Learning and Career
Objectives
Statistically,
the more advanced a person’s education, the more income the person tends to
make. I have spent the last ten years
making very little income from being, first a Special Education Teacher who
mainly focused on emotional and behavioral problems, and then, a Caseworker at
Social Services. Earning a Master of
Arts degree would help increase my earning capacity which would benefit my
family as we expand and grow. Growth in
income is a reason to complete a Masters program, but it is not my most
important reason.
My
growth as a human being would be expanded by this degree program. A large part of my career and adult life has
been spent in service to others and I have found that a valuable way to spend
my time and energies. The jobs I held were
the kind that, when told to others, illicit piteous responses. They’ve been the kind of jobs that generally
make people cry. The idea of crying at
work has always raised my hackles and my response is to dig in and prove that I
am strong enough to maintain my composure in the face of tragedy. I have felt that if children have had to
endure, then I can respectfully keep it together. I find there is value in being the strong one
for kids and do not regret my demeanor at work.
However, while discussing my interest in this program with a professor
at Regis, I found myself near tears. I
thought, “If I do this, I will cry.”
This idea, rather than putting me off, attracts me. It would mean significant growth both
academically and personally. I am ready
to embrace that challenge.
While
meeting the challenge may mean a career in writing, it may also mean a return
to teaching. I am not overly focused on
one outcome versus the other. This
degree would increase my earning capacity as a teacher and qualify me to teach
in an area I haven’t taught in before. I
love teaching and especially enjoy working with adolescents while they are
newly forming their more complex ideas, so this idea appeals to me. It could also mean a career in writing. Either way, it means improving my
writing. Writing is a soul-bearing
activity and I am prepared to engage fully in it. Historically, I have spent a lot of time on
the first draft of writing and then have a tendency to walk away from the
piece. The main objective I have for
myself in this program is committing to reworking my writing through editing,
peer review, and polishing a final project.
A further objective would be to learn to submit work for publication and
then to be published.
I have
never taken an online class and enjoy the face to face contact for building my
skills. However, I live 70 miles from
Denver in the mountains where snow is a frequent obstacle. Therefore, a combination of online and in
person classes would work best for me.
Weekend intensives would be ideal for meeting face to face for classes,
but I believe I could also be successful with online directed studies.
Whatever
the modality, the Master of Arts Creative Writing program is sure to be a
challenge for me. I’m further challenged
by having a small child and a husband and needing to balance the needs of home
with that of an education. To meet all
of my obligations, student loans and effective time management will be
key. I will need to have time that I
reserve and protect for my studies.
Thankfully, I have a husband who is supportive of this endeavor and
extended family who live in the area and are also willing to help with my son. As I said previously, I embrace this
challenge.
I hope
Regis will be the University where I get to pursue this endeavor. My education at Saint Louis University
prepared me well both academically and practically. I enjoyed the Jesuit philosophy of education
and feel Regis would be a good fit for me.
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