Unlike my friends and fellow classmates, I didn’t feel the need to rush into graduate school because to be truthfully honest, I wasn’t what I wanted do in both my career and education.
So, on May 16, 2010, I walked across the stage, got my diploma, and transitioned into the ‘real world’– a phrase I rarely use, because as a working class student, I’ve always had to balance my education with ‘real world’ expectations and realities.
My life since graduating has had its fair share of ups (working as a communications intern for Wells Fargo) and downs (unemployment), but by embracing my mistakes and challenges as teaching moments, I have finally come to a decision.
It’s time to leave Madison, Wisconsin.
For good.
Now, I know some folks love Madison for many reasons, from its so-called liberal culture, small town values and having a Big Ten School; Madisonians are passionate about the land of the Badgers.
Well, I am not.
I moved back to Madison to work and to send my brother to Madison Area Technical College where I also took classes in video production and computer graphics. And to be truthfully honest, I had a better experience both academically and socially there in just a few months than at UW-Madison.
However, I know what I want to do in life and I know that while Madison has given me a lot and given me time to get myself together, it’s time to depart and move on.
Currently, I am working on my graduate application to Loyola University in Chicago to get a masters degree in Digital Media and Storytelling with an emphasis on video/film production. Afterwards, I might stay in Chicago as I explore my career options or move to another city such as Los Angeles or New York.
For now, I pray I find a job to support my brother and I as he finishes school here (he graduates in May 2013) and have enough money to move without shouldering too much debt.
While I don’t know how things are going to turn out in my life, I do know that I have passion, drive, determination, discipline and respect to achieve my goals.
Not a day passes when I am not doing something to further the goals of graduate school, becoming a published writer and building my network.
It’s hard and some days it’s frustrating and downright exhausting.
On those days, it’s easy to quit and get comfortable, but I remind myself that this isn’t where I want to be and I have the potential to do more and be better.
And I get up and get back to work.
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Jessica Pharm, contributor,is a writer and a filmmaker in training who was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is currently living in Madison, Wisconsin. She enjoys blogging, promoting social justice issues, writing, and shopping for great deals! She is currently attempting to get published, applying to graduate school and improving herself everyday!
You can read her blog The Ascension Principle and follow her on Twitter .
Posted on May 17, 2012 by graceandspunk
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