How did you end up here?

[thecontrarian]

I went to college the conventional way, earning a BA in history, got an MA in history, and spent 8 years working on a PhD. During my doctoral studies, my advisor died. I liked the person who “inherited” me, but I didn’t have the time or energy to do the additional research and make the revisions he wanted for my dissertation.  I also had become totally disillusioned with becoming a history professor after seeing friends with PhDs, many of them much smarter, better teachers, and better researchers than myself being underemployed for years.  I worked in museums, libraries, and historic sites for years and dealt with terrible pay and very poor job prospects.  I made the decision to leave that world and try to find something that I would enjoy more and that would, frankly, pay a decent wage.

After doing a bunch of different jobs, I ended up in a position where I joined the union and started taking classes through EGCC with the UnionPlus free college benefit. I also prepared taxes with the VITA program and for H&R Block and fell in love with tax.  I was lucky enough to get hired a few years ago with a great organization doing accounting work, but needed an accounting degree to move into the job that I really wanted and to improve my long term job prospects. I took some classes through University of the Cumberlands and a local state university, but it was too slow and too difficult with my job and family commitments. This board clued me in to UMPI and the rest is history. Just a few days ago my degree (BA in Accounting and BA in Business Administration/M&L Concentration) was awarded. Can’t wait for the piece of paper to arrive!

What a story! u get anything for that 8 year spent on the PhD?

I'm doing accounting at TESU to become a CPA. Is that what you are after?