Day 8 - Education

I have never been what I would call book smarts but I have some wicked common sense :) I never really thought book smarts was as important as "street" smarts. I'm still not sure that I do but I realize now that most people wouldn't agree. Now a little history :)

My Sophomore year in high school my parents decided to move me to Troutdale and I was not a happy camper. I couldn't believe they would uproot me like that. I guess since we had moved so much before I shouldn't have been surprised!

Troutdale was a horrible place and my high school was even worse. I didn't do so hot the rest of my Sophomore year and half way through my Junior I decided I'd drop out and move back to Beaverton. What the hell was I thinking????????? At the time I wanted to piss off my parents and I just couldn't be in that town anymore. I went from having tons of friends to having like five and I just hated it there. It didn't help at all that none of my friends from Beaverton ever came down there to visit (I should have learned my lesson then about some people).

I went back to Sunset my senior year and technically started as a Junior. I had to take sixteen credits to graduate on time. That's a shit ton if you didn't know (and I was working of course). It was so hard going to two schools and working, especially during my senior year, but I knew I had made my bed and now I had to lie in it. I actually consider graduating on time my biggest accomplishment (I was 3rd to get my diploma after my dad and step dad). Most people would have given up but I stuck it out and made it happen.

After high school I did attend college for a year and a half. I majored in Psychology but there were problems with my loan and I lost it and couldn't afford to keep going. My college career was short and then I just went full force into working.

Now I realize that most employers care about a piece of paper that stands for spending hours upon hours of your time listening to teachers. Not that I don't like school because I do. It just frustrates me that I already know how to do my job and yet a piece of paper would make me worth so much more. I suppose there's always more you can learn though.

In winter I will be going back to college as a 30 year old freshman, super! I'll be the first in my family to have a college degree though and that's exciting. I know I'll feel great once I'm done and that makes it worth it. I'm all about bettering myself these days and continuing my education is a good step.

*My sister and I 1986