In September of 2021, I began a new journey at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, British Columbia when I enrolled in the school's Recreation & Sports Management Diploma program. Over those two years, I learned a lot in the classroom, and being in the program allowed me to get my first opportunity to work in the professional industry in the summers of 2022, and 2023 by getting to work with the MILB's Vancouver Canadians for my co-op semesters.
At VIU, I also met many amazing people and had professors who did nothing but help support me, and our program's small cohort as a group in general. As I said earlier, I did learn a lot in my two years in Nanaimo at school, but I believe it was the lessons I could learn by living on my own that were most crucial for my personal development. For example, a lot of people at that stage of their lives don't know what it is like to help contribute to monthly rent payments.
Although, I wasn't paying the full monthly rent for the place I was living on my own, and my parents did help support me by having us each pay a third, just having to budget every month I believe has given me an early taste of "the real world' by having had that experience.
Even though VIU does offer an additional two years in the program to pursue a degree in Recreation & Sports Management after the two-year diploma program, for my mental health, I decided I needed a year away from school, as well as the stress of working all summer just to cover my rent and other expenses throughout the school year.
This year off was great for me as it allowed me to get my mind right, make money, and possibly most importantly, work on tactics that helped me improve my social anxiety which about one year ago, was the worst it had ever been.
With all that in mind, I have decided that this September, I will be returning to school, but not at VIU, I will be finishing the last two years of my degree at Langara College's Recreation Management Program.
The reason I have decided to return to post-secondary is simple. I am halfway done getting my degree, and I don't want to look back in twenty years being regretful that I didn't finish a job that was 50% complete.
I have always been one who is very goal-oriented and when I set out to complete something and it doesn't come to fruition, a sense of failure or disappointment starts to kick in. Whether that was losing weight, passing an accounting class, making a hockey team, or hell, finishing one of these blog posts, I like to finish the goals I set for myself. When I first enrolled in post-secondary, I didn't go into that with the goal of getting a diploma, I went in wanting to obtain a degree.
It may have not been the smoothest pathway to get there, as after high school, I thought I wanted to get a degree in Journalism but quickly realized I enjoyed writing more as a hobby as opposed to wanting to pursue a career in that field which is what led to me to the Sports Management program at VIU.
With a college degree being so within my grasp, I feel like I not only owe it myself, but those around me to finish the job at hand over these next two years. With the program being mainly online, it also will allow me to continue to work and make money which is also a factor that went into this decision, I feel like having the chance to somewhat have "the best of both worlds" while I am still young enough to manage the two, was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
I am excited about this next chapter, and I want to thank everyone at VIU, and those who have supported me over the last three years, trust me, I know I have not been the easiest to deal with as I was not in a great mental space.
This year off was fantastic, and I can't wait to face this challenge head-on as I look to finish the job.
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