30 seconds can change a crappy week...

As some people may know, I decided to apply for an online bachelor's program through a college in CT.  During my lunch break today I got a call from one of their admissions advisors.  Long story short, pending financial aid I was accepted for the Fall 2012 semester!  I went ahead and applied, because thinking of the last time I applied for a college (out of high school back in 1992), you had to send in your application, wait for your ACT scores to come in, etc.  Applying for a program geared towards full time employees that have several college credits already is a little bit easier!  I spoke to her for a few minutes and found out a little more about the program and what my requirements will be.  I can transfer 90 credit hours from U of L, which means I will have to take 30 credit hours to graduate.  If I take 2 classes per 8 week term, plus 2 classes over the summer, I will finish in a year.  You have no idea how awesome that is!

Here is a little background:  I started U of L as a Music Ed. major on scholarship, and graduated with my Associates degree in Radiography.  This means I have a LOT of credit hours.  143 to be exact.  The reaction from admissions at Bridgeport College was "We just wanted to make sure you were indeed applying for a Bachelor's degree and not a Master's, since you have so many credits."  Me: "Yeah, I know....I am for sure applying for your Bachelor's program."  LOL this made me chuckle.  I explained how all these credits came about.  Both Music and Radiography programs have very specific courses you take, unlike programs like psychology, history, business, etc.  Those programs you could potentially transfer your core classes for other degrees.  However, courses such as Orchestra, Brass Methods, Radiographic Positioning, Radiographic Exposures, etc. will not transfer to any other degree obviously!  I do have several General Ed. courses as well though, which is why this program is perfect for me.  The reason I haven't gone back for my Bachelor's degree for the last 10 years is because even with all my credits it would take me another 2 years full time to get all the credits I would need.  With all the credits I have already, and trying to work full time, that was just crazy to me!  There are the basic ed. classes, such as 3 semesters of a language, communications requirements, history requirements, etc.  Then you add all of the courses you need for the core program you are enrolled in.  Plus I would have to try to attend courses around work.  It was just never feasible.  Then came the online programs.  Most were either from "online colleges" with no real credibility, or the program still required a boat load of courses I still had to take.  Then came Bridgeport College.  They have a Social Sciences program, which is more general than many Bachelor's programs.  The program is geared towards someone in my exact situation.  It is a REAL college with a campus, and even a basketball team!  LOL  I'll have to get a T-shirt and root for their Division II team.  ;-)  I can work on my coursework at nights and on weekends, and even lunch breaks if need be.  I can still have my job and even my tuition reimbursement from our company.

What seems funny to me is how many people (mostly people my age and older) ask "What will you do with a Bachelor's".  My initial response is "Well, I'll have a Bachelor's.".  Having this many credits and no BS diploma is very disheartening.  I would eventually like to switch careers, but in today's world just having a Bachelor's degree in anything at all is the main requirement in many jobs.  Plus it will give you a leg up in any career, including my current one.

So, there you go.  I'm going to be a full time college student again!  Pending my financial aid that is.  I can't afford it if I can't at least get a student loan.  I'm super excited to finally get my Bachelor's degree.  I am looking in to leaning towards nutrition or health services.  Bridgeport also has an online Master's in Nutrition that peaked my interest, but that's way down the line!  One step at a time.  :-D

I don't know nothin' about birthin' no babies...

Yeah, I gasp every time I see this pamphlet too.   And I'm the one who essentially asked my doctor for it!  LATER childbearing, really?  Well, if I want to have kids that is the category I fall in.

So I'm sure many are asking why I have information on getting pregnant when I'm not married yet, let alone trying to have a baby.  I am a planner.  I like to map out a basic blueprint as to where my life is going and what I want for my future.  When I was in high school/college I assumed my life would be as follows:  Meet my future husband in college, graduate college, get a kick ass job, get married, have babies, live happily ever after.  Needless to say that's not exactly what life had in store for me.  But I'm a big believer that everything happens for a reason.  I wasn't ready to settle down at 25, or even 30.  Not to mention I had yet to meet "the one".  I was not going to settle down with the wrong person for me just to fit in to the status quo.  I would rather be alone than stuck with the wrong person for the rest of my life!!  Plus I refuse to rush a relationship just to make sure I got married in time to have children, nor will I rush being newly married in case I run out of time to get pregnant.  A relationship, a marriage, is something that takes time.  I want to be able to enjoy the person I'm with and make sure they are indeed the right person before I throw in complications such as marriage and children into the mix.

So, that brings us to current day.  Being 37 I know my days of being able to have a child are numbered.  Yes, I hear all the time how women have kids all the way through their 40's.  But I refuse to do that.  For one, the risk for both the mother and the child goes up exponentially.  Plus, the chance of birth defects goes up significantly after 40.  I also don't want to have to attend my child's graduation using a walker or Hoveround, or have to bury their parents before they are even able to have children of their own.  It's not fair to the child, and It's not fair to my health either.  So, at my annual appointment this month I decided to ask my doctor about having children at my age, and what age should I start being concerned for my own health as well as the baby's.

That's how I came to acquire this lovely pamphlet.  It does come as quite of a shock that I'm considered "Later Age" when it comes to childbearing.  Hell, I don't even feel ready to start a family!  It kind of freaks me out thinking about having children.  Which is especially ironic since most of my friends that plan on having children have already been there, done that years ago.  Then I have to tell myself come on, you're 37.  My mom had 2 children, one almost of legal age, and a divorce under her belt by the time she was my age.  But that just seems crazy to me!

So, where do I stand with possibly having children?  Only time will tell.  I am not yet married, so there's that to take care of first!  If I settle down in the next year or 2 then getting pregnant is still a possibility for me.  If I don't, or if for some reason I do get married and the timing just isn't right for having a child, then it wasn't meant to be.  As I said before, I believe everything happens for a reason.  If I am meant to have a child it will happen.  If it doesn't happen, then it wasn't meant to be.  I refuse to base my life and happiness on if I have kids or not.  It's not fair to myself, and it's not fair to the child if I have one.  I live in the moment and refuse to fret and worry and have my life dictated on things that are beyond my control.  So I guess we'll see what the next few years brings for me!  First let's see if I settle down and get married first and when, then we'll go from there.  :-)