All Requirements Satisfied

Kristine told me to do a Degree Audit on Dal Online, even though I’m totally done and don’t really need to ever log on to that site again. She said it would feel good. And, you know, it does. Look at that: All Requirements Satisfied. Satisfied. That’s really the best word they could have used, because looking at that makes me feel satisfied. It’s not that I didn’t realize I was graduating before looking at this — I did, I’ve been thinking about it, and everything after it, for a long time now — but to see it there, in capital, serifed letters, all official and exact, just makes everything feel oh so real.

I graduated university, guys. I know that’s not exactly a feat on par with discovering a chemical element or battling and later defeating your enemies in giant mechwarrior-style suits, but it’s still relatively impressive, is it not? There are a lot of people who don’t do it. And, sure, some of those people are probably richer and more successful than I have any hope of ever being, but I have something they’ll never have: a report that says ‘All Requirements Satisfied.’

The monetary value of that can be disputed — as I understand it, an all-requirements-satisfied BA is roughly equivalent to slightly over seven dollars an hour, provided you’re willing to do heavy lifting — but the sentimental and symbolic value is not up for debate. There’s not a lot of instances in life beyond academia when you actually get to complete something, to the point where All Requirements are Satisfied. And as much as I kind of disliked and at times outright hated the academic game, I’m not going to deny myself a moment to look at All Requirements Satisfied and feel accomplished.