This week I am officially a 2^nd year MPA student and I have already made one important decision:

I AM GOING TO HAVE A FABULOUS JOB BY DECEMBER.

I made that decision a couple of weeks ago because I do not want to go gray (and I would) with worry if it’s February, April or God forbid, June(!!!!) and I’m still job-less. I want to have someone waiting on me. The Monday after I graduate on Mother’s Day 2009, I will finish packing my sh*t and will be shortly, getting the hell out of dodge. I gotta keep it moving.

Secondly, I have decided that I am not going to overwork myself this year. I am taking an overload of credits (16.5) and a crazy person would be thinking that each class would require its own separate term paper. Not so, sez your girl I haven’t even been to all my classes yet and I already think I have finagled some overlap. Not only with class term papers…. I’ve just about got all these d*mn term papers wrapped into my Master’s Thesis (capstone) which I am planning to have completely finished by January. I will be writing one paper and adding and deleting sections depending on which class it is for and what I am choosing to focus on.

Next semester, I will be taking fun electives like Family Policy, Social Entrepreneurship, Sustainable Enterprises, and this really cool class about the Creative Class and only one serious class (if I have anything to do with it) Capital Budgeting. And I’m just going to be chilling because I’M GOING TO HAVE A SUPER AWESOME JOB ALREADY LINED UP.

I am really excited about my classes so far. Today I had Economics, Housing Policy and Urban Revitalization. I was more engaged in class today (bouncing in my seat) than I was for the majority of my first year. These are the classes that I came back to school to take. These are the classes that will give me the skillset to be taken seriously as a twenty-something decision maker. At my fabu job that I mentioned earlier, I will be running sh*t. Please believe.

There was a little hiccup up on Monday when during 2^nd year orientation, the program director overloaded me with all the stuff that I have to complete before I am eligible to graduate (and I didn’t have a calendar!!!!) and I thought I was going to throw up. But that potential panic attack has been averted. I bought a monthly/weekly calendar yesterday (and most of my school supplies) at my neighborhood Office Depot. And I’ve started writing in due dates, and I will add in reminder dates so that I can stay on track.

Now I just have to start working…..and that fun begins on Friday.