I Graduated!

I wanted to wait until it was official before I announced it, and it doesn't get much more official than this (other than holding the piece of paper in my hand).

As of right now, I am now the proud owner of a B.S. in Accounting. I can hardly believe it, it barely feels real. 
As some of you may or may not know, I didn't take the traditional route to get here. My parents believed that I should have full responsibility for my college career- financial and otherwise. So I did.
I began my B.S. at a local community college, and got my A.S. in Business Administration. That went as smoothly as it could have, no re-takes, no extra classes. Made Honor's List every semester. It was a good, quiet time- school ten minutes down the road, online classes when available, it was easy.
Then things got serious. I transferred to VCU two and a half years ago.
The bad things:

•  In the first semester, I got 4 C's and one A in a pass/fail course. 
• Things weren't easy anymore, and I spent the entire two and a half years making up for that semester. 
• The classes were so much harder. 
• I found myself surrounded by the ever-volatile politics that came with being at a university with one of the most diverse student bodies in the U.S. 
•  VCU is situated in a city that is full of crime and violence. I would carry mace with me everywhere I went, and avoid having to take night classes if I could (which I ended up taking one every semester there).
• The classes were giant. 
• Professors were often too busy to talk or too intimidating to talk to. 
• Each time I fell behind, I felt myself getting more and more depressed.
•  I also ended up taking out a small amount of loans. 
• I ended up graduating two semesters behind. 

The good things:

• I got to explore Richmond more, thanks to prepaid parking. I can't tell you how many niche book and art shops I discovered from just wandering about the city.
• I learned a lot of things, both about the world and about myself. The things I liked, the things I wanted to change. 
• I got to write my undergraduate management thesis on the video game industry, which was an awesome experience that I would do all over again (and maybe act on my ideas in real life!).
• I learned how to study. Because things had always come to me quickly, I'd never developed good study habits, at least, not until now.
• I got to be surrounded by the white, wintry magic of snow as I walked from the school's arena, my mascara smudged by joyful tears.
• Knowing that, for once, I made my parents proud of me.
• My degree was something that was entirely mine. I paid for it, I worked for it, I cried for it, I screamed for it. And I received it. 

I know this entire blog post probably sounds cheesy, but I am so filled with joy that I can only write to alleviate my excitement. 

What's next, you ask? 
Long term: CPA license and that big firm staff position (boy, that sounds kinda wrong).
Short term: A.A.S. in Information Systems, with a focus in Cybersecurity. Yeah, I'm going back to community college. In my state, the CPA license requires 150 credit hours, the B.S. only provides 120 (though I have more since I took extra classes). However, a Master's is not required. Cybersecurity closely correlates with auditing, particular internal control systems in companies. Who accesses what? That's always the main question. 

TL;DR WOO I GRADUATED YO