20something profile: Shirsten
This post was written by Shirsten, a young mom working her way through college:
My graduation date was May 2013. It’s burned into my memory. Why? Because it came, and then it passed. And here I am, still plugging away at school.
At first I didn’t even realize that my freshman class had reached the end of their road. I left the school that would have put me on the four-year path toward corporate independence. Instead, I’m here giving my girls a kiss on the forehead, casting an apologetic look at my husband, and biking the eight blocks to school every day.
Although I will admit it, I was a little discouraged when I first started scrolling through Facebook and realized that everyone in my freshman class had a lovely picture posed in a cap and gown between their parents with a tagline that said something like “Here I come, world!” But now I scoff at the confusion that they’re up against. (Not really, congrats guys.)
I will say that I am extremely pleased with where I am. It may not exactly be what ran through my mind as I ran through that dorm checklist the summer before college. Mini fridge…check, underwear…check, pics of all my BFFs to hang on my wall and look at longingly…check. But it’s probably a lot better.
I took what most would call an unconventional path. (Unconventional, deranged, what’s the difference, right?) I am younger than most gals that have two kids, and those beautiful little girls do make college a lot trickier, but it’s worth it. All it took was a decision.
I decided that having those extra years with a family was more important than fitted blazers and a daily elevator ride to the top of a corporate high-rise. I decided that getting that blasted diploma was worth foregoing the comfort of my purple sheets at a reasonable hour and instead reading Ten Apples Up on Top for the umpteenth time and then diving into those verb valencies and attributive modifiers. I also decided that I wasn’t going to wait for the formality of that pesky graduation to start my career. Because why limit yourself?
Through all of the twists and turns, I discovered that college, though I’m trying desperately to get out of it, is a bit of a passion of mine. Because it stinks. College is impossible to get through even without two kids! So that’s what I’ve dedicated my time to. I wrote workshops dedicated to helping others make the transition to and through school, and I started a blog with the same goal in mind. College and beyond!
Sometimes we just want to get through our twenties. That’s what I’m trying to do, but I won’t let this decade stop me from enjoying myself, and I’m not going to limit myself. It’s pointless to wait for x to get married, or for y to start your career. I made choices based on what I honestly believed would make me the most happy, and while it’s not the usual succession of steps, it does mean that I get that much more time to enjoy the best things in life — dirty diapers and laundry explosions aside.
I have big things in mind, and this is just the beginning.
Check out Shirsten’s blog Roarin 20s
Posted on July 28, 2014, in 20something profile and tagged advice, careers, college, education, employment, millennials, parents, twenties. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
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