“…Your graduation poem?
It’ll be sunshine & rainbows,”
Unveiled what I had found odd,
Upon finishing my last final:
There was no instant deflation,
No sudden rush of endorphins.
Graduation is just another checkmark on my master list,
Signaling the next greatest purpose to take the forefront.
My education was idiosyncratic from the beginning,
A fascination with computers segmented before 8 years old,
Initiating an excelling pace prior to self-reflection,
Starting collegiate programming classes years before adulthood.
My career began as a freshman at Utah State,
Working at a place where people’s ambition turns sour.
Web development led to new opportunities,
Allowing hiring managers to ignore my youth.
Taking a break after earning my coding degree,
Discovering what life could be…if I’d let it be.
I had no real reason to return for school,
Except for an optional shift in my journey.
Enrolling at U of O:
I wasn’t waiting to start,
I had my after before.
Instead of narrowing into what I could already grasp,
Broadening principled leadership & developing untapped skills.
Adding up to promotions,
Subtracting any downtime.
Being so busy wasn’t so bad,
Now that it’s over I can say that.
USU & UO host opposing environments,
I experienced each as different people.
As a businessperson would say,
A synergy exists between the two.
Together creates a lasting effect,
More impactful than if held separate.
They offered a full education,
Not based solely on academics.
Graduation is a milestone,
Not completion of a journey.
It certainly doesn’t solve all my problems,
Nor open up time as work hours increase.
It did pull me towards a better alignment,
Consolidating with real-world experience.
And while it may just be another checkmark,
The trek of earning it was transformative.
Author’s Note: I guess this is my version of a “life update” poem. Earlier this month, I graduated from UOregon with a B.S. in Operations & Business Analytics — adding to my A.S. in Computer Science. 🎓
Mindfully Messy 
That last line! Yes!
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