The actual graduation ceremony was just too large. Even though they split the school up into 2 ceremonies (a morning and an afternoon ceremony), there were just too many people. My class did all end up sitting together, though. It was a lot better than sitting next to the strangers that made up the rest of the graduating class. The ceremony seemed to drag on forever. We listened to a bunch of speeches from complete strangers that were all about the same. You know, the usual jargon about going out into the world and trying to change everything, facing life’s challenges head on, etc, etc. One of the speeches was a biography of the guy who was speaking next! And then that guy talked a lot about himself and his law career. I mean, come on. I’m tired of listening to graduation speeches where the speaker focuses more on him/herself than the graduates. After a while, I just zoned out. I did my best, but they went on forever. I think the best part of the graduation ceremony was when our program director and professor got up from his seat to meet our class in line and individually congratulate us and wish us luck. That’s the part I’m going to remember forever, not a speech by some anonymous person.
The one thing I find strange about graduating is when everyone keeps asking me how it feels to be a college graduate. This is my second college degree (I have an associate’s degree as well), so it doesn’t feel any different to me at all; I just have a higher degree now. Until I start working out in the field and am 100% independent, it’s not going to feel different at all. And hopefully a job is just around the corner. I am now allowed to take my board exams since my graduation has been verified. I think I’ll probably wait a couple weeks so I can brush up on everything. I don’t have the money to retake an exam, so I need to get it right the first time. I wish I could have afforded the official review course offered last week, but that wasn’t going to happen, not with the way my work hours have been cut over the last couple of months. What worries me the most about getting a job is my skills, not my knowledge. I haven’t had a real ICU experience in months and I’m going to be out of practice when I start working. Where ever I end up, I hope I have a nice long orientation so I can get used to things again. And then there’s still the worry of whether I picked the right career. I won’t know about that until I actually get to work alone for a while. I’m hoping I made a good choice, even though it’s not my dream job (which was somewhat unrealistic in today’s world).
As much as I miss school sometimes (yes, I am strange, but I love learning), I am enjoying not having to do any mandatory studying. I have already started reviewing my Japanese from a couple of years ago, and it’s coming back to me quite nicely. I can’t wait to start adding new material soon. I’ve also filled my time with reading, and am almost done with my second book already. I want to start learning how to play the piano. The best thing all this time has given me is the opportunity to start spending hours working out each day. My lungs have finally recovered from the pneumonia and it’s a lot easier to finish a workout now. I can run about 2 miles without stopping, whereas two weeks ago I was still struggling with walking around the block. I’m looking forward to being able to devote time to getting in shape.
Well, I suppose this is enough rambling for now. I’ll let everyone know how my exam(s) go, as well as the job hunt. Take care!
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