moving forward

Today, I did something that the last few years have been leading up to. I submitted the final draft of my thesis and handed in the last of the paperwork. It's done. The graduation ceremony is in November. I am, for now, no longer a grad student.

It's a strange feeling. I finished my coursework some time ago, and have been working on the thesis since then. My pregnancy gave me the kick in the butt I needed to get the whole thing done, and I finished my final edits with E. propped up on my lap so I could breastfeed and use the computer at the same time.

I have been a student, more or less continually, for over twenty years (if we count kindergarten as my first year of studenthood). Kindergarten, grade school, junior high, high school, undergrad, and now my master's. I do plan to do a Ph.D. at some point, but it's not the right time for that. And I'm tired of being a student. I like learning, and I will not cease to learn just because I'm not taking classes, but it's nice to be done, weird as it feels.

On to the next adventure...we've embarked on parenthood, and I'm curious to see what else crops up. Could be interesting.