When I graduated and started working, I swore I’d never return to school. Much as I enjoyed college, I just hadn’t realized what I was missing on the work market. Evenings and weekends off. Having enough money to eat something other than 0.99$ pizza. Taking vacation time during which I actually didn’t work. Travelling. Going to the movies without feeling guilty. I remember routinely going to the lab at 8 on Sunday mornings, because it took 12 hours to extract DNA from mushrooms and I needed to get done by 8 pm. At the time it didn’t even occur to me that there were alternatives.

Well after a few years away from the giant sticky web of Mother Education, I am returning to the fold. In January, I’m starting a Certificate in Project Management at HEC. The logical side of me keeps wondering what’s so great about that. Sure, it’s only a night or two a week, but why am I so damn psyched about that? It’s not like I’ll be studying something exciting like Art History! Yet, I catch myself checking course syllabi every day, and I can’t wait to buy my texts. January can’t come quickly enough.

Maybe I’m hoping that the complex workings of the corporate world can be reduced to simple, learnable, scientific principles. Maybe I’m thinking it’ll all make sense afterwards. Am I really that naive?