Keep On Keeping On

"Never quit." I am sure we have all heard this advice more times than we care to count. But it is probably some of the best advice I have received.

I recently found out that there will not be a job for me in my department after I graduate. The finances will not be there to fund my position on a full-time basis. I am disappointed because I really enjoy my job. Does that mean I give up and not continue to work hard on the projects I have been asked to do? Heavens, no! "Never quit." Even though the circumstances are not what I'd like, I will not give up, but will complete with integrity the tasks assigned to me.

How about you? Did you work hard all semester only to find that you got a C in a class or that you did not pass it at all? Are life's circumstances forcing you to cut back on the number of classes you can take or to rethink your educational goals? "Never quit". Hang in there. Reassess your goals, your opportunities, your abilities. Take a deep breath, step back and say, "Ok, what now?" Research your network -counselors at school, friends, business associates - in order to seek wise counsel before you act and reset your goals.

Life is not a smooth, six lane highway that goes straight from point A to point B. We must be prepared for the road construction, the rock slides, the washed out bridges, the detours, etc. It is the wise man who knows how to reprogram his life's GPS.

I say this all as much for myself as for you all. I am scared to death of grad school and the changes it represents. I dread taking the GRE because I am not a math person. I just have to grit my teeth, put my head down and move forward. I have to keep on keeping on. We nontrads have to stick together and be encouragement for one another. You can do it! I can do it! Stay tuned . . .