I Almost Skipped This One Too

I didn’t attend my PhD graduation. I didn’t see the point—I already had the degree. Life moved on.

The same thought came up again this time.

When I signed up for the Weekend Executive MBA, I wasn’t even sure what I was looking for. Over time, I found answers in unexpected places—mostly around discipline, efficiency, and how I use my time. I wrote about that last year.

But this weekend wasn’t about any of that.

I almost skipped this one too.

But I decided to show up. Probably the first—and last—graduation of my own that I’ll ever attend.

There was nothing particularly profound about the day. No deep conversations. No big insights. Just the experience. I even felt a little awkward when my friends started shouting from the crowd as I walked across the stage.

Then I looked around.

People had taken time off on a Saturday. Full-time jobs, families, their own lives—and they stayed the whole day. Nobody had to be there. But they were.

That stayed with me.

It made me think about my PhD ceremony. I skipped it. And somewhere out there, there might have been people who would’ve shown up for that moment—and I never gave them the chance. I don’t even know who they were.

So this wasn’t really about getting another degree.

It was about letting people show up.

Saturday taught me something that wasn’t in any course:

Don’t rob people of the chance to celebrate with you.