Last week, one of my coworkers, Randy Glaze, stopped in my office with a piece of paper in his hand. He said that he had read some of my posts and wanted to try to share his story in a way that might encourage people in the way that I had encouraged him. (This touched me more than I can say...)
Randy and I have talked a lot over the years - sometimes, just to vent, sometimes to encourage each other. We are both working parents, with challenging jobs, and both had decided to tackle getting a Masters degree around the same time.
He handed me the piece of paper and as I started reading, I knew he needed to share this story with more than just me. (You'll see why in a minute) He's shared it on his own Facebook page and received hundreds of comments - and with his permission, I am sharing it here with you.
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This just happened Friday night.
I’m writing this post in hopes of encouraging, at the very least, just one person who feels like giving up on their dream. I will spare you the details of growing up in a less than traditional way. I will say that there were many times our utilities were cut off for days at a time. You know, in the days well before cell phones (we did not have a home phone for three years). Truthfully, there were times when I did not know where my next meal would come from.
I started first grade at seven and had to repeat the first grade because I did not know my ABC’s. You could say that the value of an education was not a priority in our household. I spent most every summer through the seventh grade in summer school. Of that time, I spent three years in learning disability classes.
I finally graduated high school three months before I turned twenty. My first semester in Jr. college I made three F’s and a D. I realized that part of my problem was that I suffered from severe test anxiety.
It was at this point, my mother lovingly sat me down and told me that she didn’t think that I was smart enough to stay in school and that I needed to just find a full-time job instead. I was already working two part time jobs, around 40 hours, while I was attending school. My mother was really trying to help protect me from what seemed to be the inevitable.
I had a revelation. I never gave school all I had. When I started Jr. college, my math skills were so bad that I had to take three non-accredited math classes before I could even take the first college level math. Over the next few months and years, I had to teach myself how to study and how to overcome my test anxiety issues.
In 1994, I finally received my first associate degree from a local Jr. college. I later became employed at the local paper mill where I was able to get into an electrical/instrumentation apprenticeship program. Thereafter, I received two additional technical associate degrees. I worked several more years at the paper mill when I decided that I needed to pursue my bachelor’s degree.
Finishing my bachelor’s degree in 2007 was definitely the highlight of my academic career. Admittedly, the stress, at times, was almost too much to take. I finished this degree while helping my wife raise three kids, working southern swing shift work (one weekend off a month), and while being an assistant coach in two sports.
Before attending UAB, I started another master’s program and took two classes. The classes would not transfer into the Advanced Safety Engineering Management (ASEM) program at UAB so I had to start over. The hours that I’ve had to put into my current job have been immense. I had been accepted into the ASEM program twice before but thought I would wait until things slowed down before making the commitment. Hoping work would slow down was definitely a mistake on my part. It took me four years but I can finally say that I have earned my master’s degree!
I wrote this in the hope that my struggles and accomplishments may encourage someone who is thinking about or is currently trying to finish school. I have found that you can’t keep putting off going back to school in hopes that life will slow down. The longer you wait, the harder it is. So, get out of your comfort zone and find out what your capable of doing especially if no one believes you can!
I’m thankful God gave me the grit not to quit! Remember, you’ve got this!
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