Officially Graduated!

Well, it is official: in three days I'll be in possession of a Bachelor's Degree in Game Design.

Let's not talk too much about how this was an unnecessary choice of degree field, the one thing I REALLY learned over the course of these three years, but lets instead talk about what this really means:

• I have a college degree - this in and of itself is a big thing for me as I'll be the first person in my immediate family to actually have a Bachelor's Degree (my mother (dearest) only has an Associates). That's kinda cool!
• Dream job - this might be jumping the gun slightly, but it's still pretty cool to say that I have a degree in making video games. ("What are you? A doctor?? BAH!") (just kidding)
• Time - I now have time to do things. This time, however, will likely be used toward accumulating funds via a second job since my current place of employment isn't doing too much by way of paying the bills these days.
• I can kind of, almost, say I'm a professional now. Kind of. Almost. I'm at least a step closer and now more qualified than I was to be doing what I went to school for; However, its not a cakewalk yet and I'm far from a master. 

I have my regrets as well of course, those being:

• You don't actually need a degree for this field.
• The amount of money I spent for this degree.
• The fact that there are no current jobs within the tri-state area near me for this field.
• It's going to be a while before I start making any real money.

This is a great time for me because to be completely honest, for a long time there I really didn't think I was going to make it. I truly believed that something in my life, whether it was personal or professional, was going to make this goal unattainable because unlike so many others I know I did not have a great deal of help in this endeavor - which makes this an almost sweeter victory than normal. 

On a more personal note it's great for me because my grandmother, whose time is more obviously limited each day, made it to see this event in my life, and she was so worried that she would never get to be there for it - and with my life leaving me with a limited number of trustworthy friends and family to share anything with - this means a great deal to the both of us that we can have this moment together. 

I had the fortunate experience of being teamed with a great assortment of people this time around too, and that has made all the difference in the world. I'm truly grateful to those peers turned friends over just a short four month period.

In truth, graduating is bittersweet because this now means its time to start taking this life seriously. The hard part is still far from over, its just the nature of the game that's changing, but I welcome it with open arms and am looking forward to the possibilities the future now holds. 

Thanks to everyone who has been on the journey with me for this long, you've been a great help and I love you all!