Please Don't Ask!

Since about 2002, I have been taking classes on a part-time basis with the goal of earning my doctorate. No, I don't ever plan to do surgery or dental work on people! That's a scary thought. I have thought about doing a lobotomy on my twin brother Tim who is a complete idiot but I love him anyway. Just kidding Tim! I can't help it that I got the brains and the good looks Tim! Now that makes up for some of those snide comments you make on my blog. The one I like is when you made fun of me for not posting anything new for weeks! My response was, "Gee Tim, I haven't seen your recent post nor even a blog for that matter!!!!!"

About 2 years ago I finished my coursework after starting in the University of South Dakota doctoral program and transferring to the University of St. Thomas program. Best thing I did was to move to the Educational Leadership program thanks to the advice of the President at USF. I loved the coursework and did very well. But since that time trying to work on my data collection and dissertation has felt like I am a dentist pulling one tooth at a time. It has been a very painful experience. Not only doing a doctorate is a very rigorous task one gets very little help in the process. When one asks a professor for advice or answers to questions and gets the response, "Well, what do you think Mark!" it can drive one to drink!

This summer I had hoped to accomplish great things on my dissertation while at home recovering from surgery. What I found was surgery medications take weeks to get out of a person's body and so for at least 6 weeks I could hardly remember my name let alone work on my doctorate. But I am back in the saddle again. Got my loan papers and for some reason that can motivate a person to get done.

So when will I be finished with this sucker? DON'T ASK! In fact my chair told me "Never, Never tell people other than your spouse when you plan to be done!" A close friend who recently got her doctorate from another institution reminded me that the only good dissertation is a finished dissertation. So I've come to realize it doesn't have to be my best academic accomplishment. Just get it done!

Thanks for all of your prayers and the e-mails telling me to keep working on it. I loved my niece Laura's question not long ago, "So what in the hell do you hope to do with that thing anyway!" I loved the word, THING! That is what it will be is a thing. Someone thought maybe I was getting my doctorate so people could call me Dr. Patterson. Please don't do that. A former professor at USF, who thank God was not related to me, had that name and I would not want that title.

Keep praying for me as I try to balance, family, work, church and dissertation. If I die before I am done, please do not bury my data collection with me. BURN IT!!!

Marko

P.S. So what do I hope to do someday with my Ed.D.? What once meant earning a masters degree is now considered earning a doctorate. Many of my collegues in student development have completed their doctoral degrees. Plus I would love to teach on a part-time basis in a graduate student development program. I feel I have extensive experience in private higher education in a number of areas (fund-raising, career services, disability services, academic advising, retention, campus safety, health services, judicial affairs, and being a Dean of Students that could all be I hope a benefit to future professionals. I have been asked to lecture in a few months at a regional university and I am looking forward to that opportunity!