I received an email today saying that “You have been approved for the conferment of a Master of Education degree from the University of Minnesota,” that the degree will be posted to my transcript with the following conferment date of 05/31/16, and that I should receive the diploma in the mail in 6-8 weeks! Awesome!
A few years ago, I completed a Online Distance Learning Postbaccalaureate Graduate Certificate from the University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) Learning Technologies Department so that I could have some methods and theory in online teaching (as I have been teaching online for years and years) and over the years I slowly worked towards the Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Learning Technologies with a LT Focus Area: Online Distance Learning and for my final project I created a educational video game called “Harvey the Husky.”
So now the official degree count is… 15 degrees!!! Sweet 15! I know, I know, just a bit strange, but you must admit very cool. My motto besides the one I “borrowed” from Bill Holm’s: “She ran out of shelf space, again…” is “Some girls collect shoes or husbands, I collect degrees.”
When I got my MLIS, way back in 2001, my Grandma Kay gave me a graduation card and some money and said to me in front of my cousins “See, every time you get a degree you get money!” Haha. Grandam was very funny. Other times when she would give out birthday money she would say “Now don’t buy any booze or cigarettes with it!”
[Update: A friend said that I needed to comment on how I worked full-time while I was pursuing these degrees otherwise people will think that all I did was go to school. I wish! I have worked part-time since high school and then a few part-time jobs, then part-time jobs and unpaid internships, and eventually the part-time library jobs gave way to full-time library jobs. Starting in 2004 and going for the next ten years I worked full-time and part-time (2 jobs) while going to school part-time. Also for 4 years during that ten year time span I worked a second part-time job (so 3 jobs while taking classes). I was also very fortunate that many of my employers were colleges and universities that offered employees classes at reduced prices (for example the University of Minnesota through the Regents Scholarship pays for 75% of employee classes, but they also tax you for it). I am a life long learner and I love to learn, however I also need to work to support myself, pay my bills and student loans (yes I do have some of those), and have a full life. I know (and I am sure you do to) many people that spend lots of money on cars, fishing and hunting gear/trips, boats and things like that. They have their hobbies, I have mine.]
15. M.Ed. 2016 University of Minnesota – Twin Cities (Learning Technologies) (Focus Area: Online Distance Learning)
14. Postbaccalaureate Graduate Certificate 2012 University of Minnesota – Twin Cities (Online Distance Learning Postbaccalaureate Graduate Certificate)
13. Certificate 2010 University of Minnesota – Twin Cities (Applied Business Certificate Undergraduate)
12. M.A. 2009 University of St. Thomas (Art History)
11. B.S. 2008 Minnesota School of Business (Business Administration)
10. A.S. 2005 Anoka-Ramsey Community College (Geographic Information Systems (GIS) & Cartography)
9. A.A.S. 2005 Minnesota School of Business (Business Administration)
8. Certificate 2005 Anoka-Ramsey Community College (Geographic Information Systems (GIS) & Cartography)
7. Diploma 2005 Minnesota School of Business (Business Administrative Assistant)
6. Diploma 2005 Minnesota School of Business (Office Assistant)
5. M.L.I.S. 2001 Dominican University (Library and Information Science)
4. B.A. 1999 University of Minnesota – Twin Cities (Art History)
3. M.S. 1998 University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (Anthropology)
2. B.A. 1994 St. Cloud State University (Anthropology and History)
1. A.A. 1992 Anoka-Ramsey Community College