It Is Finished!!!

As of the second week of August, I have officially earned my bachelor of science degree in family life studies from Utah State University!  We didn't really do anything to celebrate.  The University only does a graduation ceremony in the spring and since I refused to walk last May because it would be strange to me to "graduate" before I had actually graduated and walking in May 2013 when it will be almost a year since I finished just seems silly, I won't be participating in the traditional cap and gown hoopla.  I had hoped to do some sort of get together with friends and family to celebrate, but we ended up moving to St George one week after my classes finished, so that didn't happen either. But the important thing is that I finished. 

Now people keep asking me that one question that I find so hard to answer..."What are you going to do with your degree?"  People seem especially curious when they hear that my major was family life studies.  They get that look on their face that betrays their thoughts that my degree sounds pretty useless and perhaps even 'easy'.   I don't think there's any such thing as a truly 'easy' college degree, especially this one and there are several things I could do with my degree.  

I could work for state or federal government programs such as DCFS.  I could work in community education programs.  I could work for corporations helping develop and implement programs to help their employees balance work and family life.  I could work for any sort of community outreach program such as Head Start working with families.  I could work for an agency that provides basic financial counseling for families. I could basically do anything that involves working with or helping families and children. 

So what am I going to do with my degree?  One thing that really stood out to me in all of my classes about development and well being of families and children is the importance and influence of good parents.  Being there for your children and being an active, positive influence in their lives truly makes a difference.  While quality time is important, quantity time is what allows for those quality moments to exist.  So for my family, for right now, I am going to use my degree to make me a better mother, wife, and member of my community. 

The work vs. stay at home decision is one that every mother has to make and I believe that every mother does what she feels is best for her individual situation and her family.  For us, me getting a job right now just wouldn't make sense.  Part of me would love to work and have something outside the home that I felt was uniquely mine.  Sometimes I even feel guilty for being an at-home parent, particularly when money is so tight.  I know that I am an educated, qualified, and capable individual and that I could contribute to our family's income.  But with three kids at home and a baby on the way in about 9 weeks, would that contribution be worth it?  Would it benefit my family right now?  No.  It would not. 
One of the reasons I was drawn to the family life studies degree is that every thing I learned can be directly applied to my life with my family.  I took classes on child and human development, individual and family finances and resources, social policy, family crises and interventions, parenting and child guidance, abuse and neglect, diversity, balancing work and family, and marriage and family relationships. 
So while I'm toying with the idea of a master's degree and a career in the future, for now I'm just going to take that degree, nail that sucker to my wall and enjoy the fact that I finally reached my goal of finishing a four year(which was more like a 6 or 8 year by the time I got it done) college degree.  Then I'm going to do my best to enjoy every minute of peanut butter sandwiches, princess stories, dinosaur museums, coloring pages, loose teeth, Sesame Street, and soon even spit-up and dirty diapers.