I Lost My Diplomas...

I was rearranging some rooms in my house a couple of months ago and I took down my two diplomas.  I have not seen them since.   

I have BBA and MBA in Business from Midwestern State University.  I graduated with honors and made my parents very proud.  So proud in fact it took them a while to actually give me my diplomas after they had them framed for me as a graduation gift.  My diplomas hung in my parents house alongside my brothers Bachelors in Horticulture degree from Tarleton State University for several years.

And now I can't find them.

Many people ask me why I don't hang my diplomas at the stores, in my office, or at least somewhere in my house where people can see them (so far they have hung behind doors or in closets).  Trust me I am very proud of my degrees.  If anyone had Dr. Harvey for Statistics (and I had her for both undergrad and grad courses) you definitely have a sense of pride for getting out of that class with any kind of passing grade. 

I think college is important.  I am glad I went.  I learned a lot.  I might even go back some day and get my PhD.  I hope my daughter will go to college. 

However, some of the smartest people I know (especially in the pecan industry) did not go to or did not finish college.  Neither of my parents finished college and they are smart business minded individuals.  In my opinion, while it never hurts to have a college degree I also don't feel that just because I have one or two means I am somehow smarter than others in the room.

You can ask any of my staff, close friends, or family, I can't spell to save my life and if I don't have a calculator or a phone handy my math is pretty iffy.  My CPA has asked me several times if I slept through my accounting classes and other than knowing to take the lump sum if you win the lottery I am kind of clueless with finance issues. 

All that being said I think the best thing college did teach me is the ability to study difficult and diverse topics until I could grasp them enough to understand them.  It taught me to focus, manage my time, and be open to new ideas. 

I was one of the people who knew at eighteen the "real world" was going to be too hard for me but also knew I couldn't stay in high school forever.  College was a great way to spend four or five years transitioning from being a naïve teenager to being a naïve twenty year old.  The real world still knocked me down a time or two when I got out in it after graduation but thanks to college and all that comes along with it (all night cram sessions, all night parties, college professors, college boys, college friends, boring 8am classes, bad lab partners, good roommates, terrible roommates, and so much more) I was a little tougher than when I arrived on campus.

My diplomas are important to me.  It took a lot to get them but I have learned a lot since the day I walked across the stage.  Some things you just can't learn in a classroom.  Some things only life can teach you.  Now if only life will tell me where I put those darn things I will be good!!