If you know me well, you know that I lack the ability to stay content with myself for any extended period of time. Anything that I have had the privilege of accomplishing only satisfies me temporarily. I know that this quality of mine is not necessarily the best quality to have, but it always keeps me hungry for the next thing. After a period of consideration, I have found my latest and greatest “next thing”, and I am ready to share it with all of you. I will be starting on my doctorate in August of this year.
Getting my master’s degree was an accomplishment in and of itself, and it opened doors that had long been closed in my life. I had never even gotten looks at Prairie-Hills or Kellar until I had that extra bit of education. However, the master’s degree was never my endgame. I didn’t want to stop there. I knew that someday I wanted to go further. I just didn’t know that day would come so soon.
Working in education, I see the world shifting in some directions for which I do not particularly care. It’s not an easy time to be revolving around the sun as a patron of this planet, that’s for sure. I feel blessed to be able to do what I do and attempt to make a measure of difference, but unfortunately my direct scope is limited to the students I teach. That means I really only get to directly affect change in 105 people at a time. I’m sorry, but that just isn’t enough for me anymore. I don’t want my footprint to be that small. I want to do more and broaden my scope. Pursuing my doctorate will enable me to do just that.
With a doctorate, my possibilities within the field of education expand exponentially. I can reach college students, especially those who are nearly ready to embark on their own career within the field of education. I can assume a leadership position at a school or district level and be able to affect change that reaches an entire school or district of schools rather than simply a classroom of students. With this degree I could assume leadership roles within educational companies that could directly impact curriculum and the presentation of education in myriad schools and districts. While I am currently unclear of precisely the next route I wish to travel in my educational journey, I do know that I want to broaden my scope of influence, and this degree will go a long way toward allowing me to reach that end.
I want to be able to do more for the people around me who I care about that are in need. As a teacher, I am unfortunately limited by my salary. Compensation is not the greatest. Moving onward and upward would help me to reach more in a greater, tangible way, and that is something that greatly excites me.
I do not expect this to be easy. Even as I write this, my excitement is tempered by the reality that this task is quite daunting. The idea of composing a dissertation is not one that particularly appeals to me. That said, this is the best time for me to do this. I am not married. I do not have any children of my own. The longer I put this off, the longer the odds that I will ever see this through. I am at the point in my life where I NEED to see certain things through, even if I have to travel to the ends of the earth to make them happen.
This is going to take a lot of my time, thoughts, and energy, but I will be a better person for having completed this. The idea of being a doctor at the age of 32 does sound rather appealing. I’m understandably apprehensive, but I’ve got this. Please support me along the way.
