Now Is Your Time

Deb Peterson blogs today about this commercial - Kaplan University commercial. Very cool!

In 1964, Bob Dylan released his third album, "The Times, They Are A Changin'". Those words are very apropos to the times in which we live - economically, physically, socially, technologically. Perhaps those words are more applicable now than they have ever been.

As a nontrad, I need to be flexible in many ways. I need to know that, even though I am in a traditional university setting, it is anything but traditional. Technology in itself has grown light years from where it was when I first started my college career (1980 - University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona). The socioeconomics of the 21st century are not what they were in the 20th century, even though this century is a mere babe at only 9 years old. Physically, I am not 20 anymore and I can't pull all-night study sessions. Yet, I know I have many more years' worth of life experience under my belt than my average classmate.

I like the Kaplan commercial because instead of the normal online school offerings (still trying to fit the student into their mold), the gist of the commercial was, "We want to be what you need us to be in an educational institution."

I had lunch with a friend of mine today, Elaine from the Dodge Plan Room here in Knoxville. I was telling her that I love being a student. I also told her about submitting my application for the Student Advisor position in the College of Arts and Sciences advising at UT. I know that if I wait - to move forward with my education, to find a part-time job, to go to school full-time instead of part time - I may not get any of that done at all. The professor in the Kaplan commercial tells the room full of students and the students listening via podcasts and Internet that, "Now is your time."

Now is my time. Now is your time. Now is the time to pursue the dream of finishing that degree, going to Grad School, making a difference. There are days when I wonder what I am doing on this campus, in this library, writing this paper, studying for this exam, drinking this coffee in the library at 1am. My education is my future. The times, they are a changin' and they're not gonna wait until I am ready to change with them.

Stay tuned . . .