Plan "B"

As anything is as likely to appear here as anything else, the following is written knowing it will not have mass appeal. In fact, unless you have an acute interest in my life and where it’s heading, you might just as well stop reading now. You know who you are; you have been warned. However, for those of you who have found my journey of trial and tribulation… of insightful, blinding flashes of the obvious and (dare I say) redemption intriguing, I offer you this, a status report - of sorts.

As revealed in my previous post, I was not selected to be a California Assembly or Senate Fellow. Although I am consoled that I came closer than most, it is also true that no one remembers who finished second. But not all of my eggs were in that basket - I did and do have a Plan “B” and although it has not been given nearly as much press, it has been running silently parallel to Plan “A.” My application to the communications studies Masters program at Sacramento State is on track and looks promising.

So my eggs have fallen safely from the “A” basket to the “B,” it would seem. There are, however, no guarantees that my application will be accepted. I have very high hopes that it will, but even a good Plan “B” is nothing without an equally well thought out Plan “C.” I don’t have a clear one yet, but I am working on it. Currently it consists of employment in various different capacities, some of which are so new I am only now exploring them. The plan exists, but it is still somewhat nebulous.

But back to Plan “B” - earning my Masters degree. Among my long-term goals has been a teaching position in some capacity; I seem to have some aptitude for it and in my limited experience, I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Combining it with my love for writing seems like a match made in Heaven, but it won’t happen without some more work. A Masters will allow me to teach at the community college level and in some cases at the university level. In my humble opinion, community colleges provide access to more opportunity, to more people than any other educational venue. And in my experience as a student at three different such institutions, there is more genuine desire to learn there than anywhere else.

My recently completed journey to obtain a Bachelors degree started at a community college. Not to take anything away from a host of excellent professors at Sac State, but my teachers at American River College ignited me. They went beyond teaching; they were fully vested in my success. They more than convinced me I could do this - they believed it themselves. I have life experiences that are similar to those of many community college students. Many are students that, for one reason or another, have taken the road less traveled. Many, like myself, are lost souls in search of something more. And I am convinced that they, too, can find it.