This degree is for people who have been away from college for awhile, for any number of reasons. It could be raising a family, military service, finical difficulties, medical set backs, or like mine - having a learning disability and being too scared to set foot into a school again. Ever. But whatever the reason, it's a wonderful program that lets you use all your old credits and develop your own curriculum. And although developing my own curriculum felt like the best thing I could have hoped for, the reality is that it was a daunting task. Or rather, it would have been a nearly impossible task if it weren't for the class I took this past semester called MDS 300.
This class was all about us figuring out who we are and what we want to be when we grow up. This is a question that I have often asked myself through the years, but I have never really come up with a satisfactory answer. To tell the truth, that's another reason I never went back to school...and study what exactly? Through a number of assignments, trips to the career center, testing of our personalities and aptitudes, and many other helpful activities...I came to know myself much better. And I even have a clue as to what I want to be when I grow up. A leader. Don't ask me where or doing what, because I just don't know that yet. But at least I have a direction to head, and that feels better than I can even explain. Not having a direction pretty much leaves you dead in the water. I know.
And while all that stuff I just said sounds pretty cool. The reality was, it didn't feel so cool. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret any of it. I would even go so far as to say that it's the thing I needed and wanted the most. Trust me, I had tried to figure out some kind of direction on my own for some time, and I just couldn't seem to get it right. Remember that "dead in the water" line? This semester's process in this class, has been gut wrenching. All the while, as I was shifting back and forth - letting go of the old stuff that no longer applied (or never applied) and finding my inner passions for life - I was a mess. The last thing I felt was clarity, and I just wasn't ready to write about the mess. Hence, not too many blog posts about MDS 300. But if I haven't said it clearly enough here yet, let me say it now - this class was incredibly valuable and an absolute necessity to go any further in school. I now have my curriculum, which I designed myself, thank you very much! It's my road map to graduation and I feel really solid about it. What a relief.
I have two more things I want to say about this class. First, my professor is the best. She really helped me through it all. And here's the really good news - she is also my advisor! I get to keep my cheerleader for the duration. What a relief.
OK, here's the other thing. Think about it. Who are these people that sign up for this kind of degree? These are people with a past. A story. And oh what stories! Our final project was to write about our stories, and then to present our stories to the class: Where we have been, why we are back in school, and what we want to do after graduation. I cried more than once. My classmates are the most amazing people you could imagine. I feel so honored to have known them.
One day, our professor showed us a TED Talk by Angela Lee Duckworth on Grit. Professor K told us that whenever she though about the students in MDS, she thought about Grit. I agree!
Dr. Duckworth's TED Talk on Grit
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