My collegiate path has been somewhat unconventional. I've been to four different higher education institutions. Not a lot of people have experienced more than one or two colleges, but here I come in with a whopping four. If you're judgmental you're probably thinking that I'm indecisive and possibly irresponsible, but that is not the case. Life happened, as it so often does, and I was thrown right into the current. For a long time I went with it, not strong enough, not independent enough, to swim out and find my own path. Eventually, I was able to gain control of my life and make my own decisions, but the courage to do so took a long time to come to me.
I dropped out of my first four-year university after my freshman year with the intent on transferring. It turned out that the university I was attempting to transfer to was not a university at all, but a scam that offered a "degree" without being nationally accredited. It was a low-key hoax with the promise of a "bachelor degree" for approximately $80,000.00 and two years of your time. Thankfully, my extensive research on the school led me to this realization before I was able to make my down-payment.
That fall semester in what would be my sophomore year, I ran into some financial problems and a broken foot, and was only able to take one class (intro to philosophy) at my local community college. While there, I learned more about the San Francisco Giants than I ever did about Plato and Socrates. It paid off when Trivia Crack asked me who had won the 2014 World Series, as a tie breaker question that aided my 56-game undefeated streak against a certain someone whom I was extremely competitive against, but that was the extent of my "education".
After the debacle with my philosophy class I decided I did not want to waste my time taking classes when a.) I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life and b.) I wasn't financially stable enough to throw out $500+ per class, plus fees and books.
At the time, I had a part time job but the hours were terrible and retail was literally making me pull out my hair. I decided to stick with it until I could find something better, fearing unemployment. I was living off my savings from the summer, which at this point were nearly nonexistent. The idea of going back to school was a far off thought in my mind.
Since I was only working about 15 hours a week, I used my free time to write. My original transfer attempt was to go to a film school and major in screenwriting. During this time, I often asked myself why I didn't just transfer to a different school that offered screenwriting as a major, and looking back I can tell you that I was afraid. I knew my ideas were good, but my writing was not, and almost every school required a writing portfolio. It was almost as if those words, "writing portfolio" were mental blockages for me. While my lifelong goal has always been to be a writer (I've been writing chapter books since I could read them), I was too afraid to go to school and major in it.
During the next couple of months, I worked diligently at my job and an opportunity came my way from one of my part-time managers. The next thing I knew, I was in a cubicle.
Cubicles are a black hole. Not many my age understand what exactly that means. Depending on the company you work for, you may have the opportunity to climb up the corporate ladder, or you may be stuck in your rolling chair for the next couple of decades until you decide to retire. I started as a temp at my company and worked my way to a full-time position. While I knew that I could eventually climb the ladder so to speak, I absolutely did not want to do that. I was miserable working where I was. There were many reasons why, and out of the respect for my company and my coworkers that I worked very closely with for the better part of 18 months, I will not disclose those reasons. Just know that if your ideal career path does not include working in an office cubicle, if you end up there, you will be frustrated, depressed, and ready to move on.
While there I attended classes online. I took two writing based classes, priced at a thousand dollars each. They were a joke. Even though I received credit for these classes, the work was leniently graded and impossible to fail. I appreciated the GPA boost, but I wanted to stop wasting my money. That's when I decided to get out of the office and take control of my life once again.
In February I applied to Plattsburgh State, and with the help of some close friends, the financial aid office, and lots of chocolate (I'm a stress eater, alright?), I was able to finally call myself a Cardinal. In that time I declared my major as English and Adolescent Education, realizing that my love of reading and writing could be passed down to generations of students (and importantly, that I could still focus on writing while being a teacher).
I will not lie to you, it's been an extremely strenuous 2016 for me due to this decision. I turned away a salary, 401k, and my own health insurance at 21 years old for my first ever student loan. I got into countless fights with my family for leaving my small New Jersey town to travel 500 miles away, but ultimately I think I've made the right choice. My time here so far at Plattsburgh has been difficult, especially because I'm in all sophomore classes, with sophomore aged students, after working with adults for the better part of two years. It’s been an adjustment, and I'm looking forward to the challenge of making Plattsburgh my home for the next four years.
The point is, everyone comes into college with a different backstory. More importantly, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I look around campus and see most people my age beginning their senior year. Their journeys are coming to an end. I realize now, after all of the roadblocks and obstacles, despite all I've been through, my journey is only just beginning.
