Just as the diver-photographer re-visits a site and discovers something he/she has never seen before, I am returning to the academy for a second doctorate. What was I thinking? Although the pursuit of a Ph.D. is usually associated with the pursuit of an academic career, my chosen career took me in a direction quite different from what I had originally intended.

I never formally studied business, but a review of my CV/resume shows that I've spent most of my professional life in the commercial world. It was in my role of Marketing Director for a software company that I first became interested in the relationship between Information Technology and Instructional Technology and I wanted to explore that relationship in a systematic, structured manner. So, with the blessing (and dollars) of my employer, I began my journey toward the Ph.D. in Instructional Technology, with Information Systems as my minor, and completed my approved program of study.

The voyage to the doctorate began very much like my voyage to certified Divemaster. The voyage began with discovering why I wanted to dive, what I expected to see, how I expected to feel. The general culture courses with which I started the doctorate allowed me to do this same kind of self-discovery and inspired me to continue, just as my first dive in the calm warm waters of St. John inspired me to continue with diving.