A new chapter

After 16 years of being a student, of following a more or less set path, of living each day to absorb information and spew it out again, of preparing my life for only goodness knows what, I have reached the finish line. Or rather a finish line -- one of many I will encounter from here on out.

This was a big one though, and one I am proud to say I reached through hard work and the adventures of a lifetime. The greatest part is that this is only the beginning.

But it does lead to the obvious question: What next?

Am I done learning? Absolutely not. Am I don't being a student? No way.

Graduate school is the next most obvious step for me, as someone who has excelled scholastically and finds the intellectual stimulus of academia enticing. But I think after 16 years I need a break, a chance to drive my own pursuit of knowledge and experience in ways that school doesn't always allow. In other words, I'm taking the classic "gap year" (or two) to expand my experience before heading to grad school.

And now the next question: What does this mean for the Earthbird's Blog?

That, I'm not really sure. If anything, I will become an even more avid birder now that I no longer have school to keep me occupied, but I may need to revamp the blog since I definitely don't qualify as a teenage birder, or even college birder anymore. What should it be next? I guess that depends on what I end up doing. If I'm lucky, I'll land a job that allows me to birdwatch or pass on the passion to others, but at the very least I know this hobby (read: obsession) will remain a part of my life.

In the next few days and weeks, I'll be doing a lot of catch-up. Keep your eye out for pictures from Iceland and more local Florida birding adventures. This weekend I'll be gone on a 16 mile kayaking trip, so hopefully some good birds will show up along the way.

Until next time,

Happy birding!