Addendum

Yesterday I wrote that I'm getting tired of academia and want to get back into the real world. Even as I was typing, I knew that as I worked in recent years, I wanted to be a student. Grass is always greener...

I wanted to go back to school because there's so much I don't understand about how the world works. I wanted to have more knowledge and be less reliant on speculation and assumptions. However you realise that your life as a student is not to pursue your own interests. You have to read what you are told to read and write lengthy essays about said readings. The dissertation is the point at which you get to focus on something that intrigues you. I did eight papers and three group projects this semester. I'll probably have a similar load next semester. And THEN I get to focus on my dissertation. If I survive...
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