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College, Better Late Than Never
September 27th, 2009
In 1980, as my graduation from high school approached, I needed to make a decision about what I was going to do for the rest of my life; what was going to be my life’s work? I had many options I could have pursued. Certainly, I wasn’t the best student in high school, but I was far from the worst. Throughout my teenage years, I heard time and time again that the only real path to success was through institutions of higher learning, but due to my hard-headedness and stubborn ways, it would be years in my future before the realization of a college education’s potential would become clear.
Funny thing, as most young men in their late teens, I actually thought I knew what challenges I would face in life, and how I would handle them. Well, as sports broadcasters say after the underdog team creams the heavily favored team, that’s why we play the game. In as much as factoring in the knowledge and wisdom offered by our elders would make sense, decision-making at a young age is most often completed utilizing our own limited and youthful experiences.
Going to college wasn’t one of the life options that immediately appealed to me; besides, if I didn’t like sitting in a classroom during high school, why would I think sitting in a classroom in college would have been more to my liking? I wanted adventure; I wanted to experience life without being tethered to the expectations of what others considered normal.
The United States Navy offered everything I was seeking at the time. I could travel, experience different cultures, and learn a viable trade; furthermore, because the Navy had many educational opportunities such as tuition assistance, I could have easily mixed my desire for travel and adventure with bettering myself through higher education. Shamefully, I did not take advantage of the college opportunities presented as so many of my mentors had advised.
So here I am, nearly 30 years later, a veteran in every sense of the word. I am more judicious and much wiser than in my “know it all” adolescence, starting a new chapter in my life. Further education is the catalyst I need to succeed; amazingly, the new Post 9/11 GI Bill has provided me a second chance to utilize a benefit I wasted away while serving in the Navy. Now, it is time to capitalize on the second chance with a maturity earned in the face of challenging adversities and enormous successes. It’s time to get my degree!
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