Today is the beginning of my first two years. For two years, I have decided to take a substantial pay cut, move to Charlotte, NC, and begin as a full time student at UNC Charlotte. In today’s economic times why would I pack up and leave Northern Virginia unemployed. One word: Investment. We all hear about investing in stocks, mutual funds, housing (well that’s in question nowadays) etc ; but in order to be able to invest in the above I need a solid education to back me up.

The common question I hear is why did you leave the DC metro area for Charlotte? A) I’ve always loved Charlotte. Charlotte is the second largest financial center in the country and global HQ for several Fortune 500 companies. In addition, it is one of the fastest growing metropolitan cities in the U.S. B). UNC Charlotte is one of the fastest growing schools in the State of North Carolina with STRONG ties to the local business community.  C) cost of living & I-95 DC breaks you down after a while.

After traveling over 300+ miles in a 15ft. truck and lugging my life onto the 4th floor of my new apartment, I’m all geared up for the grad student life. Of course like any student, starting in a new environment , one has jitters which means one thing…zero sleep. Paranoia about oversleeping my alarm and being late on the first day of work was a major concern. For the first time in 10 years, I was able to travel 8 miles on the highway in 15 minutes during rush hour. (If you have ever lived or visited a city, you know this is an accomplishment). So I braved the first hurdle, the next…. Parking. Now being that I am from a city, I was dependent on public transportation. So parking aka the 8x8 that we all fight for in order to be closer to class and to be on time was nerve wracking. I heeded the warning of showing up to campus an hour early. Parking a piece of cake. *Knock on wood*

So far so good…completed the GA position now off to my first class on the Uptown campus.