It is that season again! This will be my second fall not returning to school. But I still feel a little nostalgia when I go to the store and see the supply lists and hear people talking about scheduling classes.

I miss school, especially my university years. I had lots of time each day to do what I want. I also had new ideas presented to me all the time. I have to make an effort to have that happen now. I try to constantly look for new things and ideas by using Google News, Reddit, and tumblr. With Reddit and Tumblr there is a lot of fluff but there is also a lot of good, thoughtful content to subscribe to and follow. I see new things, learn about new people, and am inspired by some of the amazing pictures that I find on these sites.

Another thing I miss about school is the student life. I was by no means a party animal. But it was easier to have a good time. Due to some thoughtful scheduling and a little luck I had many semesters with no classes on Fridays. (Economics professors apparently don’t like to teach on Friday’s; you didn’t hear me complaining!) I had some 8 o’clock classes, but it wasn’t every day. Another bonus was that I always lived 15 minutes or less by bike from campus so the commute was fantastic. I went to school in Stevens Point, WI and there are not a whole lot of hills. It was very easy biking.

One of the biggest adjustments from school to “real life” is the concept of summer vacation, or lack thereof. It used to be a goal: just get through finals and you get a break. At work that break never seems to come. There are shorter vacations but the longest I will probably be able to take for a while would be 2 weeks and that would be a large portion of my vacation days.

Do you miss school? What part do you miss the most?