For the ten people who read this, and for both of you who haven’t heard about it through other means:

I have decided to not return in January to continue my Master’s degree. The experience this semester was not as rewarding as I had hoped it to be, ending with me giving up completely on Statistics nine weeks into class, and my ability to care and focus on coursework becoming less and less as the semester went on. I have always had a drive to learn and excel in coursework, though towards the end of my undergraduate degree that was starting to wane, but Graduate School didn’t provide the same feelings I got with any other coursework to date. My ‘A’ that I was carrying in Statistics may as well been an ‘F’ (and ended up being that way), I could not have cared less. I didn’t feel any satisfaction from getting As on homework, or doing well on the first exam. I tried to be excited about doing so well in a graduate-level course, it just never happened. My forensics research class was interesting, but research isn’t really something that lights a fire under me. Perhaps under different circumstances, or with a true into-the-workforce break instead of the 8-jobs-in-12-months scramble that 2008 turned into, I would have been better prepared and more distanced from Undergrad to make the adaption easier. As it is, I was just too burned out from my extended stay in the Undergraduate program to jump feet-first into Grad school.

My uneasiness with classwork, coupled with the odd hours I was keeping (a function of how my days were scheduled) has made this the roughest semester for me in my seemingly endless time here at Purdue. That said, I have really enjoyed my TA position, it has ended up being one of my more rewarding experiences at Purdue. I will admit that parts of it have been a mixed bag: the hours and lack of sleep have contributed to much of my…well, misery is too strong of a word, but general unhappiness with my situation isn’t too much of a stretch. I have met a lot of very intelligent students, and admittedly I was surprised and pleased with the knowledge and competence many of them displayed throughout the semester. To any of those guys (and gal) reading this: I hope you will continue to flourish throughout your stay in NET and that you get out in a shorter timeframe than I was able to manage! I also encourage you guys to contact me if you have questions or need help with anything in the future. One thing you guys will come to realize as you progress through the program is that your professional contact list can never be too long. I am always happy to shed some light on a problem or offer a fresh pair of eyes or advice on something. You can look me up on Facebook or LinkedIn for contact info.

So what now?

At the moment I’m looking for jobs. I’m trying to stay in and/or around Lafayette/West Lafayette to stay close to Kelly while she finishes up her DVM. However, given the current economic climate, I might not have that luxury. Hopefully things will work out for the better and I can get out of this professional slump that 2008 seems to have been for me. Here’s hoping 2009 is more rewarding and satisfying.