Hello, please finish your Masters. If you don't, there will always be there 'what if' festering away. Life is too short and you can only gain by finishing it and you owe it to yourself. Good luck honey.

Chandra, there's something to completing what you start, especially when they're positive things. I have a friend who earned his J.D. and never practiced a day of law. Instead, he used his degree to open other doors and now runs a major company. Go for it!

My guess it that you're either a perfectionist or a procrastinator (or both). So maybe the issue isn't really about finishing the degree, but about how you approach a seemingly overwhelming task. I bet the readers out there know some great books about overcoming writer's block. I'm a doc student that has struggled from perfectionism, procrastination, and writer's block on many occasions, so let me tell you about some books that have helped me. Although you aren't a social scientist, I would highly recommend "Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article" by Howard S. Becker. Angela Thody also has a nice chapter about writer's block in "Writing and Presenting Research".

opps, I was HER teacher. Guess I was in a hurry to respond.
Marianna

Can anyone help me get in touch with Chandra? I was here teacher. Thank you
Mrs. Nothern
mnothern@cox.net

Do what makes your heart sing.

WOW! Thanks, y'all, for all of the insight! You are all so articulate and wise! And holy cow, who knew I'd even get a couple of blasts from the past? LAURA WONG, where are you? How can I reach you? In a somewhat freaky convergence, my mom just found my TWHS yearbooks (which I didn't think she still had) in her basement two weeks ago, and as a result I was just thinking about you! No, seriously. I saw pictures of you in the school play, and remembered your romance with John C. and everything. So we have to keep in touch. E-mail me at oldsents@yahoo.com! And Ms. Baker - I see that it takes magazine exposure to hear from you. :-) And Ann, if you want, I can get you in touch with Pam (see e-mail address above). You'll note that hers was the first comment.
Anyway, thank you all so much! I'm feeling really inspired. I still don't know what I'm going to do, but thanks to comments here, I'm feeling much more relaxed about it . . . which just might be what allows me to un-block myself and get it done! For those of you who've mentioned the time-limit, I have checked into that, and believe that I can work it out, if need be. You all are wise beyond your years, and I don't even know (most of) you, but I'm starting to love you just a little.

Tomorrow isn't promised to any of us. Make your decision to finish your graduate degree or not based upon what you have to say, and what you want to say you've accomplished - how you've magnified and returned the gifts you've been given, not contingent upon what kind of job it will afford you. If you believe there is something you have to say or do in a way that is unique and constructive, then you have an obligation to add your voice to the discourse in your field. Consideration of who you are should always trump what you do.

XO~ SV

Hi Chandra! You have a pretty name that mean "moon". I went to school with your big sister Pam. (If I have the right person) You are all so smart! If you have the support and the tme, go for that degree! I finished one up while working at an evening job to make best use of the time I knew I had then and I don't regret it.

I made a similar decision when my husband and I decided to move - during the 11th hour of my grade school career - and I opted to move on and not finish my thesis. The 30 Master credits has helped in my current job and I haven't regretted the decision - knowing that I am a much better teacher than I was a researcher. I do know, however, that most universities have a 5 year max limit to finishing. If it's really been 9 years, you might not be eligible anymore to finish.

Hello, Chandra. I remember your smartness all the way back at TWHS. I hope you’ll find the opportunity to finish the degree. When you work in another field, getting back to the frame of mind required for academic writing can be really painful – but fulfilling. My dissertation plagued me for ten years - I was working in another field in another country when I finally sent it back to the US. The lasting gratification lay not just in the completion (ok, that was really nice), but the re-immersion into the kind of thinking that entices you into grad school in the first place. The biggest surprise, upon re-engaging, can be that after so many years of not actively working on the thesis, life experiences serve to actually enrich your perspectives and writing. Good luck!

You made your decision when you left your MA program 9 years ago. Continue to enjoy what you're doing now. If you want to re=enter your MA later, there is time, plus you will be able to update the information. Any degree program is a step in a field; it is not the end game. So if you decide you want to change your career in a few years, and need an MA, then you'll be ready to polish one off. Best wishes.

Chandra, if you are still debating the decision to finish your schooling after 9 years, it seems like there is no debate... you want to finish otherwise this issue wouldn't be of any importance. Sure there is risk, effort and challenges in getting to your place of accomplishment w/your MA, but all that is happening now is energy and time wasted in the debate. Go, flourish, have an adventure, you never know what this accomplishment may bring ... possibly even a job you love more than the one you have now... who knows? YOU DO!! GO FIND OUT! BEST WISHES!

Life is full of unfinished experiences! When they no longer have a sense of urgency, it probably means we've changed and moved in another direction. From mid-life I can confidently tell you that you must do what makes you happy, you must follow and trust your own instincts.

HI Chandra,
Just checking in! You are getting a lot of comments here! I hope this decision process is getting easier for you either way. I wish you well!

I just reread what I wrote and realized when I write I ask the questions I am asking myself too! You are not alone in life's quest for adventure!

Chandra,
When you were taking classes before, how did you feel? What are you most passionate about? You had mentioned visiting Italy and other places. What about going to a new place sparks your interest?

I noticed a "pro" to finishing your Master's was that you could use your degree to teach again someday. I am a teacher who recently resigned and ended a school year so my immediate reaction is...don't do it to teach! There's little pay, tons of work and lots of heartache. Teaching gives you a random taste of society's complexity and struggle to maintain democracy. I left to feel empowered to create something new, something uncontrolled, something with endless possibilities.

If you could create anything that would impact our society, empower others, eliminate forces of oppression, equalize economics, (ok- I'm depressing myself by listing these things so I'm stopping there), what would you do?

Picture the old guy in "City Slickers" riding around on his horse saying, "There's just one thing." What is that one thing for you?

If you are satisfied where you are, and if you are content, then leave it be. There is always a time to sit still in your life and just live it. Your mother and husband aren't you... they aren't in your shoes, and they don't need to bother you about it- it should be left up to you what to do, should it not?
There is nothing wrong with being pleased with where you are, and there is nothing wrong with asking loved ones to please let you just be pleased with where you are.
Good luck

Most Universities have a time limit within which one must finish work for a degree after matriculating into a program. Usually the time limit is double the number of years it takes the "average person" to complete the degree requirements. In this instance, if your program was a 2-year one, you would have 4 years to complete it unless there were/are extenuating circumstances for which you have been filing extension requests with your thesis advisor. Before you get too excited about the possibility of completing your degree, I would recommend you check with the school to see if such is even possible. The school might say you have to start over, or, at a minimum, repeat outdated courses. Knowing the answer to this question may play a big role in influencing your decision. Good Luck in what you decide to do!

Today's women need inspiration from folks like you. If I had a B.A., I would definitely pursue an M.A. with all of my being. We must never stop learning, expecially from strong, intelligent women, like yourself. You never know where that committment to excellence will lead. Do it!

You say you love your job, but. Ask yourself this 'What would happen if I did or dikn't'

Do it! What do you have to lose? Many colleges offer online courses and you may be able to complete most of it that way. And if you don't like your thesis, start something new, that you love. If you love it, you are going to be so much more commited to working hard to get it done (and maybe even enjoying it). If oneday you switch careers, you have a great backup!! If you never change jobs again, you can say you have no regrets and are a better person for finishing something that is important to you. Good luck!

Finish the thesis ----- but take your time. If the old 30 pages need "fine tuning" then start there. Have a start and a finish. Enjoy yourself without the pressure you had before. Think of the new information you will be learning and using along the way.

Chanj,
Now, Nadine might not like my saying this, and I know this is not the party line, but writing as someone who has two MA's, I think they tend to be overrated. When and if you want or need those two letters after your name, you'll go do it. You already have the education you wanted.
cheers,
K