially since it’s the highest academic level it will give me a nice sense of closure on the student part of my academic life.
Coming up, finally, it's time for day one of my program!