15 months.  No summer breaks.  Work during the day, classes at night.  Training at DINFOS during the day, classes at night.

It was a long 15 months.  But I survived.

I first attempted grad school in 2005, right after I finished my undergrad at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.  That didn’t go so well and I dropped out after the first semester.  I already had a job in my field and I was a single mother.  So tackling grad school wasn’t in my cards at the time.

Fast forward to 2016.  I finally decided to leave the TV News business and make the jump into PR.  I was hoping for a government job (spoiler alert: I got it).  So between a PCS to Maryland, a significant death in the family and calling it quits on news, I decided to get my Masters in Public Relations.  Thankfully in this day and age, you can get a college degree from the comfort of your own home.  Thankfully, great schools like the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Information at Syracuse University also participate in these online courses.

Tonight marks my first-week post-grad school.  I find myself sick, but also with a lot of time on my hands.   I’ve been binging on The Americans.

I was talking with friends the other day.  They said I was one of the rare ones to make a career out of communications.  I find that funny because I know so many communications professionals.  I also find it true, because I know many people with communications degrees that go unused.  Communications is a science and an art.  Don’t underestimate the power or the difficulty of communications.

So what is this nonsensical babble about?  Honestly, this is how my brain feels following grad school.  Lots of random thoughts.  It’s like my brain is still going 100 mph while the rest of me has parked the car and shut off the ignition.

PS.  Online degrees are not easier… by a long shot!