Nothing like it being nearly June to have thoughts of the finish line dance in your head.
Not unlike sugarplums dancing in your head as you drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve night in Clement Clark Moore’s “Twas the Night Before Christmas” poem.
The finish line I am referring to here is graduation.
The grand culmination of all of the sweat, and tears, and late nights, and papers, and tests. It is all leading to the moment of graduation.
Of the 4 graduations I’ve had, high school, ADN, BSN, and MSN, I have only attended 2. These were high school, and the ADN. The BSN graduation was in Illinois in December, and the MSN graduation was in Charlotte, in May 2020. Right smack in the beginning of the pandemic. Graduation was delayed two times until 2021 and I elected not to go because I was not doing large gatherings. Even masked.
As evidenced graduation does not have to be the end. There is always more to learn. More ways to grow.
Or not.
It is up to you and your wallet.
And where you want to go in your career.
But graduation is an ending and a beginning.
The formal education of the college degree has ended. Depending on what degree you receive there may be ongoing education credits required. I know there is for nursing. In my state, 15 continuing education units (CEUs) are required every 2 years for licensure if you are a registered nurse.
Or you could decide that a more advanced degree is desirable. It may be necessary for your career goals. You may be bored. You may, like me, be focused on what happens if I get hurt and am no longer able to be a functioning operating room nurse and want a backup plan. Or you may decide that retirement is may not be the only path you want to take and you need an alternative for retirement. You know, to keep your hand in.
Or your formal education may culminate in graduation. It is all okay.
Take a deep breath and happy job hunting.
Dispatches from the Evening Shift 