Chasing Down Capstone

Today I sat down to do some serious contemplation on my capstone.  I've been coasting with the class thus far, taking on various other projects in my life (getting together a publication for work, planning for a presentation at CAL in October, having a tankless hot water heater installed in my house, figuring out travel arrangements for the one class I'm taking in Emporia this semester, startup for a small business I opened with two friends, completing and submitting my PhD application...).

My incomplete from spring semester (for NLP, related to the certificate in human language technology related to my Linguistics MA).

I'm feeling like I have Capstone in the bag, because I've planned for this all along.  I've posted on this blog more than 50 times over the last two years, mostly related to this program.  I've saved every assignment, and written down my thoughts, and I'm surprised to find that I'm still having trouble finding a place to house my accomplishments in a way that I feel completes my mission in this program.  I want my portfolio to have a minimalist feel while still showcasing my array of accomplishments.  I'm also a little confused as to the direction that my portfolio should take, because many students seem to be orienting the work as a resume to promote themselves for employment.  I'm already happily employed, so I'm using mine as a celebration of the past two years (and possibly a site that I could manipulate to fit future resume need).  I'm guessing this will mean I should relate my works in the program to my job and future ambitions, but every time I think about my future ambitions, I get side tracked by the fact that my future career plans could alter drastically if I'm not accepted to the PhD program I have applied to.  The way this works is as follows: I need to keep my student status to keep my job.  I need the flexibility and financial support my current job provides to complete a PhD.  Not getting into a PhD program means I lose my student status, my job, and the future opportunity to remain in school--onward to Plan B, which is to keep moving forward in the information professions.

Needless to say, orienting my portfolio to my  future has given me pause lately, and has caused me to lose some sleep.