Talk about your education

Where did I study? Well, I went to school in a small town, and then I moved to Istanbul to go to university. I was eighteen, and I didn't know anyone there.

My degree is in economics, but honestly, my favorite subject was always art. I spent more time drawing in my notebooks than studying numbers!

After that I worked at a bank for two years. It wasn't for me. I was bored every day, and I wasn't very good at it either. Now I'm taking a part-time course in graphic design, and I love it. It's never too late to change, right? My parents still don't understand, but they're happy because I'm happy.

Big news: I'm learning coding! I started an online course three months ago, in the evenings after work.

It's hard, but I'm learning so many new skills. Last week I built my first website. It's just a page about my cat, but still! My mom shared it with all her friends.

The final exam is in June. If I pass, I get a certificate, and I can start applying for junior jobs. I want to graduate before the end of the year. Then I can finally leave my boring job. Wish me luck, and please don't laugh at my cat website.

Leo, it's Grandpa. Can you hear me? I'm in the parking lot and the reception is terrible. Listen, I have big news. I'm taking a cooking course! It's on Tuesday nights at the community college.

I quit school at fifteen, so I haven't taken an exam in fifty-three years. Tomorrow I have to make a cheese soufflé in front of the teacher. I practiced six times last night. Your grandma ate four soufflés, and now she never wants to see an egg again.

If I pass, I get a certificate. A real one, with my name on it! I'm going to hang it on the refrigerator next to your drawings. Wish me luck, buddy.

Aunt Fatma asked me again tonight, in front of everybody: "So, Deniz, what are you going to do with your degree?" Forty people stopped eating. I took a really deep breath.

I studied marine biology in college in Florida. Fish were my favorite subject. I graduated two years ago, and now I work at a call center in Ohio, hours from the ocean. Silence. Then my uncle laughed so hard that his iced tea went everywhere.

Later, Aunt Fatma gave me a hug. "A degree is a degree, canım," she said. "And you have two great skills. You know everything about fish, and you make this family laugh." I think that's a compliment. I'm going to say thank you.