I recently got into quite a heated dialogue with a former colleague of mine about my “career path.” In brief, he didn’t approve of my decision to no longer pursue the “stay-in-school-until-I-get-my-doctorate-then-hope-to-land-a-job-at-a-top-tier-university” trek. What made this conversation unfortunate was that even though I already do have one advanced degree – and a job! – lined up for the Fall semester, it still appeared as if I were simply wasting my time with pointless distraction.

I tried explaining that I wanted to take a year to practice what I truly want to practice, research and write about what grabs me, and teach something I consider very important. I may not be saving lives or setting records, but I feel fortunate that at this point in my career (and this economy!) I’m able to find work in my chosen area, and able to cultivate my own niche. And that’s just as valuable of a learning experience as a year of school.