When Linda Cerniglia went back to school, it took her almost seven years to get through all the prerequisites, the labs, the research. And it took a thief just moments to grab her purse, with the only copy of her master’s thesis stored on a tiny jump drive inside.
For anyone who’s ever obsessed about a project but forgotten to back up the data, watched a computer screen fizzle just before a deadline or left crucial documents in a cab — here is a story about backing up, and moving forward.
It’s about how Cerniglia almost went crazy, then took a deep breath and thought like a crook, acted like a cop and ended up in a big trash bin — all in pursuit of her master’s degree.
The story goes on to describe the tale of this poor woman’s master’s thesis, on her flash drive. First it is stolen from her minivan in her purse. Next, she’s tracking the thief from the unauthorized use of her credit cards. And finally, in a dramatic climax, she’s diving into a dumpster to find her purse, and her flash drive. The moral of the story, ladies and gents, is to back up important data. Congrats to Linda Cerniglia on completing her master’s degree!