Returning to My Path (Draft #2)

Summary

After a seven-year hiatus, I made the decision to return to school. Although I always had plans to go back, I was unsure of exactly what I wanted to study. Then, last year, I had an epiphany. While standing in the kitchen of my apartment, it suddenly clicked: “I want to do finance.” Many people might have changed their majors multiple times, but I had already gone through that process. As a teenager, I initially chose psychology, because I had it in me, that I could save the world. But around my twentieth birthday, I switched to business and received my associate degree. I was curious to see how far I could go with it.

However, my career hit a roadblock and I found myself at yet another crossroads. Going back to school after such a long break seemed overwhelming and daunting. Life had become much more complicated than it was seven years ago. Despite the fear and uncertainties, I firmly believe that returning to school is definitely worth it. Nobody is ever too old to learn. Education is a right, not a privilege, yet not everyone is given the opportunity to pursue it. Some individuals have to discontinue their education due to personal reasons, while others never had the chance to attend school in their younger years because of familial and personal responsibilities. The good news is that education is open to everyone, and everyone has the chance to try again. Going back to school after taking a break for several years is the start of a new journey, a new adventure.

Unfortunately, there are common stigmas that might weaken your resolve or make you doubt the rationality of your decision to finally complete your studies after a long break. However, it’s important to remember that these stigmas are false and misleading. The one truth you should hold onto is that returning to school later in life is a commendable achievement. I did it, and I believe you can do it too. All you need is unwavering motivation and faith in yourself. It is never too late to pursue your dreams.

Personally, since I was eighteen years old, I’ve believed that you sometimes have no idea what you want to do with your life. I consider myself blessed because I had the opportunity to travel the world, gain real-life work experience, and truly experience life. This is not to say that these years were filled with idleness. In fact, I became a certified yoga instructor and birthing doula, and I even took Latin language courses. However, I knew that returning to school was a significant commitment, one that I do not regret at all.

When I arrived at Baruch, it was refreshing to see that I wasn’t surrounded only by people my 19-year-old nephew’s age. There was a diverse range of students from all walks of life, and we all shared a common goal: to finish what we had started. I often questioned myself, “Have I really sacrificed my free time to subject myself to Algebra, Physics, and Pre-calculus?” I always wanted to see how far I could go with my two-year degree, and then I hit a career slump. I was no longer satisfied; I was merely going through the motions.

Last summer, after returning from a much-needed weeklong wellness retreat with Queen Afua at Omega Institute in the mountains of Upstate New York, I walked through my front door, dropped my luggage, and let out a sigh of relief. I knew I had work to do. That week was intense but in a good way. I remember standing in my kitchen, sipping a cup of tea, and having a moment of sudden insight. It finally clicked; I realized what I wanted to do in life. Well, kind of. I wanted to return to school to study finance. I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do with it yet, and to be honest, I am still trying to figure that out. But at least I had a starting point.

During the retreat, I spoke to a group of women and expressed that I hadn’t experienced discomfort in a very long time. I had a good job, traveled frequently, and couldn’t remember the last time I couldn’t afford to do something. However, in that comfort zone, I realized that I was stifling my own growth. I had been in a long-term job, having been with the same company for five years. Throughout my life, I have faced many periods of discomfort where the aforementioned statements were far from true. From the age of eighteen until the middle of my twenties, chaos was constant. I moved to different cities and states multiple times. However, I haven’t been idle during this time. Travel became my escape, and I experienced a rush of excitement whenever I was at an airport, knowing that I would soon be immersing myself in another country.

Unfortunately, the pandemic abruptly put a stop to all of that. The freedom I once enjoyed was stripped away instantly. Goodbye to any upcoming trips or events. I found myself confined to the house for months on end.

However, this unprecedented situation forced me to reflect. One question that had been posed to me numerous times but was most significant when asked by an old boyfriend, was, “You travel so much, literally just pick up and go. What are you running from?”. I don’t believe I am running from anything; instead, I believe I am searching for something. And the epiphanies keep rolling in. I now meditate twice daily, and mindfulness has become central to my life. I am genuinely excited about what the future holds for me. I am looking forward to the next phase and the opportunities that await me.

2 thoughts on “Returning to My Path (Draft #2)

  1. Hi Sharnell,
    Thank you for sharing your story.

    This piece is absolutely incredible and motivating. I love the way that you were so honest about struggling to go back to school, and kind of losing yourself and your path along the way. It is super hard for us as humans to sit back and reflect on ourselves, and even then it can be a struggle to be completely honest with ourselves.
    The way that you immediately got straight to the point about not being in school after 7 years and finally returning, was a great way to grab the readers’ attention. I also love how you incorporated such strong words to describe your thoughts, giving your piece overall more meaning.

    A few minor points:
    – I would say that the overall message is not so clear, or rather hard to keep track of at least. I recommend saying your teachable moment together in one place rather than having multiple throughout the piece, just so it is easier to keep track of.
    – Another thing I would say is that your structure overall is great, but I would recommend moving the last line of paragraph 3 which states “it is never too late to pursue your dreams”, a little further up. This is because it feels as though this is giving the flow of your story a partition. You began to give background information throughout the first two paragraphs and included this line, and then returned to finish the story you were telling. I just feel as though this line would have a better spot further up in your narrative.

    Feel free to message me if you have any questions or would like me to clarify anything.

    Best,
    Jadamaris

  2. Hi Sharnell,

    Thank you for sharing your story.
    I want to make a note how inspiring your piece was. I took a gap year to work before I decided to continue my education at Baruch, so I felt that we were in this together while reading your piece.

    Overall I think the message you are trying to tell is very inspiring and valuable, the content itself was amazing as I could tell how much experiences you’ve had in travel, self-care, and career. I would just like to give few pointers:

    A few minor points
    – It may be good to one of two paragraphs to the top or bottom depending on how you want your message to come across. I think it would help with the overall flow of the essay. Maybe in an order of how your career was doing, why you started thinking about school, how you overcame the fear, and how did covid affect in this journey etc.

    A few questions to be clarified:
    – What job did you do before?- To understand your decision to finance
    – How did the stigmas you speak of affect you?

    Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or queries relating to the above.

    Regards,
    Badam

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