Thoughts of school are overwhelming me at the moment. Sadly, I really fucked something up. If I'd been paying attention to requirements and the like, I would have taken a Speech class this Fall. If I'd taken it, I could apply to the EATM program. Sadly, I didn't and since I lack that prerequisite, I can't apply. (The website was pretty emphatic about having ALL prerequisites completed before sending in an application.)

I'm thinking my best bet is to just go to UCLA and finish my Bachelor's Degree. I mean, here I am wondering where to apply, if I should apply to more schools than I currently have in mind, etc, etc, but I'm sure it doesn't matter. In fact, when I asked my dog trainer friend what he thought about schools and degrees and stuff, he said, "Oh please, academics are so far behind what's actually happening in this field [animal behavior]. Just get a degree in anything you want, then get out there and work." Cool, I can do that.

I'd even consider schools in other countries, except then I'd have to deal with international student fees, not to mention quarantining my cats, which I don't want to do.

I should just go to UCLA. And, if after I graduate, I still want to do the EATM program, I can apply. I wonder how quickly I could graduate if I took a bunch of classes at a community college here in the Spring. Could I graduate in a year and a half, I wonder? Maybe I could even take summer classes at UCLA if they accept me for Fall.

Part of me wants to get through college as quickly as possible. But another part of me wants to take my time and enjoy it. I'm not sure what the smarter option is. I suppose it's one of those things I just have to play by ear.

But I'm not going to let myself feel bad that everyone my age is graduating, or that my friend Angela is ten days older than me and is already in grad school. Because comparing myself to others is always a bad idea, first of all! And because every person in an animal care position I've ever talked to has told me that experience matters more than the degree. And that's what I'm doing. I'm training dogs. I'm handling wildlife. I'm teaching. And that's what matters most. Experience.

So yeah, next Fall I'll go to UCLA, and take it from there.

Once again, I have A Plan.

~Meg