John M. Setzler, Jr. Life in Black and White

What A Ride

Jeez... it's been a long hard road. Going back to college at my age has been a real ride if you know what I mean.  A two-year degree in Radiographic Technology really takes three years to complete since they have prerequisites that must be met before entering the program.  In my prerequisite year, I had to take two semesters of Anatomy & Physiology, which lays the fundamental framework for everything else I have done in this program.  That, along with a couple other miscellaneous classes managed to land me a spot in the program at Catawba Valley Community College.  The other minor hurdle was that this program only accepts 10 students each year.  Since several hundred students apply each year, I had no idea if I would get accepted or not.  Getting accepted into the program is largely based on academic merit, so having a 4.0 GPA put me in a position where failure to be accepted would have been for some reason other than my grades.  Luckily, I did get accepted into the program on my first application.

After being accepted, I spent two more years working my way through the program.  Being a part of this program was totally enjoyable.  The workload was quite heavy and I haven't had a good night's sleep during the school week during this two years, but Friday is the big day.  I'll be finished.  I'm graduating with high honors and I'm scheduled to take my registry exam on May 19th. 

In reality, I'm not finished.  I have to, somehow, find a job in x-ray in this tough economy.  Wish me luck :)