My journey to the education world started back in 1995 when I first entered the walls of primary school. Since that time my path to education has never stopped, but rather been interrupted by several steps-back in order to reevaluate the whole path.
The first memory of my educational journey probably goes to the second grade, when whole class got an interactive assignment to write about main cultural differences between men and women clothes. Hardly knowing how to spell correctly, but with a huge enthusiasm, I outlined the main differences on the piece of paper and handed it to my first teacher – very kind and experienced lady. She was so amazed by my work, that she read it at loud for the entire class putting my work as an example. I still remember that feeling of satisfaction and self-pride. It was probably for the first time of my eight-year old life that somebody, but my parents, was satisfied and proud of my work. I still remember how inspired I was, and school seemed the best what could happen to me.
Over the years in school that feeling began to vanish away with the young kid’s preconception – to be a nerd is not cool. I still managed to stay a B-plus student till the graduation.
My second, and probably the longest, phase of educational journey started at college. For the past 14 years I obtained a BA degree and changed three colleges still trying to pursue myself in a way to be able to awake that feeling of eight-year old me.
After being admitted to the City College’s Engineering school, I thought I almost succeeded, but being a young adult with a decent salary in the greatest city of the world, I slightly shifted my priorities not towards education. I still remember how almost failing the exam in linear algebra equations, my professor – an older, very reputable man – approached me and very politely hinted that this degree might not sue me very well. I have never felt more humiliated, ashamed and angry. And, of course, I was angry of him, and ashamed of myself. For the rest of the semester I overcame myself and managed to pass that class with B plus. At that point I wanted to prove that professor was wrong about me and I could be a successful engineer. But several semesters later, I realized that the chosen path wouldn’t bring my second degree emotions and satisfaction back.
