First the WordPress Prompt

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Now the Discussion

One of my greatest regrets was not completing my associate’s degree with a focus in business fundamentals. I had left college ten years prior due to, well, life. I was raising a young child and doing the single mom thing.

1. My mother had passed away two years before. This was one of the main reasons I had left college two years prior. I dropped out a second time when I realized I couldn’t do it all. The first was 2012. The second was 2014.
2. My daughter was very young. In 2012, she was seven. In 2014, she was—I am sure you can do math, but either way—nine years old. Single parents will understand what it is like to be the sole breadwinner and caregiver in their child’s life.
3. I was struggling with an immense amount of mental health problems. Depression. Emotional dysregulation. Anxiety. Trauma processing. Discovering life with adult responsibilities. This list went on and on.

In 2023, I found myself in a stable situation. My daughter was eighteen. I moved in with my loving boyfriend of four years—now six years—and my life was going in the right direction. I felt the weight of my regret and decided it was time to go back.

I thought I left school with only three classes left to complete. I discovered that it was actually five. Can you imagine, though? Only five freaking courses short of a college degree?

I started class the final week of August. I graduated in May of 2024 with honors and a 3.71 GPA.

Beyond the Associate’s

I refused to stop. I was in a good place, and I had increased my mental dexterity. I knew I wanted to get my Bachelor of Science in Business. I have known that since I started college at 26. I also knew the time was right.

Before I went to bed, I read a post on Peace of Mind² discussing how everyone’s journey is unique. There is no one right path. Everyone progresses in different ways and at different speeds.

Well, I am not a young woman anymore, but that did not make my goals any less valid. I will complete my BS in Business on my 41st birthday! Better late than never, right?

What an amazing birthday present!

Just because my educational journey happened midway through life does not make the journey any less valid.

I am even considering my MBA! The thought terrifies me, yet I love the idea of going well beyond my dream of educational success.

Never Give Up!

I never thought I would finish my Associate’s. Reaching the halfway point in my Bachelor degree seemed unlikely. Nearly completing my certification in Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship also seemed impossible. Like, really. That is not something I thought would happen when I decided to finish my degree. Yet, here I am rocking my educational dreams.

If there is anything I have learned from this experience, it is that nothing is impossible.

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Credits (links open in new tab)

1. Feature Photo by Gu00fcl Iu015fu0131k on Pexels.com
2. When you feel like you’re falling behind in life by Peace of Mind