Finally Getting the Degree

I spent the better portion of 2013 through to 2017 working towards obtaining my Bachelor of Arts Degree majoring in Professional Writing and Publishing from Curtin University. 

With my university being on the other side of the country (it actually takes longer in travel time to get to Perth than New Zealand) and the fact that I missed the deadline for my original graduation ceremony cut off date, I never actually got the experience of a graduation at the completion of my degree. 

Having been a long distance, online student for the majority of my degree, I’ve grown accustomed to my steps in the tertiary system not necessarily looking like everyone else’s on Instagram. So I wouldn’t get a cap and gown photo taken at the uni grounds, clutching a very expensive and hard earned piece of parchment- that was ok with me. 

My physical degree finally arrived in the post sometime in November 2018. I submitted my final assessment in November 2017 and learned of my successful application for graduation in January 2018. Degrees, particularly those completed via correspondence, do not in the slightest way contain any instant gratification. My degree has been a particularly slow burn variety of gratification.

While I didn’t get the quintessential graduation experience, my mum did suggest to the point of insistence that I spend the time and the money to get my degree framed professionally. It’s something that felt a bit frivolous to me to begin with, but now having it back, all trimmed and pretty, I can definitely say it was worth the while. 

So behold, I’m not wearing a cap and gown, but I did take a little effort and time to capture myself and this achievement, because I worked damn hard for it.