BUCKING THE SYSTEM: COLLEGE GRADUATION WILL HELP SMOOTH LIFE'S BUMPY ROAD

You just never know where the bumps on the road of life will take you.

The path I chose as an 18-year-old had me on my way to being a foreign correspondent for a major news agency. I studied the Russian language and culture in preparation for my career and immersed myself in the international communities that were so prevalent at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

I got lost in the possibilities I saw at the university, and three years after becoming a student, I left without a degree and with no clear picture of what I wanted to do with my life.

It was a big bump for me, one that left me working a day shift at Reeves Boomland after five months in St. Louis convinced me I could be miserable in my parents' house without having to pay rent and other household expenses. It only took a few more months for me to consider giving college another try, this time a little closer to home and with a simple desire to obtain a degree in the field I still loved.

Things went well at first, especially since I avoided the normal college scene and just tried to make ends meet. I got a job, maintained my grades, and was named editor of the campus newspaper at Southeast Missouri State University.

But too many promotions, too much university bureaucracy and a new love interest derailed my travel plans yet again. With five total years of college behind me, I left for the second time, this time in my senior year with less than a full semester to go before graduation.

I tried to rationalize my actions, taking comfort in my intellect and natural abilities and putting too little emphasis on what that piece of paper actually means. It worked for awhile -- I got jobs in my field of study and proved what I could do.

But I guess that was the problem: I had to PROVE my abilities, something that's typically accepted without much question when you've got a college degree. It didn't sit well with my subconscious, and I've always felt a little less worthy because I didn't finish college.

It took my sister's second college graduation ceremony last spring for me to realize I needed a degree, if only to prove to myself I could do it. Instead of a road map and tank of gas, I filled up with a tank of resolve and a picture of the disappointment I knew my parents felt even though they never said anything, and I went back to the college I'd left five years earlier.

It's been a long seven months, and I've had to take a lot of detours and pay many tolls.

Thankfully, my bosses gave me the flexibility I needed, my friends helped with the kids, and my husband -- you know, the love interest that distracted me some six years ago -- took over some of my household responsibilities.

Now, my destination is finally in sight. I'm graduating next weekend, and my family, in true Zellars et al form, is gearing up for a family shindig like we haven't seen since Clarissa received her master's degree. The great thing about my family is they always come though, especially for major occasions. They're actually acting like I'm graduating on time instead of 10 years after I first became a college freshman.

I must admit my self-worth has been steadily rising as I've come closer to graduation. But instead of stopping now, I'm going to add a little fuel booster to my resolve and hope that takes me on for another two to three years.

Oh, didn't I mention? I've been accepted into the graduate program beginning next month.