The "Exit Interview"

I thought it would feel more official. I don't know what I expected, but as the end of my schooling was quickly coming to a close I was afraid that I would end up just walking out the door like any other day.

It wasn't quite like that, though it could have been if I didn't push myself a little out of the person I used to be.

I liked the sound of the "exit interview". I thought it would be an encouraging pep talk and a mutual gathering of information from the student's and the school's perspective. It wasn't. It was to complete one form and sign another. If I didn't have student loans it would have felt even less official.

I was glad that there wasn't a feeling of rushing the process. We sat and talked after my two forms were completed. We talked a little bit about school but a lot about life (the focus quickly shifted to my 'memory gathering' process as it often does when I tell people what my next project is).

I handed in my final assignment. It took a painstaking amount of work, frustration and reaching into the recesses of my brain to come up with the 'final answer'. I was determined to make it perfect. I didn't want to leave any stone unturned. I questioned my work, double checked it and when I handed it in, I was confident it was the 'answer' they were looking for.

Apparently, this final trial balance of the company which I have been painstakingly working on is simply filed. A copy gets sent to the head office of the school. A copy remains in my file. The act of handing in these final two sheets of paper will be rewarded with "complete" as my final mark.

Complete!?! I worked hard and wanted to earn "perfection" ... my final 100%. That was my goal.

But as it is in life, the true satisfaction comes from doing the best job that you are capable of doing. It's rewarding to see percentages mark your progress. It's a way of competing against yourself. It's that mark of progress and accomplishment.

Even if I had known that no human eye would care what answers that final assignment contained, it wouldn't have changed a thing.

I learned so much by completing that last assignment with every part of my being, working towards that perfect mark. Yes, I could have taken shortcuts and faked my way through. But the only person that I would have cheated would have been myself.

Part of the learning curve is struggling, making errors and finding out how to correct those errors. Throughout my career, I have stated that I should be the smartest person around, if you learn from your mistakes. If there is a way to do something wrong, that is usually the first route I take. It takes a second to make a mistake ... and it can take hours to find and correct it. Those are the lessons you remember.

Perfection is a good goal, but I prefer to take the long route. I learn something every time I err.

Whether it's school or real life ... I usually take the longest route to the ideal goal that I am seeking. It's not about the destination. It's the journey that counts.

Which is possibly why I was a little bit sad as I walked out of the school today. I enjoyed every step of this journey. I attained my goal of completing my course but it has me looking ahead. Where do I go from here? What else can I learn to make this journey through life an adventure?

The exit interview was only the first step to my next new beginning.