Goodbye! Photo by long-time HackCollege supporter, Bryan Thatcher.
It's been amazing ride. There are many platitudes out there, but I think the best one for this moment is "All good things must come to an end." And after 3 years, 9 months, 10 semesters, 54 episodes and 539 posts, my time as a writing contributor must come to an end.
As a result of some inexplicable rift in the space-time continuum, Loyola Marymount recently handed me two degrees and shooed me out the door. Throughout my schooling career, I spent more time agonizing over the decisions around HackCollege than I did the classes I was apparently enrolled in. Did my grades suffer? Definitely. Was my college experience better because of this little project? Unquestionably.
The opportunities that resulted from HackCollege approached, passed and exceeded any definition of "expected." My later years of school were characterized more by flights to random ends of the U.S. than exams or term projects. HackCollege has taught all of us a little bit more what it takes to achieve a small sliver of success in the world.
When we started HackCollege, we didn't have much of a mission or a direction in mind. In fact, the blog actually started as a personal blog. (The domain name was mksutton.us. Thankfully, the name didn't stick. Check out the very first post for some comedic relief.) Over the years, we've honed our mission, tone and influence. As far as student blogs go, we've stood the test of time. It's taken us awhile to arrive at the ultimate goal of the site, but I think I've got it: We are changing the college experience for the better. What started out as a blog for "Adobe After Effects tricks" (what?) has blossomed into much more than that. We've accidentally created a worldwide network of the smartest students in the world. At almost every school, there are a few HackCollege readers. It's amazing.
I can thankfully say it's because we've never compromised. Students are a group that's seen more as an easy market opportunity many times rather than tomorrow's future. Many businesses and individuals are looking for the quick buck, but we're in it for the long haul. We aren't afraid to rake the coals when it comes to dismal student software. We'll continue to do so, in the name of students.
But just because I'm stepping away does not mean the site will fall into disarray and be forgotten forever. Quite the opposite. Chris and I are handing over the reigns to the most competent students we know. From here on out, Mike, Luke and Shep will be steering this ship. I'll be in the engine room, feeding the engine with coal (or in our case a little bit of money). We'll be bringing on a few new writers in the summer as well.
Too many projects that we create in life don't receive the dignity of a clean cut. I've entered a transition period in my life: an awesome new job, a new city, new friends... Now is the best time to for me to make the cut. I hope that what we've started is a testament to what a few college students can do in the 21st century. I won't be disappearing from the World Wide Web. If you found the last 3 and a half years interesting at all, keep in touch. I will always be reachable by email.
Until next time, shotgun a beer.
Kelly Sutton
Thursday, August 19, 2010
