Stage 1: We have lift-off

Made it through my thesis treatment review today -- the next official stop on the road to Masters-town. Wait, that's like three travel metaphors in two sentences. Good thing I'm not getting an English degree. Then again, too bad I already have one.

I felt pretty confident about the review, because I've been living with this concept for a long time and am completely at home with it. Plus I'm far enough ahead at this stage to justify the scope of my project -- although compared to where I'd like to be, I'm a bit behind. But regardless, it's nice to have that first part done, especially now that I've discovered it wasn't a forgone conclusion for everyone. A lot of people seem to have run into some snags getting approved -- but I'm sure it'll work out in the long run. Despite the fact that the academic/theoretical aspects of the thesis process can be frustrating, I do believe that it's important to understand what you're doing, and why you're doing it -- beyond "it's a love story between a waffle and a pancake, and I'm doing it to get a job." I know in the industry you can't always pick and choose your projects, but I really hope to be working on something I can be proud of. And that's how I'm approaching this project.

The review process doesn't really worry me too much, because I'm fairly confident in what I'm doing. Ultimately, I'm doing this for myself, and I'm going to be much harsher on myself than the faculty will. At the end of the day, I have to answer to myself, and that's scarier than any thesis panel could be.