I am graduated!!!
18 month ECPI associates cyber security degree. Just signed off on all the exit paperwork today. physical degree shows up in 2 months or so lol.
I have been around computers since 1978, my dad worked for hewlett packard, my mom ended up working for Atari at the corporate headquarters, i was one of their early beta testers, my mom would bring home different games and systems to try and the company set up an employee game room with all the arcade games for free. donkey kong, asteroids, the kangaroo punching one, the driving game, all there, all free.
from 12-30 i was around computers and tech. i should have moved into engineering or networking but kinda got sick of tech. I could run a BBS on an amiga 500 with a 300 baud modem but i couldnt fix a leaky toilet. change a faucet. never painted a room. had no home repair skills. so i changed direction and went into apartment maintenance and did those kind of jobs ever since. manual labor, outdoor, driving to customers. on the road. climbing fixing repairing installing.
then we unfortunately had a family loss. as a result a pretty hefty financial settlement. most of which went to me. more money than id ever seen in my bank account by far.
i decided in my family members name to use that money to back to school and get that IT degree I could have gotten 30 years ago.
i have no use for fancy cars or clothes or bling or real estate. when you are used to earning 20-30k a year, suddenly having a bunch of cash dumped on you shouldn't really change how you live. IT didnt for me. I still eat at taco bell lol.
So now I have my degree. lots of numbers in the bank. a chance to really plan out what i want to do until retirement.
first thing on the agenda is to fly out to california and sit on a beach and get out of this god awful cold here in DC.
= new reply since forum marked as read
What a smart investment, and it sounds like it was an investment in your happiness as well as in your financial future. The best of both worlds!!!! Good for you!!!
to hear good news 
: woohoo:
And Nintendo too. 
I still miss my atari 800XL and bring up an emulator every once in a while 
What a great achievement!
Variety is the spice of life!
