Reflections From College

I sit here, staring at my computer screen, and wonder how to begin. Even coming up with a title for this post was a challenge. I’ve missed my blog. So many times in the past few months I would find myself scribbling out notes for a new blog post, with ideas coming to me in the middle of a class so that my lecture notes were half class stuff, and half blog stuff. The need to write, about fish and fishing, and anything else that struck my fancy, was too often suppressed by the need to complete an assignment, study for a test, or just the fatigue at the end of a day that involved five or six hours behind the wheel, and several more hours in class. Now it’s over, and I’m not even sure how to format my thoughts to write about the experience.

Friday was my last day of classes. After a quick lab and two exams, I made a short run around the school to visit some of my favorite teachers, and then headed for my car for that final two-and-a-half hour drive. Since that moment, I’ve been trying to resolve my feelings and my memories, trying to comprehend what has happened, but sorting it out methodically has not been easy, so bear with me for the rambling.

October of 2012 was when I knew I needed a change. I was working a job where I had some fantastic coworkers, a frustrating but great boss, and I had a high level of responsibility, which I always enjoy. But I was not happy. I was not fulfilled. My volunteering, much of which has been documented on this blog, had started me down a different path. I wanted to work in the environmental sector, more importantly, I wanted the chance to spend days in the field, learning more about ecosystems, contributing to their health and recovery, and hopefully get time to play with fish. Darrell and I talked it over, and despite the sacrifices we knew we would make, he told me that if going back to school would make me happy, then I needed to do it.

Most people thought I was crazy to drive the 2.5 hours to Lindsay. Let’s be honest, driving 5 hours a day is not environmentally friendly. I eventually got used to the shocked reaction of anyone who found out far I was commuting. “Why?” was usually the only thing I heard. I made the commute because Fleming College was best. Everyone I had spoken to in the field seemed to be a Fleming grad, and they could be found in all sorts of jobs. I didn’t have time to do another university degree, and I wanted the hands-on training I would get at Fleming. So I went. I couldn’t move our entire family out to Lindsay though. Darrell works a job where he’s happy and could make enough money to keep us going on a single income. Plus, we knew that if we needed help looking after the animals, or anything else, his parents were close enough to help if we stayed put. And finding a place where the horses could live with us was not easy. So moving was out of the question. “Why don’t you live in Lindsay during the week and go home on weekends?” I heard this question a lot. The best response I could give was that I love my home life. I love coming home to Darrell at the end of each day, I love having my time with Argo and the other furry critters, and I love sleeping in my own bed. Also, my Ford Fiesta is great on gas, so it was about the same as paying rent for a bedroom in a house where I would have been miserable.

The drive wasn’t a big factor until lately. I got used to being stuck in the car for so long and often used it as a time to study by recording me reading my study notes, then playing it while I drove. Let’s face it, I didn’t have a whole lot of time outside of the car to actually study. By this semester though, I found the drive was really wearing on me. The weather was brutal so I either had a white-knuckle drive, or I was stuck at home. And it’s really not easy on your body to be in a vehicle for that long every day.

Fleming was as advertised. From the very start, I realized I was going to have excellent teachers and learn the skills I needed to be successful in my future career. I was worried about being the old lady in class (yes, I realize 30 isn’t old, but it sure felt like it the first time I was surrounded by several 19 & 20 year-olds), yet I soon found out that I was not alone in returning to school. In fact, most of my classes had a good mix of ages in them, making it easier for everyone.

One of the things I love about Fleming is the variety of resources we have available for our learning – the hatcheries, the greenhouse, the CAWT ponds, the ‘back 40’, and the biocommons (where you could get just about any equipment and specimen samples you may require during your studies).

I spent much of my lab time outside, getting my hands dirty and having fun. From compassing, to tree identification, soils, plankton sampling, a falconry demonstration, wildlife observation, and forestry measurement, getting outside and physically doing things made my learning much easier. It also makes for much happier students and teachers when they get to be outside, even on the -30C tree walk.

As an Ecosystem Management student, I had some amazing opportunities that just aren’t available in other programs. The EM program is designed to not only teach students the technical skills they need, but also to provide them with the soft skills they need to be successful in their career. We had a mock interview day with real employers where we not only had an interview, but we also had to prepare our resumes and cover letters, and then we had a follow-up seminar with the employers at the end of the day where they provide us with feedback. This was part of our Career Advancement class, a class that also required us to make several presentations in front of everyone. Watching my fellow students get more comfortable with public speaking was fascinating. The different presentation styles and different viewpoints were amazing, and impressive.

In another class, we had to run a research project from scratch. We started by coming up with a research question, identifying the variables, the null hypothesis, and the sampling methods we would use to test that hypothesis. Then we went out in the field and conducted the research, complied our results, wrote a paper, and presented our findings in a professional setting in front of classmates and teachers at the Lindsay Golf and Country Club. What an experience.

The people I met and the friends I made will stay with me forever. EM students are a varied bunch, with a range of interests and viewpoints. They are the most interesting group of people I’ve ever had the privilege to be part of. Some of them were focused on an end goal, knowing what they wanted and striving to get there (I count myself in this group), while others really found themselves and, I think, gained an awareness of the path they want to take in life. I found it too difficult to say goodbye to some of them, preferring instead to assume we will always stay in touch. But it wasn’t just the EM students that were awesome. Thanks to Fleming’s Common First Semester that combines students from every program into the same sections, there are several awesome people I now know from the Fish & Wildlife program, and the Drilling program.

Then there are the teachers. This is the secret to Fleming. The teachers are why Fleming grads know so much and are so skillful when they graduate. They are why the students are successful in their studies. They were what really made this entire experience for me. Fleming’s teachers aren’t the people with fancy degrees that spend their lives in academia. They are the people out in the field, staying up-to-date on monitoring procedures, following along with the latest research, staying involved in the environmental aspects that matter most to them. They run extra certification programs on the weekends for students, they stay late to help students study for a big test, they are always available when you have a question, and they provide the encouragement need to see your studies through. As I write this, I’m only just understanding the extent to which I will miss my teachers. So many of them I now consider to be good friends. Their passion inspired me to learn, their work ethic kept me going when I was feeling overwhelmed, and their friendship meant more than I could ever say. Deanna and Julia in particular, whether or not you realized it, you were my rocks. Returning to school at my age creates some interesting dynamics with teachers. Imagine looking at your class schedule and seeing a name on there for one of your childhood friends. A little weird for me, and a little weird for her, but it was fantastic to reconnect, she was an amazing teacher, and I’m so glad we can be a part of each others lives again. But at 30 (now 31), you get to have a different relationship with teacher than when you’re in your late teens and early 20s. These friendships are something I’ve cherished. To Deanna, Kris, Grant, Josh, Julia, Bill, Jim, Cameron, Barb, Mike, Tracy, Andrea, Vicki, Adam, Andrew, Cecilia, and Sherry, thank you for everything!

Technically, I’m not quite finished school. We have to complete a two week field placement before we can graduate. I start that tomorrow, with a person I’ve been wanting to work with for awhile, at a job I’ve been wanting since I knew it existed. It also happens to be my summer job though, so I don’t feel like I’m still doing anything college related.

While I have no interest in chasing a third expensive piece of paper, this second one was well worth everything that happened along the way. I can’t wait to move forward now. I’m starting a new career, will once again have time to go fishing, and I’ll even have time to spend with my blog. The future looks pretty exciting.

The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

argosgirl

Sporadic blogger and sometimes podcaster who loves fishing, the outdoors, hanging with her animals, gardening, and reading manga.

Latest posts by argosgirl (see all)

• Book Review: Paddling My Own Canoe by Esther Keyser - October 13, 2024
• Fall Camping at Algonquin Park - October 8, 2024
• Intro to Trolling - September 7, 2024