stress X 3
To recap:
Can I learn all the tricks native to any 10-year-old in order to do this degree?
Can I plow through readings that are way over my head in the hopes that it all leads somewhere interesting?
And, as for stressor No. 3, I worry constantly that, even if I successfully complete the degree, it won't be the key that unlocks my future as Someone Who Has the Wisdom and Skill Set to Make the World a Better Place. I've done so many volunteer gigs over the decades, and in one way or another been terribly frustrated, that I thought this degree could get me closer to being all that I can be, so to speak. If it doesn't, I will sink into a midlife depression.
So I'm putting a teensy bit more pressure on myself and on Queen's than I think is fair.
10-5