The Writing and Photography Blog of Kevin J Sabo

So, things with my education journey haven’t been going exactly according to plan.

I’m currently working on a course that has, to be blunt, been kicking me in the ass.

I started the course on April 1, 2024, and while I got off to a good start with it, between work and other commitments, as well as trying a new way to study, nine months later, I find myself just at the halfway point.

That’s not entirely true; I did finish up to the end of the fourth module, but my recollection was no up to par.

The thing is, going through Athabasca University, the course is offered through an entirely digital experience, and trying to keep it in that vein, I decided to try and do the entire course, including note-taking, digital only.

That plan, did not work so well, and unfortunately it took me way to long to figure it out.

In November, I made the decision to re-start the course from module one, using my tried and true pen-and-paper method and things are starting to stick.

As of the end of December, I am nearly done to the end of Module Three; it still leaves me far short of being done by the end of January. So, As much as it pained me, I’ve taken the third and final extension available, and I now have until the end of March to get this course done.

My biggest regret is that it took me so long to return to what works, but it is what it is. I can’t go back; all I can do is carry on from here. My goal for the first three months of 2025 will be to get this course done and then carry straight on to part 2 of it.

It doesn’t help that the course I’m taking is pretty heavy; I’m currently taking The History of Canada to 1867. The follow-on course to this course is The History of Canada after 1867. Like I said, not exactly light weight courses.

The fact that I am not completely down on myself is a good indicator of how far I have come mentally. Yes, I am frustrated. However, I am adapting and overcoming. I’m not letting things weigh on me.

Working full time, on top of school, as well as trying to balance my mental health, fitness, and everything else, life in general has been a challenge.

Instead of letting myself get sucked into the mud as I’ve done in the past, instead, as I’ve learned to do, I’m embracing the suck and working the problem.

Kevin