I have been in college for approximately 7 years.

I have attained 0 degrees.

I have been dedicated to at least 6 different majors.

And I have accrued 0 student loan debt.

I have never wanted to be weighed down by student loans. I have made it a goal for myself to never take on an amount of credit that I could not reasonably pay back. Unfortunately, this has left me dependent on grants, scholarships, and my own income to get me through school. The downside is that it has taken me an incredibly long time to complete my degree.

But I am dedicated to seeing this through, all on my own.

However, I'm not going to pretend like it doesn't bother me to see people who are five years younger than me graduating with their degrees, and moving forward onto their careers. But the flipside to that is that several of my friends who graduated from college fairly quickly all have a massive about of student loan debt.

So there is a point that we are faced with, as students, where we have to decide which is less of a hassle; spending more time in school, or paying back loans a decade after graduating, or even longer.

And I'm not saying that my way is the best way, instead, I just feel like this was the best choice for me individually. This slow going pace has allowed me to settle into a life for myself, focus on my health, and spend time with my son. By the time I graduate, he will have started school and I won't have to delay starting my career to raise my child. It has also allowed me ample time to really decide on a career course and degree plan for myself.

And change my mind. And change it again. I have grown up a lot over the last few years, and my goals and priorities have changed as well, allowing me the wisdom to decide what career is the most reasonable and practical for my future.

I also have grown in terms of maturity and dedication. This has allowed me to be able to focus on school and be a more dedicated student. Gone are the days where being distracted by boys and parties would interfere with my finals. Or staying up late binging episodes of "Big Bang Theory" sounded more important than studying for a midterm. I am more responsible and goal oriented now. I am focused on my goals, and if I can't say that about myself 5 years ago.

I am graduating this semester. And the completion of my first degree is something that I have dreamed of for half a decade. I have worked hard, slowly, but consistently. And finally seeing my hard work pay off, is a dream come true. But the work is not over yet, after this degree, I plan to move forward to another one.

And that one will be even more difficult. But I am focused and excited to push myself further towards my ultimate goal. And knowing that I won't have a ton of student loan debt waiting for me, is the best kind of Congratulations I could ever hope to receive from myself!