By Jasmine Kelly
I am so grateful to be on the journey towards obtaining my doctoral degree. That’s right, in May 2021, I will be able to refer to myself as a Dr. It honestly is a dream, but it isn’t easy.
To tell you the truth, I am burnt out. I have been pursuing higher education, except for taking two years off (not consecutively) since 2014. I have spent the majority of my twenties in school. I am not complaining, but I am curious to see what life is like outside of having to do homework and school-related group projects. While I am fortunate to be on this journey, I will not lie to you and say that I am pursuing this degree because I love knowledge.
No. I did not volunteer for four more years of my life because I love books. However, I am not knocking anyone who made that choice. Doing so is a privilege. Pursuing a terminal degree for me is about survival. Yeah, I know it isn’t romantic or a deep story, but such is life, and life gets real, especially the professional world.
I have been working in the field of higher education for four years. I have been through a lot in such a short span, and I have seen a lot. The conclusion that I came to is that I have to do everything in my power to make sure that I am okay. I am not saying that possessing a terminal degree means that everything will be peachy; Covid has shown us that. I feel that you will have a little more agency over what happens to you. I want full control over my vocational destiny. I want to move how I want to move and, of course, make more money.
As you can see, survival is what motivates me. That and God’s grace, of course. In the famous words of Rupi Kaur; The need to survive lit a fire in me. Cheers to May 2021.
Jasmine Kelly is a contributing writer for the Pedestal Project, LLC. Jasmine is a higher education professional who believes in the powers of Black Twitter. You can follow her on Instagram @chicomydusty.
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