About Me

Hi. I’m Mike. And I’ve made a terrible mistake.

… except now that I’m actually facing it, I can see it as less of a mistake as a series of experiences that I’m achieving in a different order.  And now that I can see it head-on, it’s really not all that terrible.

Here’s the scoop: I started college in 1990 at the University of Maryland.  I was a civil engineering major — because I knew that it was a career I wanted since I was 8 and was designing road maps of imaginary cities. I applied to the University of Maryland (and no other schools) and… just went. But I wasn’t so driven. And I certainly didn’t want to do anything with civil engineering after attempting a second semester of engineering physics.

I switched to psychology as a major. And did okay, I suppose. I had dreams of working in college student personnel / higher education administration. But I still wasn’t nearly driven enough. Add to that a mixture of undiagnosed anxiety, depression, toxic relationships and unhealthy coping habits, and I found myself nearly failing out. I was scared. I panicked. And with 115 credits (of 120) to my name, I dropped out and started working.

That was 1995. I was sure I could just go back the next year and finish up. Or the year after that. But each year was more and more difficult for me to size myself up and look at returning. Every time I did I became more and more hopeless that I could actually finish it. And why bother if my attempt was just going to be a waste of time and money?

It’s twenty-five years later. After taking some online courses through University of Maryland’s Global Campus (a different school), I determined that (a) this is not impossible for me to do; and (b) the most direct means to finish up my undergraduate studies would be for me to return to the University of Maryland at College Park. Actually setting foot on campus as a 47 year-old college senior. Because of the length of my absence I need fifteen additional credits to graduate — nine of which I’m taking this semester and six which I can take over the summer (online).

This is my journey.  As I write this introduction, my first college class on campus in over two decades will be starting in 36 hours.

Let’s take this from the top…