I'm going to go back and get my Master's degree. I already have Bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Education, and a diploma in Adult Education. The MA in Political Science is a bit of unfinished business, one that I swore I'd go and finish up. It's been years since I wrote an academic essay, but such skills don't usually atrophy over time. I... I want this. Not just for the sake of having an MA, but because politics is something I've grown to love from both the outsider's drama of it, as well as being deeply involved in my own personal battles with elected officials and political systems. I want to be teaching political science one day, and while teaching in high schools would be deeply satisfying, there's something about politics that keeps bringing me back.

I can do it. I know I can. I also know that the last time I tried, I wasn't able to prove it. My marks have changed, but perhaps that won't matter. I like to think that it will, especially since my grades have gotten significantly better through my programs. I was always a good political science student as well, and my GPA only went down because of elective courses that were required for graduation.

The only thing I don't have are recent letters of reference. I think it may be time to go and see if there's anyone at my old/current school who will write me a reference, and who feel doing so won't be a waste of time or insult to their time. There are plenty of people in the department that will still remember me, hopefully fondly. In the meantime, I'm going to be taking some time to write a couple of long-overdue papers to get myself back into the swing of things.

I can do this. I need to do this. I know it's where I belong.