Hello and welcome to part 8 of my 14-part autobiographical blog series. You know the drill…if you’re new here, you may want to start on Part 1. And if you’re not new, welcome back stalker! Today, I’m not going to talk much about Evorath. Instead, this post is going to be all about college and my experiences in the real world. Next week, in part 9, I’ll go the opposite direction and focus almost exclusively on my worldbuilding efforts during college. Without further ado, let’s dive into it!
What Was My Major Again?
One thing to realize upfront is that despite my efforts in high school to build the foundation of a fantasy world, I still had no idea I wanted to be an author. See, even if writing was to be a pastime of mine, I didn’t see how it would become my career. So, I went into college as a Criminology Major. My whole life, being brought up like any “good citizen,” I wanted to do something that would help me contribute to society. I was going to get a job in law enforcement at some level, or so I told myself.
In terms of classwork, I wasn’t a great student. But as with high school, I showed up, which tended to be enough for me. I was able to secure a spot in the Alpha Phi Sigma honor society with a great major-GPA and I tended to get A’s or B’s in my non-major coursework. I was smart enough to consolidate my schedule too, always having at least a 3-day weekend. More than a couple semesters, I managed to have class only Tues-Thurs.
Rolling with the Punches
Really, as I got into the grove Freshman year, I felt like I was on top of the world. Less classroom time in college meant I had more time to myself. But shortly after the sophomore year started, tragedy struck! OK, I don’t want to overstake the impact, but at the time I was hit hard when my high school sweetheart dumped me. Looking back, it was one of those moments in life that really pushed me forward. It helped me realize I could do more with my life than just be a cog in the wheel of the machine.
You see, I had a full ride to go to USF St. Petersburg. In fact, with the various scholarships I received, I was able to buy my first car (a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon). I even quit my job working at the Dollar Tree so I could (focus on my studies). In reality, I spent more time reading for enjoyment than I did on schoolwork. In fact, it’s not an exaggeration to say between reading and audio books, I consumed more than 1,000 hours of content per year for my first three years of college -and that’s just my own personal reading! This time spent reading and learning about the world were invaluable to me.
The Full College Experience
Of course, I didn’t just spend my time being a loner in college. Yes, I lived at home with my parents. So long as I was getting my degree, they thought it was safe for me not to pay rent, so it worked out best financially that way. I’m grateful I was able to swing this, as most people have the additional burden of dormitory living or rent of some kind. Two things I avoided during my four years at USF.
That didn’t stop me from getting into all manner of college debauchery. Sure, I was “good” for my first year. But after being dumped in Sophomore year, all bets were off. I went to some house parties downtown, had my first drink of alcohol (Jack Daniels was a bad choice, and worst of all, I got involved in the debate team! In fact, I was the debate team treasurer for a brief stint, but that’s not important.
What is worth mentioning is that I went through what most college kids go through -a sort of identity crises. When I was old enough, I spent way too many nights drinking in downtown St. Pete. But as with everything else, I don’t regret a minute of it. Sure, I didn’t enjoy getting my nose randomly broken that one time. And no, I wasn’t a fan of that time I blacked out and made a complete fool of myself. I did, however, make some great friends along the way. And I learned some lessons that you can only learn by making mistakes.
Embracing My Inner Nerd
Ultimately, the important personal development that took place in college is what those years really counted for. It was probably due in part to the large amount of history and philosophy books I was reading in my free time. But over the course of the first couple of years, I developed a real appreciation for myself. That is, I dropped all the pretenses and fake personalities I’d built over the course of high school. I embraced my inner nerd and wasn’t afraid to talk about all the fantasy and science fiction I enjoyed.
And those nights I spent at home, I’d close out with time on my Toshiba Pocket PC. By Junior year, I transitioned to using my laptop. But regardless of the tool, I spent those nights planning out more about my still unnamed world. Next week, I’ll dive more into that creative process. In the meantime, I hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into my college years. Until next week, stay safe and God bless!
