Hello, my name is Mason Dructor and I am a senior Computer Science major at OU, graduating this spring. I transferred to OU after getting my Associate's degree in Computer Science at Oklahoma City Community College. It has been 4.5 years since I started my pursuit of higher education and I am very excited to finally graduate and get back into the workforce, make some money, and move out of Oklahoma!
I am a bit older than most of those graduating with me and will be turning 30 this April. Instead of going to college when I graduated high school I decided to pursue a career as a musician for a few years and then got an opportunity to be a store manager at Starbucks. It was while working at Starbucks that I met my wife 5 years ago, and it's because of her that I am now at OU. She was working on her thesis for her Master's in Geophysics when we met, and we would always spend a few days a week in Norman hanging out on campus. Seeing her work full-time at Devon Energy while finishing her degree was inspiring, and so I decided to go back to school as well while I was still managing at Starbucks. I enrolled in OCCC and did well for the 2.5 years I was there while working full-time and finished my Associate's in CS and prepared to transfer to Norman.
Once I came to Norman, I was forced into a more traditional schedule and could no longer be a full-time student and manager, so Kara and I moved to Norman from Oklahoma City and I have enjoyed being here for the past 1.5 years. Kara and I have been in Oklahoma for too long though, and we are ready to move to somewhere less flat. I will be looking for out of state jobs this semester to move somewhere like Nevada, Colorado, Utah, so we can get some beautiful mountain views and be closer to rock climbing, hiking, and other outdoor adventures!
When I'm not coding, studying, or playing music, I am probably playing video games (I played for the OU Rocket League team for a year), cooking, or watching TV with Kara and our two cats.
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| Our cat, Blackberry, in her winter scarf |
Hi Mason!
ReplyDeleteWow this is awesome! My sister and mom both majored in geophysics. So, we have to stop to look at rocks and minerals on the side of the road quite a bit haha. I completely understand wanting to live by the mountains. I moved from central Texas to Oklahoma, and now I am ready to move somewhere with a mountain view. My family goes to Colorado every year and I love the summers up there. Only problem is I never have had to learn to drive in snow haha. Good luck this semester and wishing you and your wife the best!
What a great education story, Mason! I also went back-and-forth between school and work before figuring out what I wanted to do and, honestly, I probably learned as much or more of lasting value in my different workplaces than I did in the actual classrooms. And your Blackberry cat is adorable... she looks like she is contemplating something very important, as cats usually do. I'm curious about what kind of music you are into, and if you would like to use this class as a chance to explore Indian music. Music is a huge part of the Indian tradition from ancient times, and thanks to the magic of YouTube there are so many great Indian musicians you can discover there. On my bucket list for when I retire is to learn how to play tabla drums: I am in awe of Karsh Kale! Here's one of his videos if you are curious: Karsh Kale & Midival Punditz. The god Shiva plays the drums... and Krishna plays the flute. There's music all over the place in the ancient stories when you start poking around to look for it! :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Mason. It's so cool that you pursued music before college! It must have been scary at first, but the experiences you got I'm sure were so worth it! I totally get why you want to move on from Oklahoma! I am from the Dallas, TX area so I have not been in Oklahoma that long. How long have you been in the OKC area? You're cat is so cute! I personally am a dog person but one of my best friends has 2 cats and the stories she tells me about them are so funny! I hope your last semester goes well and you find a great place to move to after!
ReplyDeleteMason, that’s a wild ride, man! I’m glad you’re closing down your time at OU strongly and have a good image of what you want to do. Exploring other passions before heading to college is something I regret passing on, so I’m very excited to hear about that journey. If you’re ever wanting to hit a local crag for some climbing hit me up; climbing is an awesome sport.
ReplyDeleteHi Mason!
ReplyDeleteFirst thing I wanted to say was how much I love the design you have picked out for your blog. It looks very professional and also it is easy to read! I am also a senior this year with a dream of moving out of Oklahoma lol my boyfriend and I have our sites on Austin, Texas. That is awesome that you played on the OU rocket team for a year! I tried the game out . a couple of times but did not end up liking it. You can probably find me playing Stardew Valley or another type instead!
Hi Mason,
ReplyDeleteLike what other people say, I am amazed at your story of going back and forth between work and school. You should be proud of yourself for really finding yourself and what you really want to do. And about Oklahoma, I LOVE IT here! I am sad to see you guys go, but maybe after experiencing other places, you will want to come back and never leave haha!
Good luck on graduating!
Hi Mason, nice to meet you! WOW, computer science just sounds scary, I can't even imagine. I am the least tech-savvy person ever, so I always get super impressed by anyone that does computer science. It's nice to hear your story and congratulations on finishing up your degree soon! I am also looking to get out of Oklahoma, haha! My parents are from the Tulsa area so I've lived here my entire life so it is time for a change!
ReplyDeleteHi Mason!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on graduating! That's so awesome that you were able to get done so fast while working full-time for the first 2.5 years. I think it's super cool that you have a passion for playing music? What instruments/type of music do you play? Also, I really love the picture of Blackberry in her scarf. She will definitely need that when you move closer to the mountains!
Hey mason, You have had quite a trip to get here in this class! Its actually kinda weird to look at how we all ended up in this class, this semester, at this university. It really seems that Kara is a wonderful women and you seem very happy! I mean you are trying to better yourself and make a better life, if that's not the pursuit of happiness I don't know what is. Its quite an inspiring tale and I look forward to taking this class with you!
ReplyDeleteBest,
Mason,
ReplyDeleteIt is so great to meet you! I think going to OCCC before OU was a good choice; I also did the same thing. I feel like it prepared me better for college by getting my basics done in a smaller class setting. That is awesome that you have a degree in computer science, congratulations! That sounds so difficult, but then again, I'm not too great with technology anyway. I hope you are able to find the perfect job out of state! I'm also trying to get out of Oklahoma after I graduate. Your kitty is adorable! I wish you and Kara the best, have a great semester!
Hi Mason! It's pretty exciting that you're graduating this spring, I am too and I'm a bit scared about the future. I think it's really cool that you and Kara are thinking of moving to Utah or Colorado, those are really beautiful states and I also want to move somewhere less flat when I'm done with school. I grew up surrounded by mountains so I always feel like something is missing on the horizon in Oklahoma.
ReplyDeleteHello Mason,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you're awfully close to your goal of leaving Oklahoma! I don't blame you for wanting to live somewhere less flat; Colorado is definitely a beautiful state. I didn't know OU had a Rocket League team either. I'm terrible at Rocket League so I definitely couldn't join the team. Your cats are cute! I look forward to reading more of your writing this semester.
Hi Mason! I'm also in my last semester at OU, so I wish you the best of luck after postgrad! It sounds like you and your wife are going to have a great adventure and I hope you love wherever you end up! I hope you guys will be able to rock climb wherever you choose too. And your story is so cool, my friend works at Starbucks right now! I also love your cat Blackberry and her scarf. She's adorable!
ReplyDeleteHi Mason! Wow, through my time in this course, one of the best things about it is that there are so many new faces at various stages in their lives all in one single class; it's certainly refreshing to see. I would also like to congratulate you on this being your last semester here at OU! It makes it seem like time is going by way too fast for any of us to fathom; it seemed just yesterday that I was still a freshman here confused about the layout of this campus! I'm glad we'll have this time in this class together and I hope you find great success in the life ahead of you!
ReplyDeleteHi Mason,
ReplyDeleteI loved getting to read about you and you life. I think it is so awesome you came back to college and are pursuing your degree still. It is so cool you met your wife and have gotten to do life with someone. I think both of you will be happy moving away, Oklahoma definitely is not for everyone. Good luck finishing up, you sound like you're going to do great!
Hi Mason!
ReplyDeleteI think your story of pursuing your passion of music before going back to school is very inspiring and who knows, maybe if you hadn't done that and been a manager at Starbucks you would have never met your wife! Your cat Blackberry is also very cute and the scarf really just ties the whole picture together. I can't relate more to wanting to move out of Oklahoma. A little bit of elevation makes things more exciting in my opinion.
Hey Mason!
ReplyDeleteYour major sounds interesting and hard ha. I took a computer coding class once, even though I’m a film major and not sure how those relate, and I was so confused I had to withdraw from the class. I applaud you for being able to understand it. I know exactly how you feel with being old, I’ve been in college for 8 years. I would suggest living in Colorado because during the spring and summer, it is absolutely gorgeous and there is so much to do. I hope this semester goes well for you.
Hi Mason!
ReplyDeleteWow what a background story! I think it's really amazing that your wife inspired you to go back to school and I bet she feels really honored because of it. School is definitely isn't easy, especially after taking a long break so I'm really proud and give you a lot of props! You said you were a musician for some time, what instrument did you play? I love music and I know how to play the piano but I haven't touched it in ages.