I want to reflect for a bit this afternoon on the value of the English Degree that I received here at the University of Waterloo. And on the terms in which I want to put this value: What is the relationship between my lifelong work as a broadcaster and my years here on this campus?
When I think back to those years in the mid 60’s – I wince to do the math; it’s 40 years ago now--when I think back to that time, I have very good memories of my classes, of many profs, my residence at Conrad Grebel College, at the many friends I made over the years here, and friends still- lifelong. My university experience was all I thought it would be – a liberation from a small prairie Mennonite town, new friends, endless nights debating the enduring questions, romance, sex, an unlimited sense of what was possible in life… I’m with Wordsworth on those years – Oh to be young then was very heaven.
But as I look back on it, I realize that both consciously and unconsciously I was seeking out a guide for my life while I was here. The first thing I have to say about coming here was that I never expected my English degree to help get me a job. I majored in English and minored in history because that was what most interested me. I knew I didn’t want to teach high school, and I decided pretty quickly I didn’t want to have an academic career, even though I could have had both. In a way I already had a career – I was already working in radio – commercial radio – from the age of 15, and while I might have felt the occasional seduction from another calling, I pretty much knew what I wanted to do. My romance with radio was my calling…
But I also knew – a little then, a lot now as I look back on it – that without the enrichment of a university degree and all that went with it, I would be… incomplete. And how right I was. My years here at UW shaped my worldview, my values, and ultimately my approach to broadcasting.
So, here are some of the life lessons I learned on my journey to finishing an English degree… in no particular order…