I have conquered the semester of doom! Final results aren’t in yet though, however in typical style they probably won’t be in for at least two months after they are supposed to, and then they’ll change their minds and remark it anyway.

This semester is widely known as the make or break you semester in my degree, and that was before they changed it and made it harder. There were inconsistencies in the assignment markings, assignment criteria was changed days before the due date (which caught me out for once as I’d already finished it), online exams that each person had differing amounts of questions or content that wasn’t in the course (again, having actually done my work instead of half assing it, this really pissed me off) and a final exam containing questions that were physically impossible to answer correctly (a multiple choice Scantron sheet and we were asked to “select all that apply” which when you can only mark one answer is very difficult when they don’t include a further section saying “A: 1, 2 &5; B: 2 & 4; C: All of the above). I decided to waste that mark and write a sarcastic letter about the dangers of not proof-reading questions when pulled from an internet test bank attached to a text book (which they were – lucky for me I’d done those practice questions too) and changed the question to include the correct answer. Then there was the miraculous disappearing and changing assessment marks. And so much more!

Then I managed to get my work for the last year validated! I have officially earned my paycheck as I’ve taken a small family business that grew too quickly from an incomprehensible operating mess to a mostly well running machine that has received official Quality and Safety Accreditation and is now eligible to work on huge government contracts worth more than our regular annual turnover.

But attempting both at the same time was hardly a smart move and nearly killed me from stress. I’ve developed a semi-permanent eye twitch but a renewed vigour for my true passions – music and writing!

I’m considering attempting the Stage 2 Creative Writing Course at Sydney Writer’s Centre in January but I don’t want to burn out at the start of the year either. Why can’t someone just pay me oodles of dollars to do what I actually want to do?

Decisions, decisions….