If someone asked you, “What colleges did you attend,” what would you say? When asked this question, my first thought was, “I never attended a college.” It took me a minute to remember my first venture into higher education was at Arlington State College in Arlington, Texas.
However, shortly after I enrolled at Arlington State College, it became part of the University of Texas system. In 1967, it officially became the University of Texas at Arlington. So, if I did respond that way, it might be considered an honest mistake.
Now, you might be thinking, “What the heck difference does it make if you went to a college or a university?’ Well, in some ways, it might not, but if you want to know why it might make a difference, click the link below.
College vs. University: What’s the Difference?
Getting back to the subject, I am what some would call a Philomath. That is, I love learning. That is why I studied at UT Arlington, the University of North Texas, Dallas Theological Seminary, and Southwestern Baptist Seminary.
My higher education odyssey began the fall after I graduated from high school. It ended fifty years later when I accepted my last diploma.
In that period, I had a successful career while earning three degrees: a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Public Administration, and a Master of Theological Studies. You might say I was fascinated with learning.
Speaking of my fascination with learning, some people might call me a learning nerd. However, since I finished the last paragraph, I learned the proper term for someone like me might be Epistemophiliac.
No! It is not a naughty word.
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Yeah, I used to get that from all the “ring knockers” in commercial construction, the young guys who had received their degrees and been in the real working world for a short time and didn’t know anything about real construction. My degree is in art, so I chose construction because it was the family business. I’m now retired, so it’s old history.
Originally, I started college to avoid the draft, and then I got interested in psychology, which is how I ended up in Denton studying psychology at North Texas. Then I went into law enforcement and decided I wanted to be a chief of police some day so I needed a degree. One thing led to another and I wanted to teach at the university level so a masters was essential. I avoided the PhD challenge with the help of one of my professors who helped me get a me teaching gig as an adjunct professor for almost ten years. I even managed to be co-author on a published academic article and was involved in some federally funded research at one point. The seminary degree was so I could write somewhat knowledgeably about biblical issues and I was involved in some lay ministry at church. So, I am somewhat addicted to learning.