For fifteen years, I served as the resident graphic designer in the corporate headquarters for a large, national health care company based in San Francisco. I also supported the company’s corporate communications and marketing function throughout the enterprise as a writer, editor, and project manager. I enjoyed the work and the people I’ve been fortunate to work with, but I’ve always regretted never completing an undergraduate degree. Last fall I left my day job and became a forty-three-year-old junior at the University of California, Berkeley, with long-term academic goal of obtaining a PhD in History. I’m embarking on a happy life as a full-time student and part-time designer and writer. As a writer, I’ve collaborated on myriad white papers, planning tools, internal and external communications programs, quality and compliance training materials, articles for publication, and marketing programs. I’m good at crafting a working document, shepherding the project through the review and revision process, fine tuning it, and getting it done.