Most people consider me an adult because I am nearly 31 and I have two children and I have a job and I do adult things like pay my bills and take care of my children. I consider myself a really large child, but the consensus seems to be that I am a grown-up. One of the things that I did in my early twenties, while preparing for real adulthood, was to get a degree. At one point it was in a really pretty frame on my wall, however at no point have I ever put my degree to use. In fact, I even went back and sought a graduate degree that I decided not to use. To some, including my boss and my coworker, this is a good punchline for a lot of jokes and a discussion point regarding the cost of education. To some, it may seem like it was a waste of time. To me, it was all entirely worth it.

No one can ever take away my education. No one can ever take away the things I learned. No one can ever take a way my passion for learning. I got those degrees because I wanted to. I got them for myself, because I wanted to accomplish my goals and because I felt that it was important for me. I didn't get an education to impress anyone and I didn't do it so that I would make millions of dollars (in fact, if millions of dollars is your goal then you should definitely not get a degree in history or one in education). Aside from my degrees, which I am very proud of, I have remained curious and passionate. I read. I listen. I discuss. I learn. Some of the smartest people that I know barely graduated high school. I have had some of the deepest conversations with people who wait tables and read a lot of books. Education is lovely because knowledge is power, but the two are not mutually exclusive.

So what am I driving at here? What's my point? Here it is: stay curious. If you want a college degree in queer studies, you should get it. If you want to study how batteries work, you can probably YouTube it and learn a whole lot. Anything you want to do, you can do. Anything you want to learn, you should. There are avenues for learning everywhere now that we live in the age of social media and online living. Obviously not all of them are reliable, but I trust that you are all intelligent enough to discern the real from the fake. Be motivated. If you want to know something, seek it. If you want a degree, do it. Don't sell yourself short because of any perceived limitation.

Knowledge is power and it is everywhere. Every moment of every day offers a learning opportunity.

Your life is your responsibility.