-2012- | B.a. Pass

Why? Because society told me that the Honours kids were the ones who changed the world. The Pass kids? We were the backups. The general admission. The substitute teachers of the professional world.

Walking into a job interview with a “B.A. Pass” felt like bringing a plastic spork to a knife fight.

“So… what was your focus?” they’d ask. “Life,” you wanted to say. “I focused on surviving Econ 101, learning that I hate early mornings, and figuring out how to write a 10-page paper on post-colonial theory in three hours.” For the first few years after 2012, I hid that degree. I lied on resumes, stretching the “Pass” into something that sounded more like “Interdisciplinary General Studies.” b.a. pass -2012-

There is a specific, hollow sound that a degree makes when you slide it into a drawer instead of hanging it on the wall.

— A recovering over-generalizer, c. 2012 We were the backups

Why? Because the B.A. Pass is a degree in

It says

Mine finally came out of the drawer last year. It’s framed in my office, right next to the sales award and the photo of my kid. It’s not the fanciest frame. But the document inside?