Fresh out of high school, my parents offered me the opportunity to go to college. Unfortunately, I didn't apply myself. I wasn't focused because of my immaturity and lack of wisdom. Today I am much older and wiser with 27 wonderful years of marriage, two beautiful daughters and 21 years of military service (retired from the Army), I have decided to return to college. I knew that financially we couldn't afford to go back to school because our oldest daughter would be graduating from college this year, including our youngest daughter who would also be graduating from high school and going on to college. I found out that the Veterans Administration had a new education bill called the 911 Montgomery GI Bill that I qualified for to continue my education. Before retiring in 2002 from the Army, I earned my Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSC) certification. I was fortunate to retire from the military and obtain a position as a human resources manager at Fort Lee, Virginia. I was later hired as a systems administrator (contractor) in the information technology field at Fort Lee. I have continued to work in the information technology field since my retirement. I chose CTU based on high recommendations from my colleagues and friends. CTU has made it very easy to apply and register. I will be working on my Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (Networking). I am very excited to begin this new chapter in my life in hopes of using my education to better myself in the IT field. I have mixed emotions about going back to college and getting my degree. I'm nervous but excited. I see great things for my family and me once I graduate. I feel like I will stand out more when I apply...... middle of paper ......k about my unfinished projects/assignments during lunch. I have access to fax machines at home and am working to include a digital scanner that will also allow me to transmit my assignments to my instructor at CTU. As I work toward my personal goal of being debt free, I will try to reward myself and my family to go out to eat once a month while remaining focused on paying our bills. I know I can count on my family to help me achieve my long and short term goals. I plan to reward ourselves by making sure we still make time for our sit-down dinners and family movie/TV time. I will review my personal plan quarterly to ensure I stay on track. While keeping my eye on the grand prize (graduation), I will continue to remind myself how foolishly I ignored my college education when I was young and how lucky I am to now have a second chance..