Meghan Larson
Receiving an education, can mean a multitude of different things for it is dependant upon the person who is receiving it. An education can be viewed as a gift given from one person to another to enrich life or it can be viewed as a means to achieving ones career goals.
It is a road taken by many and feared by some for it is not always easy and it is often hard to see the finish line. I have spent the last three years in college obtaining my associates degree and I intend to spend more time going forward. My past, present, and future have education engrained within it; I know that in the end I will say that I have achieved my educational goals and that it has made all the difference in my life.
I decided to enroll in college in September of 2005 for I was tired of working for minimum wage at a job I despised, just to make ends meet.
When I started my college career I was living alone, taking fifteen credits and worked full-time. I thought I would lose my mind that first semester; I could not remember my name half the time and I ended up in the hospital twice with serious illnesses. But I told myself, as I still do today, it will all be worth it in the end when I walked down that aisle at commencement and received my diploma.
As if things were not difficult enough for me with work, school, and everyday life I discovered I was pregnant in November, 2006 after having surgery to remove a bartholin cyst. I remember the day I looked upon the little stick and I saw two blue lines; I knew I was in for a rough road.
I felt helpless at this point for I could barely keep afloat with work and school, how was I going to do both and be pregnant? Well, to my surprise I managed to pull a 3.8 in the spring of 2007 semester. I cannot express how much effort and dedication went into my school, work, and life at that time. I had every pregnancy ailment one could think of except gestational diabetes; three days after I had my daughter I had to be taken to the emergency room where they drained four liters of water from my body. I almost gave up at this point, for it was now going on August, I felt horrible, and I could barely take care of my daughter let alone return to school.
I spent many nights crying myself to sleep wondering if I was ever going to make it through this rough spot in my life. With family and friends in my corner, I did return to school in September of 2007 and I received a 4.0 that semester. I am proud of myself and how far I have come; I never let life slow me down or stop me from achieving my goal. I am going to graduate in May with my associates degree in accounting from Morrisville State College and this degree means so much to me because of all I had to endure to receive it.
I am a firm believer knowledge is power and with that power one can accomplish many things. Receiving an education will not only enable me to be employed in a higher paying job but it will also provide me with the knowledge needed to succeed in life.
While attending school to receive my associate's degree, I have learned a great many things about real life situations and how to take the class curriculum and apply it to those situations. I attended three colleges, two of which where extensions of main colleges and one that was online. Most of my teachers were actually employed in the fields they were lecturing on and it was most enlightening to be in class with them and discuss their life's work.
How can education enable me to achieve my goals? To start, it will provide me with the knowledge that is demanded in today's competitive job market for higher management positions. Knowledge workers are in demand and competition is fierce; one needs a good education and an outstanding personality to stand out from the crowd.
I worked in banking for six years and have been cross trained in many different positions; I will never forget when the job that I had been doing for seven months was moved to the accounting department, where company policy stated an employee needed an associate's degree or higher to apply for the job. If I had received my associate's degree at that time I would have been able to continue on with that same job but I did not have my degree so I missed out on that opportunity.
Education opens more doors that might have been shut and locked to a person before. Education cannot only help one to achieve the job he or she desires but it can also provide the route to an overall better life. The jobs I will be qualified to do after obtaining my degree are jobs that provide higher pay, better benefits such as ESOP and medical coverage, and I will be employed in a field that I desire to be in instead of one that just pays the bills. Education also provides one with pride and self-confidence for in the end one realizes how much she can endure and that she is capable of anything. I know that when my daughter gets older she will be proud of her mother and the things that I have accomplished.
Attending school online is the best way for me at this point in my life to obtain my bachelor's degree. My daughter is eight months old and she is growing at a rapid rate; I do not want to miss her entire childhood just to attend school at a campus. She is the most important person in my life I would not be who I am today if it was not for her. She needs her mother and frankly I need her too. With that being said, I have attended an online school in the past and I must say that it is more challenging but at the same time a greater experience than attending a college campus, for not only did I receive an education but I was able to interact with many students from all walks of life.
While attending college at Empire State online I was able to have discussion with students and teachers from all over the world and learn about different cultures and economic systems. It is rare when attending school on-campus that you meet people from all over the world, it was truly a memorable experience. Online education allows me the freedom to attend class when it is convenient for me and not at set time of the day; when you have small children your time is not your own and you do not set the schedule, they do. Online education is much more appealing to me for I do not have to deal with class interruptions.
I am attending college to learn and get out of it all I can and when attending a campus I am easily frustrated with the lack of respect some students have for the teachers and the other students who have come for the knowledge.
Receiving my bachelor's degree has always been important to me and I plan on achieving that aspiration no matter how hard I must work to receive it. I do not see a bachelor's degree as a want I consider it a need, a must have to live the life I want to live and to provide my daughter with the things that she deserves.
I want my daughter to be proud of her mother and for her to see that with hard work and dedication one can accomplish her dreams. I must lead by example and what an example I make by enrolling to obtain my bachelor's degree and taking care of my family at the same time.
Making an example of myself will not only help my daughter but other single mothers who want to obtain an education but feel they cannot because of the time it takes. I am far from perfect and if I can accomplish my educational aspirations anyone can. The road has not been easy, it has been full of obstacles to overcome but that makes my degree that much sweeter.
Online education is a tool I intend to use to achieve my educational goals and I am positive the experience will be just as worth wild as it has been in the past. I am confidence in the online education system and what a difference it will make in my life.