I might be a bit late, but... Happy New Year!  Welcome to 2014 where so far, there's been a lot of cold days and snow.  Maybe that's not actually indicative of the year so much as the winter.

Anyhoo (when's the last time you heard a good 'anyhoo'?), I'm sitting in a very cold room right now trying to figure out why I'm awake.  I know the basics, I was woken up (thanks dude!), but why I'm still awake?  That is the better question.  In May 2010 I graduated from college with a BA in English.  I took the long road.  If I had stayed on track, not taken any time off, and had been a full time student (while working) throughout my college career I would have graduated in 2007.  I don't regret my decisions.  I don't mind that it took me a little longer to figure out what I wanted to do.  I had a good (not wild) college experience.  If I had it to do over again though I probably would have done a few things differently.  I probably would have gone away for school.  I would have at least given it a shot.  If I had done that, I still probably wouldn't have graduated until 2008 (I still would have taken time off before starting school), but that's a whole two years I would have been ahead of myself now.  I also would have taken the opportunity I was given to minor in business.  I was invited to join the BALA program at Queens College, but since it would have extended my schooling for maybe a year, I declined to act on the invitation.  I should have just done it.

Since 2010, I have worked in both a full time and a part time job.  If you follow my blog, you know that my full time position was in the Diamond District.  That job confirmed something I already knew.  I can't stand the business world.  People are nasty.  People are dishonest.  People are ruthless.  I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, I'm not even saying that I wouldn't want to open a business some day.  I do know that I cannot fathom the idea of working in a 9-5 job in a cubicle or a small office shuffling papers all day.  I don't have the constitution for it.  I was miserable the whole year I worked in that office.  Yes, part of the problem was that it was THAT office.  However, I really can't see myself happily working as a paper pusher in any office environment.

My part time job taught brought me back to myself.  I am a teacher at heart.  I like imparting knowledge.  Starting Monday I am returning to school for a Post Baccalaureate program.  I'm going to get my MA in Education.  Or MSED.  While I was able to take my time for my BA program, I cannot do the same thing now.  There is a schedule.  I have to follow it.  I am taking three courses this semester, because I have to take those three courses.  Along with the courses I have to do 30 hours of observation for each of those classes.  That's 90 hours.  It's spread throughout the term I assume, I guess I'll find out on Monday, but to me that's still a lot of hours, along with the hours of the classes, not to mention studying.  I think I'm just at that age where I am not quite too old for this stuff.

At the end of the year, a lot of work, I'm sure a lot of stress, if all goes well I'll have my initial certification.  That means that while I'll still be taking classes, probably for another year and a half (I hope not more) I can teach.  Whether I can find a job or not is another story.  What I think about the education system in NY is another thing as well.  What I'm looking forward to is having a steady schedule, a steady job, a steady way of supporting myself.  I'm looking forward to knowing what to expect from my life (to some degree).

It all starts Monday.