Try

December 18 – Try.

What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn’t go for it?

I'm going to try to go to graduate school.

I did work toward a master's degree before, in counseling, with an emphasis on college student development. I enjoyed it very much and got down to 2 classes left. At that point, I knew I would exhaust my educational benefits from the Army if I finished that master's degree, and I didn't know for sure counseling was going to be what I wanted to go into 17-25 years after finishing the degree.

It's 12 years later, and I think I'm on track now toward a comprehensive plan for my future. Last year, I sat for and received my board-certification to be a lactation consultant (IBCLC). I love helping mothers and babies. Even more, I love teaching doctors and nurses and La Leche League Leaders and other IBCLC's how to help mothers and babies, through presentations and articles. Hopefully, I'll write a book or more at some point ... and now, I realize I want to work for changes in policy. I believe I can make a major impact if I find a way to continue being a public servant. I'd like to create and/or evaluate programs that serve and improve life for our nations mothers and children.

I'm studying for the GRE now and I'm stressed out about it! I'm not sure just how much I can afford to get wrong and still have a decent score. And what *is* a decent score? I have a hard time with the not knowing and I think it's ridiculous that I feel like a standardized test could get in the way of my achieving my goals, which are really unselfish goals! I want to help people who can't help themselves! I'm planning to apply to 4 schools of public health. I'm hopeful for tuition breaks and tuition assistance from the Army so I don't break the bank for this degree. I'm hopeful the degree (policy track, though I'd like to stack my electives with epidemiology-track and maternal-child health coursework) is rigorous enough to prepare me for work in any environment, but not so rigorous that I can't balance my job, my family, and the degree. I'd like to try and finish in 3 years or less.

The prospect of trying is extremely exciting for me, and gives me so much hope for making it through what might otherwise be an unpleasant period of time.