“Education is for growth and fulfillment.” ~ Tom Robbins
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but when I was awarded a scholarship for this fall semester, it also covered next spring semester, even though I will complete my degree plan and graduate this December. So, the big debate was whether I should return in the spring for a couple of electives. Well, as it turns out, I just couldn’t bear to leave free money on the table, so this week I have enrolled in two additional classes for next semester.
The problem, of course, is that though this seems a perfectly logical solution, there is still a part of me—a pretty big part—that is really ready to be done with school. Even though I’ve selected one course that seems really interesting to me and one that has an instructor who I think can make most any subject at least mildly interesting, I’m still a little worried I will not be able to focus and put forth my best effort, knowing that they are not necessary.
On the other hand, I have always been something of a nerd and enjoyed school, so I’m hoping that nerdiness can carry me through just six more months. Plus, I selected courses that will not have the drudgery of daily class attendance, one entirely online and one that only meets for five Saturdays. I think it will be a big relief not to have to rush from work to class every day and then drag myself home totally exhausted only to sit down in front of a computer and try to do homework. (Not to mention write this blog; this is not the first night that I have drifted off while working on the laptop, only to awaken several hours later still needing to finish both schoolwork and my daily post. Though tonight I appear to have somehow changed the television channel in my sleep and awoke to PBS even though my local news was on when I first drifted off, but I digress.) Anyway, I think a large part of my burnout this semester has to do with the fact that I have to be on campus for classes Monday-Thursday, and then every other Friday we have our paralegal club meetings, so I feel like I have no time to just breathe and get things done at a reasonable time and pace. Not having to be on campus next semester should help with that.
But, burnout or not, the fact is that there are tons of things I want to learn, and I am always fascinated to be introduced to new facets of the law. To not take advantage of the opportunity to learn more—with no further strain on our household budget—seemed unthinkable. So, I will officially graduate in December then take a short break—including our celebratory cruise—and then I will be back in school, probably before I even receive my actual degree. Oh, and sometime in January I will also be sitting for the paralegal certification exam. So, it will be quite some time before I can fully be done with the text books and homework. Let’s hear it for nerd power.
