I started my new job yesterday. It's just a transfer to a new department. Everyone has been really nice and welcoming. Of course, I can't really get into it until after the exams, which according to my counter, are 15 days away.

Someone at work recently told me he "pitied" me because by leaving my former job to attend school, I missed out on a potential promotion. How could I explain to him that the experience of getting a MPA has been more valuable than any costs of missed opportunities? I have not yet even found a way to verbalize it to explain it to myself.