Let the job search journey begin

I successfully finished my master's in education officially in December 2009 without much fanfare. Technically, I was finished when I turned in my last project in October, but December 2009 is listed on my degree. It even seemed anticlimactic for me attend the graduation ceremonies the following May, so I didn't. I had already mentally moved on to thinking about how to parlay my degree into a much needed full-time job.

I looked at my degree the other day while immersed in a job search, and frankly, I was not that impressed. It was just a pale ivory, card stock sheet of paper that looked liked something I could have printed myself, except for the official seal. In beautiful script, the degree states,

"By authority of the Board of Trustees of the (next line) University of Illinois (in bold shadow box print) and upon recommendation of the Senate at Urbana-Champaign (next line) Linda Michelle Mitchell (centered in bold letters) has been admitted to the Degree of Master of Education and is entitled to all rights and honors thereto appertaining (no period) (Next line) Witness the Seal of the University and the Signatures of its Officers this twenty-first day of December, two thousand and nine."

On the bottom left is the official University seal and four somewhat illegible signatures of the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Secretary of the Board of Trustees, President of the University, and Interim Chancellor.

The phrase that struck me was "and is entitled to all rights and honors thereto appertaining." What are those? What is it that I'm entitled to now that I have this degree? I hope one entitlement is a good paying job. I've never had one of those, so I'm looking forward to having that experience. My master's degree helps me realize that I'm qualified, equipped, and competent to serve in a capacity for which I've been trained--some type of work in the broad field of e-learning.

So, now my journey to find a meaningful job begins. To be honest, I know I'm not entitled to anything, degree or not. I have to work hard, be self-disciplined, exude self-confidence, and most important, continue learning. Even though I have this degree, there is still so much more for me to learn. I know my technology skills have to be expanded and sharpened. I know my oral communication skills need to be improved, especially when giving presentations ( I tend to get a little tongue-tied.). And I definitely know that there are people who have a lot more practical experience than I when it comes to e-learning competencies.

Nevertheless, I know there is a meaningful job for me somewhere and I'm going to find it. I only hope and pray that this job search journey doesn't last too long. I know it is a road that is widely traveled by other searchers who may block my way. But with my strong faith and that tacit entitlement of my master's degree, I will succeed.