I’ve had several people ask me lately what I plan to do with my life post-graduation. This entry is actually dedicated to my good friend Steve Bartman, a fellow denizen of alt.books.tom-clancy. Though Steve and I share little in terms of political or faith leanings, he and I have still crafted a pretty solid friendship. Because he asked, and because I’m a bit tired of reiterating in every forum–and because hey, you deserve to know!–I’m going to give you a bit of insight into my future plans.

Plans are always subject to change. The only definite plan is for me to walk across the stage on May 12, 2002, at the Von Braun Civic Center here in Huntsville, Alabama. On that most glorious day, I will finish five years of study [well, I guess I can call it that] towards a Bachelor of Science in Engineering [BSE--there's a difference] degree, with a major of Mechanical Engineering with an Aerospace Concentration.

A BSE degree is different from a BS degree, because BSE holders not only have to complete General Education Requirements [GER's] but a core curriculum of engineering classes that spans the breadth of modern engineering disciplines. It is highly worthwhile, in my opinion, to have such a treatment of engineering. I only wish it was a five-year program, as I think we need a few more humanities courses, a bit more time in our major disciplines, and a final year more geared towards comprehensive, collaborative projects. But that’s just me.
After graduation, I plan to take the summer to complete a few on-the-shelf projects. Todd will probably be in full house-hunting mode, and I should be involved with that as well. I’d like to give Todd a year’s rent in cash and have him use that as part of a down payment on the house. I’m sure he’d like that, too.

In the fall, I plan to begin a course of study that will culminate in a Master of Arts in Public Affairs here at UAH. Though I’m very ready to graduate from UAH, because it will free me from the bonds of the academic rigors of engineering classes, I am not ready to leave this university of mine. I also need a liberal arts background to undertake my next graduate degree, so I would like to get that background here. Doing an MA in Public Affairs will take less time and be more interesting than a BA in English, and they’re used to having people with exotic backgrounds in the MAPA program.

The MAPA will take me two to three years, probably three, to complete. At the end of that time, I personally plan to be ready to enter into the ordination process of The United Methodist Church. I will have a liberal arts background suitable for further study in a Master of Divinity program accredited by the University Senate, and if pinned down and asked to give my top three schools, I’d be at Duke Divinity School, Wesley Theological Seminary in D.C., or Boston University’s School of Theology. I’ve always loved Duke; WTS has a great little concentration on Faith in Public Policy for their M.Div., and BU has great hockey and Boston going for it.

Obviously, I haven’t given the M.Div. a whole lot of serious, dedicated thought. I am at the point in my life where I know that I can’t think too far in advance. I am trusting God to do all the planning on that, and I am simply following what I perceive to be his will for me in this area. The MAPA program feels so right; I really stumbled upon it one day, and I cannot shake it. God usually is beating me over the head with a huge ol’ Cluestick when I get that feeling, so I am going to take the hint.

So, if you wanted to know, “Just what is Geof planning for an encore now that he’s done with his engineering degree?”–now you know.

UPDATE: Those searching for “Steve Bartman” on Google and finding GFMorris.com: this is not the Steve Bartman that you’re looking for. My buddy Steve is a writer in Minnesota. Your guy Steve? Well, he’s the new scapegoat.

You Cubs fans want a scapegoat? Start with Dusty Baker.

I’ve disabled comments on this entry just to keep the comments from stirring forth here. Thanks for visiting, though.