Earlier this summer I made the decision to finally go back to school and dedicate myself to finishing my degree. It isn't just because I have struggled on and off about whether I should bite the bullet and be a doctor, but I also recognize that this year I am 28 and it's time for a stable career with a 401k and a future. Writing is wonderful, and I know so many doctors that are also writers, so I have no fear for my future in that field. However, it is unreliable. How likely is it that I am going to become a best seller? Probably not terribly likely, although with hard work I could make it happen, probably. The issue is: the job I am doing now, while in the field of medicine, is not a job I want to be doing even one year down the line. It was a stop-gap. A way to bridge the world of EMS with the world of hospital medicine. A way to make the same amount of money--or more--than I did as an EMT and for literally half the hours a week. It was always meant as a stepping stone to getting into school and continuing on to be a doctor. And, while I have struggled with that decision because I have been afraid of committing myself to a lifelong education in medicine that I may one day regret, I know that I cannot continue in my life happy and healthy if I am not challenged every day. My current job doesn't challenge my mind, and I find myself bored almost every hour I continue to do this job. I need more, and I want more.I have learned many things in the ten years since I first left home for college. The main one being--nothing is a mistake, everything is worth it, and there are no regrets if you don't allow there to be. So, I'm going to do it. I'm going to finish my degree and hopefully move on to medicine. I have a plan B and C of course, but the dream is to be a physician and I will never be satisfied until I try.Unfortunately, I am having to put off my return to school for a year. Another damn year. I have a lot of debts built up and pretty crappy credit. I need to correct those problems so that I can move on full-speed. So, I am going to take this year and work at a job that pays me very well to be bored ninety percent of the time. I'm going to take a lot of call and make money so I can pay off a bunch of shit and stop regretting my past. And I am going to read--oh my god, am I going to read. I'm going to read everything. And I'm going to try to come here and share what I have read with you.This is much more than just the book I have written or the book I have read. This is a journey in education. A 28-year-old heading back to college to be a 32-year-old first-year med student. But, it's important to me that I accomplish this, that I move beyond the rut I am currently occupying. And so, let it begin.I'm currently reading Contact. I will be sure to post a reaction as soon as I finish it, hopefully before the end of the week. :)