In 2005 I decided to take a semester off from college. After starting before I’d even graduated high school, and attending through the summer each year, I’d had enough and even though I was six courses away from completing my bachelor’s degree, I simply needed a little break.

Unfortunately, that one semester turned into about 80 more, so after talking about going back for 21 years, I finally did it, and today was my first of school.

A few folks have asked, “why now?” That’s a fair question. The fact is, in spite of being a college dropout, I’ve enjoyed spending more than a decade in management in an industry where experience is often valued much more than a formal education. By all accounts, I’d consider it to be a success story- A kid who loved trains and got his start as a freight conductor was able to capitalize on his experiences to excel in management. Bravo.

But I didn’t come this far just to come this far.

After attending the recent “Rails to the Future” conference put on by Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business, one of the speakers made a point that resonated with me. She said, “In this industry, people often fail to communicate their career objectives, which stifles their growth potential.”

I ruminated on that thought for a while and realized the value of clearly explaining my goals to the people who could help me achieve them.

Individually, I spoke with my CEO and COO, and in true Dave Foster fashion, I explained the speaker’s point, and bluntly followed it with, “I want your job. Obviously not YOUR job, but I want to know what I need to do to align myself for an opportunity like that when it presents itself.”

Now, you have to keep in mind that I’m in a place where I truly feel more professionally supported than I ever have, so conversations like that feel comfortable to me, and I know they’re going to provide me with honest feedback, but they both provided me with similar messaging. Experience will get you where you are, but experience will only take you so far, and whether it’s right or not, a degree is what sets you apart from someone with a similar set of experiences.

Remember where I said that I feel more supported than I ever have in my career? Earlier this year, my CEO reached out to me and asked if I’d have any reservations about attending Michigan State University’s Railroad Management Certificate Program. The program is designed to expand the breadth of knowledge of any railroad manager by placing them in a large group of industry leaders to think collaboratively while being exposed to behind-the-scenes type experiences at various railroad and industry operations across the nation.

It may surprise some of you to know that I classify myself as an introvert. With that said, I try exceedingly hard to force whatever bit of extrovert I have within me to come out, so in understanding the honor it was for my executive leadership team to believe in me at this level, I humbly accepted the offer to attend.

I didn’t know what to expect, but after the first week of being surrounded with some of the most brilliant railroaders I’d ever had the pleasure to be in the company of, I felt inspired. That’s one thing I’ve learned in my career thus far- You can either be intimidated by people you perceive to be more talented than you, or you can be inspired by them. For me, understanding the necessity to always be better than I was yesterday, I will always choose the latter.

Here’s the kicker- while I was attending the program, Michigan State went on to announce that they were implementing a Masters of Business Administration degree with a Railway Management focus.

There was just one catch… that whole college dropout thing.

So here we are… August 24th, 2026, and I’m finishing what I started in May of 2002, and if I play my cards right, I’ll finally graduate in the spring… but I didn’t come this far just to get this far, so we’ll see what the next chapter holds.

Until then, I can sleep comfortably knowing that I’m showing my daughter the importance of finishing what you started.