The Where

I am applying to Georgia State University and West Georgia University. Those are the "closest" schools to me that offer this program. And by "closest" I mean both have the potential to be a 2.5 hour one way commute for me in the right Atlanta traffic conditions.

The When

My application deadline is Jan 15th. Which I thought meant I had until Jan 15th to apply, right?

Noooo. It just means I need to have everything in several weeks before the application deadline, according to the schools' websites. I think academia is going to kick my butt seven ways to Sunday. I just dont think in those kind of vagueries these days.

The Why

Once I realized my business degree and my prior work skills were not going to land me a job, I realized that I should consider going back to school. Not to mention, everywhere on the internet, I was being told that "Obama wants moms to go back to school!" and when the POTUS speaks, I listen!

I considered the jobs that offered what I valued...flexible scheduling, good hiring prospects, interesting work and decent pay. I considered teaching and nursing, both appealing to me for different reasons. I love science and human anatomy and would love to work in a clinical setting. A job that would coincide with my children's schedule also appealed to me. Which is how I set upon Speech/Lang Pathology. I think its a job I will enjoy, its less strenuous than nursing (which is important since I will be 40 when I graduate, as opposed to a peppy 23 yr old) and there are many options for flexible hours, including working in a school setting, hospital, nursing home, private practice, etc. I also feel like I have some knowledge of the world of special needs, as the parent to a special needs child.

The What

I am applying for a Masters in either Communication Disorders or Speech and Language Pathology (depending on the school) with the goal of becoming a Speech/Language Pathologist.

The Who

I am 36 years old, I graduated with my business degree in 1996, after changing my major a few times. I bounced from Biology/Pre-med to Theater, to Social Science and finally settled on Business Mgmt as the safe, employable major. It served me well since I graduated right as the internet was a wee tadpole, just sprouting its tail, before we all realized how vital it was to know what our high school valedictorian was planning to watch after she ate her dinner of lentils and homemade bread. I found my way to database reporting and enjoyed being a pseudo-techie, until the birth of my first child threw all of my former priorities out the window.

He was a challenging child, complete with an autism diagnosis and a few medical issues to keep up on our toes, who didnt like any of the childcare situations we tried. Trust me, we tried them all. So I left the work force when he was 4 and went ahead and had a couple more children to keep life interesting.

Once we realized that my hopes and aspirations of such luxeries like no debt, a finished basement and travel to different continents were not compatible with single income living, I decided to look into re-entering the work force.

Unfortunately, in those 4 years of child bearing and raising, while my database skills were becoming as obsolete as a corded phone, the economy tanked and I was competing for a job with all those people who had current skills.

Which leads me to The What.