To school or not to school, that is my question. I graduated in 1982 and had intentions of going to cosmetology school, but like a bonehead I got married instead! What WAS I thinking? Everyone tried to tell me that schooling should come first, then marriage......but at age 19, you know what you're doing. You have the answers, you know what is best for you.....so why won't these people just leave me alone? Well, you know the story, I got married and college went out the window. Instead, I worked at a bank, then a hospital, then a doctor's office, then a locomotive crane company and a veterinarian technician at the same time and you guessed it...divorce! All by the time I was age 26.

I met the love of my life almost immediately and jumped from the frying pan to the skillet. I moved from my home to follow my love to Maine and Pennsylvania. I worked temporary jobs while living there because the jobs he was on were just temporary construction jobs and then we would move on again. We settled in Florida which was his home state for two years before moving to North Carolina in 1993 which is home to me now. We were fortunate enough to have a son in Florida but moved to North Carolina when he was a baby. I got hired at a local commercial/industrial HVAC company and worked there for 5 years. I loved my job, was well respected and doubled my salary in 5 years. Then my life changed forever. I was sitting at a stop sign one block from my house when I was hit head on by a girl running from a hit and run when she hit me and totaled my car. I developed seizures and fibromyalgia among other injuries from the accident. I had to leave the work force on disability. After almost dying twice in 2001, I had an implant in April 2002 to control the seizures. That implant has given me a second chance at life. I am still unable to work outside the home and I got divorced for a second time after a 15 year marriage. He could not handle my disability is basically what it boiled down to.

So, here I am at age 44 with lots of skills but no college diploma to back me up. It's almost impossible to live on disability. After I pay my mortgage and utilities, I'm near broke again. I live from month to month. How did I get to this point in my life? Why didn't I listen to my parents all those years ago? I need to find a part time job that I can do from home as my health allows. I REALLY need to supplement my income. Besides, I miss working. I miss that feeling of being needed and the respect you get because you do a good job at your place of employment, oh, and don't forget the money. So back to my question, to school or not to school? I've been dwelling on that subject for quite some time now. To go back to school after 26 years is frightening. I've even had nightmares of sitting in a classroom, unable to take notes or remember anything and failing. I graduated with honors from high school in the top 20 of my class, so the thought of failing really scares me. I have been asking myself, can I do this, will I have good grades, will I graduate and do I want to do this? The answer is yes, I do want to do this.

I've been thinking about doing online schooling to get a degree in medical coding and billing which is a job that I can work from home and make good money. I did some online research and sent out some inquiries. Last week, I was contacted by a wonderful woman named Kimber from Allen School Online. They have been a university in New York for 47 years and they offer online schooling. It was Kimber's job to decide if I would qualify for their college and for an accelerated program. She explained to me that it is not easy to get accepted and they only take 25 students. After talking to her, she wanted to recommend me for the program. Wow! I felt really good about myself. I was e-mailed a questionnaire and I had to write an essay telling why I wanted to go to school, what my qualifications were and where I was at with computer knowledge. There were specific questions that were to be answered in detail. I wrote it right away Friday evening and e-mailed it back to Kimber. Monday morning, my phone rang and I heard "Congratulations"! Followed by, "the review board read your essay and you have been accepted!" I am on cloud nine! I feel like I CAN do this and I'm ready to get going. Which is good, because school starts this coming Monday! I can't believe it has taken me this long to become a college student, but with a lot of hard work and God willing, I'll be a graduate with a degree in medical coding and billing in nine short months. So the answer to my question is YES TO SCHOOL!

In order to succeed, you must first believe that you can! That is my motto for this class. I will post it on my refrigerator, my bedroom mirror and anywhere else that is easily visible so that I may see it when I feel overwhelmed or afraid of failure.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and let me share my joy with you. If you have been struggling with the same scenario, believe in yourself and go for it!

Kim