Another round with education

People often say to enjoy school while it lasts – that once you’re in the workforce, you will miss it. By the time I neared my end of college, I couldn’t imagine it could possibly be true. If I had to crack one more textbook, my head would explode. The idea of a 40–hour workweek (without evenings spent studying) seemed much more appealing.

At first that was true. I much preferred going to work and leaving it behind at the end of each day. But eventually I got restless – work became monotonous and I had new hobbies that I wished could be new career paths. People suggested I go back to school but the idea seemed like a fantasy – how could I do that while working full time?

After a couple years wrestling with it, I finally took action. My new passion for food and fitness led to a master’s program for nutrition. The first week of my first semester approached so fast I almost didn’t catch the pre–assigned readings before the first class, and found myself left with two days to cram in some monster texts – yet I liked it. It was different than my previous schooling; this time I wasn’t there because I had to be but because I wanted to be.

Weeks into the program, my brain still felt thirsty. I enjoyed sitting down to read textbooks. During class lectures, I was able to pay attention for the full three hours, unlike the old days when I would start daydreaming in the first 15 minutes. I took this all as a good sign. Although it took a big chunk of my time, school did in fact seem worth it.

But as I progressed into my second semester, my exciting second round of adult education began to get aggravating. It wasn’t just the 40-hour workweek I should have considered; things I loved, like writing, working out, volunteering, hanging out with friends and spending time with my partner, had already filled my free time. All of the different hats I wore in my daily life morphed into a juggling act and becoming a student would be the most time intensive hat of all.

My thirst for knowledge wasn’t only quenched – but running over. To keep up, I quit all of my volunteer jobs and barely saw my friends. Workouts became infrequent, which was ironic because they were very thing that fueled my interest in nutrition. Schoolwork went back to tedious obligations rather than a positive life choice.

The reality finally hit. Though I’d wanted it so badly, going back to school was harder than I imagined. At this point, I was only going part time and it already slapped my lifestyle in the face.

The stress had built up so much that I decided to take a semester off. I felt a sense of disappointment that my will hadn’t been as strong as others who went back to school, but returning had become a return to hardship. Still unsure of whether I will continue on or not, I now wonder if a fantasy future is simply not worth sacrificing a happy present.