$15,000 worth of paper

Finally got my diploma. I wasn't all that surprised that it took a few months to get. After all, it took me 19 years to get it. My timing may or may not be unfortunate. The job market is tightening, and I don't think that's going to help Kentucky and Tennessee that much. Relocation may be in order; I haven't looked into it that much yet because I still love what I'm doing now. I'm undecided. At any rate, here's what fifteen grand worth of paper, and an eighteen dollar frame with a crappy mat looks like.

I have yet to make a decision on pursuit of an MBA. I think I need to do a serious hard look at my prospects and go from there. I think an MBA program may actually teach me something I don't know. Most of my bachelor's degree was made up of skills I already had and things I already knew. It was by no means a waste of time, but having about a dozen years of management experience, I can say with certainty that it didn't prepare me to manage a business. I guess that's proof that education without experience isn't that useful. Besides, you don't get free stuff from vendors at school.

Getting closer to getting the paper and celebrating it!!

I got an e-mail today that said my degree had been posted. I should have the actual paper shortly; hopefully within the week, but I don't know for sure. I'm fairly excited that I'm finally getting the tangible evidence of my $15,000, and I'll feel better about having it on my resume. lol! I think I have a shot at graduating Cum Laude, but I'm not sure what my final GPA is.

I leave on Friday night, heading to Vegas for SHOT show. I'm totally looking forward to getting out of Kentucky again. The Winters here are gray most of the time.

I'm gonna be celebrating my birthday with a small number of friends with the Super Bowl, then meeting up with my LF bretheren for a...sloppier get together. Pics will probably not be posted of that; I guess we'll see what happens. Its gonna be a fun, fun six days!

A 19 year journey

I took my last two finals today, and while I'm not sure I aced them, I did very well. Helps to study, apparently. I also dropped my transcript request today, so after 19 years, I'm finally done with school...as far as I know. I keep having this odd feeling that I'm missing something, but I know I'm not. After 19 years, having started in the fall of 1988, I've finally finished off the bachelor's degree. Haven't decided if I'm going for a Master's yet. I have a sneaking suspicion that to get where I ultimately want to be, I'm going to need one, likely an MBA. Be that as it may, I'm just stoked to finally be done with this process.

My one piece of advice is, if you have a choice, don't do it the way I did. LOL

What an odd feeling!

A short time ago, I came to the realization that the six page, 12 source paper I just wrote (its about the flat tax, but that's kinda immaterial) is the last paper I have to write before getting my bachelor's degree. I dunno why that stuck me as it did; I suspect it was because this has been a rediculous 19 year process. Man, what an odd feeling; sort of blend of relief, exhilaration and perhaps even a touch of sadness. Or maybe its because its pretty late and I got a late start on the paper, which means a late finish. lol!

NPR.org and This I Believe

One of my assignments for the last English class (Writing II) I hope I ever have to take is to submit an essay to This I Believe, a long-running program of National Public Radio. The idea is to construct a short (350 to 500 words; a page and a half to two pages) essay that describe a core belief. There have been some celebrities that have participated, as well as mush headed teens and seasoned citizens, with everyone else in between. If you've read anything on my blog, you know I don't have much use for NPR in general, but since this was assigned, and I'm somewhat happy with the results I attained (I still ran a little over 500 words; couldn't help it), I thought I might save my essay here.

Even if its a little long-33 words over, even with editing-there's still some truth to be gleaned from it. I'd also like to encourage the couple people that read my blog to consider submitting an essay or two to NPR. It won't hurt, and it might even help. Give it a shot! At any rate, here's my essay:

                    This I Believe: America's Fighting Men and Women

I grew up thinking I understood the military, and thought I knew what it was all about. My father was a career officer, and I was an Army brat. Because my Dad was one of the most honorable, patriotic people I knew (he passed away in 1993), I thought I understood what it meant to be in the military. It took a relocating of my life to learn what I didn't know.

I was living and working in San Diego, paycheck to paycheck and generally just getting by. Through an online friend, I was offered an opportunity to go take a job in the tactical equipment industry. Besides the interest I have in the products, I was able to cut my cost of living and had an increase in pay. The store is based outside of Fort Campbell, Kentucky; home of the 101st Air Assault Division, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, and the 5th Special Forces Group.

When I started, my boss, a former serviceman, told me that our customers “are the real deal heroes. Don't ever forget it”. I thought I understood what that meant. At that time, I didn't. Over time, I came to figure out what it was he was telling me. My first realization was when a soldier came in with his battle buddy in a wheelchair. He had an arm in a cast. and what looked like an Erector Set on his right leg. He obviously lost a rather sizable piece of his leg muscle in that leg. I asked him what had happened. “Got hit by a 105 mm IED”. I asked him what the prognosis was. He said it was a little too early to tell, but the doctors said he'd probably walk again. I didn't know what to say to him then; saying “thank you for your service” seemed hollow and inconsequential. What he said next really blew me away: “It don't mean nothin'; I'm still alive”. I was awed and humbled. This young man might not walk again, and he just considered it the price of doing the job.

I've had the privilege of calling many, many soldiers “friend”. They're amazingly tolerant of civilians like myself asking stupid, often personal, questions. One of my good friends, a recently retired Company First Sergeant in the 101st named Matt E., allowed me the indulgence of recounting his reasons for joining the Service. There was a time when I would have considered his reasons to be the exception rather than the rule. The more soldiers I meet, the more I realize his answer is not atypical. He said “I wanted to be the man on the wall. I wanted to be the one to stand in the breach and do the job. I didn't want someone else to be sent in my place.” The more I ask the question, the more often that is the answer.

Through their sacrifice, I've come to learn what it means to truly serve. I also understand my father better now than when he was alive. I believe in America's fighting men and women.

*Incidentally, Matt E. is the same Top that has had his words of wisdom shared here before. He's an astute, insightful individual, and I am a better man for having him as a friend.

I like trippin' people up

I find myself, once again, doing stuff other than homework, because homework is just no fun. In the end, I'll end up doing it anyway, and all this does is postpone it. Sooner or later I'll figger out that isn't very smart.

I took the first two of several exams at the end of last week, and finally got the tests back a couple days ago. Sounds rather medical, doesn't it? It was just your run of the mill exam over three or four chapters of material. The reviews were quite helpful, and both instructors gave a page + of review material. Basically, if you'd done the reading and went over the review material, you had the tests in the bag.

In my American History Since 1865 class, however, things didn't go so well for some of my classmates. That's the part I liked so much: the test was graded on a slight curve, and my 97 was the top score in the class. I know for a fact that there were several "F's" in that class...and I think that's awesome.

Why would I think that's cool? Because the people that failed are the stupid kids that probably don't belong in college. They're the disruptive idiots that talk all through the lecture. They're the jackasses that can't get to class on time. They're the morons who's academic skills are so remedial that they don't even take a notebook to class. My ultimate plan is to keep scoring high and drive them out of the course. These mouth breathers don't deserve the education that they're obviously not paying for.

This wouldn't happen if they were footing the bill. That class is over $300, which came out of my pocket directly this semester because student aid didn't come through for me. That's why I'm so irritated with with their behavior. Some of these punk ass emo jerks need to get a good beating. I have no doubt that its coming their way; they can't help it. Their alligator mouth is gonna write a check their hummingbird ass can't cover, and they're gonna lose teeth over it. Its simply a matter of time.

We were covering the American aquisition of the Hawaiian Islands, and the instructor used the term "haole" to describe mainlanders who were moving to Hawaii to make some bucks in the sugar trade. The term basically means "foreigner", but the wannabe surfers behind me started laughing when they heard the term. I so wanted to turn around and ask them the last time they were in the green room, since KY is so well known for its surf. I was offended for two reasons: first, it distracted me, and as I stated, I have a lot of cash invested in this class. Secondly, even though I don't like my instructor that much, I wouldn't even consider being that rude to him. We're from opposite sides of the tracks politically; if that subject ever came up, we wouldn't be getting along well. However, he's the instructor, I'm the student, and he gets the respect he deserves for his position.

All this eventually goes to the job market. Sooner or later, these idiots are going to want a job; mommy and daddy won't support their worthless, need a haircut, emo loser ways forever. When that day comes, they'll be sitting in front of my desk, probably with a wrinkled shirt, folded resume, and slouching in the chair. It will be my great pleasure to say "You should have spent your time in college more wisely and learned some skills. I don't need you." I can't wait.

Its been a long time since I've been subjected to this

Well, back to school happened again a couple weeks ago. Its about like I remembered it; I just haven't done a semester length class in a very, very long time. Kind of an adjustment to finish a class in four months instead of four weeks. Such is life; its how I have to do it so its how it will be done.

The thing I didn't realize before, though, was how much less aggravating it is to have taken classes with conservative or moderate instructors. We're only a couple of weeks in, and I'm already clenching my jaw during class. Examples to follow shortly. All these classes are to me is a means to an end. I gain nothing by getting into an argument with the instructor, so I just take notes and give 'em what they want. The instructors, though...damn.

One instructor claimed that her goal was for students not to know where she was politically. Except that on the first day of class, so wore a long denim skirt with embroidery on it, kinda wild hair, and said that Fox News was not "fair and balanced". She mentioned gay marriage (its an argumentative writing class) a couple times, too. Sorry, teach, I know where you are already. She seems to have an excellent grasp of the material, but I'd rather not spend so much time on social commentary for my $345.

My Early American History teacher probably teaches that class because he was there when it happened. He's not quite that old, but he is a WW II vet, which I give him huge, huge props for. The problem appears to be two fold, though: first, he gets off on tangents at an alarming rate. That's kind of entertaining because he's offending people left and right with what he's talking about. He even managed to offend the sixth generation Wiccan in the class, which was kinda cool. He's also drunk VERY deeply of the Evolution Kool Aid. I don't agree with him that the world is hundreds of millions of years old, but whatever. That's not as troubling as the fact that, out of the three hours of class we had this week, two and change of those was stuff he lectured on last week. I think he meant it as a review...we'll go with that for lack of a better explanation that doesn't involve tangents and senility. I don't know him enough to know if he's forgetful or not, so I'm gonna cut him some slack. In some ways, he's my favorite of the three...except that he's a lefty, too. Funny thing is, his home state he calls Taxachusetts, which is funny, but he's obviously voted for Kennedys, which is bad.

The History of America since the Civil War instructor is...interesting. Talk about a Classical Left Winger. He's wearing it on his sleeve, too. He made a couple of comments that I almost laughed out loud at. The first was when he was ranting about the current administration...or at least I think he was. I wasn't paying that much attention because he was talking about stuff that didn't pertain to the class or the subject. At any rate, he makes the comment that he's a Democrat, and blah blah blah and yadda yadda yadda. Then he says "If you're not a bridge builder, then you're my enemy". That's where I almost laughed. Exactly how many bridges are you building when you're separating people from yourself because of politics? LOL. He may actually have some real hate for conservatives. In talking about the Reconstruction, He made the comment (in regards to the Gideonites that did the experiment in Reconstruction at Port Royal) that the Gideonites had differing points of view on how to go about making things happen. One guy was pretty conservative, and saw it as a business. One lady was way more bleeding heart and thought that the former slaves needed everything to be given to them. Teach makes the comment that "I'd rather get helped by a bleeding heart liberal than have somebody pray for me and not give me anything as a compassionate conservative"...or words to that effect. You get the idea.

All I can say is, last day of class is Dec. 15th. I'll be submitting my transcripts ASAP after that so I can take my Binnis Manglement degree and run.

Sumpin' gotsta give!

I'd like to apologize to both the readers of my blog for not having more to post here. School has kept me so busy that I pretty much come home from work and go right to doing school stuff...instead of vacuuming, doing my dishes and like that. I'm finishing up my Corporate Finance course, which is beating me like a Roman task master with a cat o nine tails, and I still have to get more done in my Metaphysics class. I'll hopefully finish up Metaphysics by the end of the month, at which time I'll be starting at Hopkinsville Community College to pick up my last three classes: pre-whenever American History, post-pre-whenever American History, and Writing II. Once those are done, I will have a degree in Binnis Manglement, as well as having spent almost all of 2007 in school. I'm looking forward to February, when I'll be in Vegas celebrating both my degree and my birthday at SHOT. I told some of the reg'lars at Lightfighter.net that I would be there, so the party may be epic. Ellis Island and Freakin' Frog, here I come!

why so slow?

Perhaps the five or six people that read my blog occasionally have been wondering why I've been posting stuff up even less than usual. I'm sure your happiness revolves around it, so I'll not keep you in suspense any longer. The reason for my lessened presence is: school. My edumacation is conflicting with my online entertainment time. Why do I put up with that, you ask? Its a means to an end. I don't intend to be poor forever. I may be; I just don't intend to be. Finishing my degree is how I'm planning to make that happen.

Now, that begs the question of why I'm able to write this furious screed at this time. That's simple: I'm doing everything I can to avoid delving into my Principles of Corporate Finance homework. Avoiding it at almost all costs. I promise, though: I'll get into it when I'm done here. I may, but the motivation is lacking. Bond pricing questions are no fun at all, and if I need to figure this stuff out, I can probably call a bond broker and as him. Oh, well. Like I said, its a means to and end. I gotta get it done sometime.

The common question is "Oh, you're in school? What are you going to school for?" My typical answer is "I wonder that a lot, too." That's not really true, but the sister of one of my co-workers thought it was charming and giggled a little for me. I guess I'm gonna keep using that line. The fact is, though, I know exactly why I'm doing this, and I fully understand what school at the higher levels is all about. If you don't, reading this could very well change your life, and may blow your mind sufficiently to get on to college if you're not already doing it.

The whole point of college, in the big picture, is not to get vocational training. Sure, if you're going to be an engineer, an engineering degree helps. Even people with engineering degrees don't always become engineers, though. So, we have an exception for vocations that require specific training. What about the eleventy billion other good jobs? Here's a clue, based on almost 20 years of management experience: your degree's subject is far less important than having the degree. Think about that a minute.

Have you grasped it yet? No? Lemme 'splain it to you, Lucy. College isn't about vocational training. It isn't really about expanding your horizons, although if you choose your courses carfully, that will happen. Becoming a well rounded individual isn't the goal, either; its a beneficial byproduct. The whole point of school is to finish. By finishing, you prove a simple yet crucial point: you can start a project and finish it.

Colleges try hard to keep up with the working sector. They try to give you exposure to concepts and methods that are currently in use in the world of the working stiffs. Problem is, they're always reacting, not being proactive and being ahead of the curve. By the time you're in a position to put what they taught you to use, paradigms (pronounced "pair a dig ems". The boss will be very impressed that you know the term. My interview is right after yours; I'll show him I know it, too) have shifted and "we don't do it like that anymore".

On the other hand, if you get a job in the military (God bless you and thank you for your service if you choose this route) the training you get is very cutting edge. Get a degree while you're in and combine that with the training you get there, and you're bankable. You're so money and you don't even know it. F'rinstance: one of my co-workers has a wife in the Army. She's in comms. She's already getting headhunted for contracting companies for big money when she's done. Couple that field with a degree, and you're going to make a nice fat pile of cash.

But do you see the difference? College can never be as cutting edge in what you get taught. That being the case, don't expect it to be. I'm sure you're offended at that thought: "What the...You gotta be kiddin' me!! I'm spending $40,000 a year to get an education, and I can't really use it?!?" In a nutshell: yeah. You won't apply all that much of your batchelor's degree to your job. A lot of what you're staying up nights working on, and I'm not refering to tomorrow's hangover, don't mean squat in the working world. All it means is what has previously been stated: you can start something and finish it. That's all. Period. End of story.

How do I know? I've seen thousands of applications and hired a hundred people. Little of what they know is of use to me; I have to train them in everything I want them to do. If anything, I have to un-teach their bad habits. That said, I still want college educated people if I can get them. Why? Because I know they'll start a project and finish it. Seems simplistic, but that's what it means.

For the average job, would I look at the school you went to? I'd be impressed that you dropped the coin to get though Yale. It doesn't guarrantee that you'll get the job over the guy from SDSU, or Slippery Rock State or Joe's Higher Learning Establishment and Basque Restaurant. This is the place where your personality, confidence, and ability to interpersonally communicate comes through. Make sure you can do that as well as finish from an expensive school.

Here's another hint: the lower division stuff that you take at the local Community College is worth just as much as the classes that are costing you five times as much at the Institution of Expensive Higher Learning. Kinda makes ya wonder why you're forking out all that money for it, doesn't it? Here's the reason you're paying all that money: tomorrow's hangover. That's all. Period. End of story.

It has begun

In the interest of giving news that nobody cares about, I have decided to give both of you who read my blog an update on the aforementioned trials and tribulations associated with my ongoing education. I received word yesterday that the two classes I needed from SDCC are going to be available to me in a distance learning format. That means that I'm going to be able to take Corporate Finance, Origins, and Philosophy here, while getting my degree from there. I also arranged for one of the last pieces of the enrollment puzzle for Hopkinsville Community College to be taken care of. I needed a letter of "good standing", which means I don't owe SDCC any back payments or tuition, which should have gone out yesterday. Additionally, I confirmed the classes at Hoptown that I needed to take. So, six classes and some sending of transcripts, and I'm done. Finished. Conferred and Degreed. And beginning the repayment of my loans. Ick.

The dreaded pursuit of education

Man, this has been a tough week. I've come to the conclusion that I need to break something loose and make significantly more money, because I'm tired of being poor and not owning a house. In order to do that, I have to finish my edumaction. I'm so stinkin' close to a Batchelor's in business management that I'd have been done a year ago if I was still in San Diego.

The problem is, I was almost bankrupt in San Diego. I was about to go under, and really needed to make something positive happen. A decent job offer came along that required a relocation to Kentucky, which I did. I've been with that company for two years now, and I'm just not getting ahead as I expected to. As a matter of fact, since I don't make commission anymore, I'm making less now than when I started here. I like what I do and I love working with soldiers. I think I want to stay in this industry, but I'm not willing to be the low man on the totem pole anymore. The chances of me making significantly more money here don't look all that great. So, I came to a decision: I'm going to finish my degree, which will take a little while. Probably a couple semesters to finish off what I needed for my core program and a couple of other requirements. Close, right? But therein lies the rub.

My previous college doesn't have a distance learning program yet. I think they need to test one by having me be the first one. I've looked into school around here at a couple of places (by no means an exhaustive search yet), and that's not looking very good right now. Turns out that my first choice, Austin Peay U, wants me to take at least half my core classes there. Ouch. One other place I looked since they were advertising on the radio here is Troy U, which appears to be similar to the U of Phoenix and schools of that sort. They don't have a business management option. Grrrr. How do you call yourself a school and not offer a business degree? USD didn't either. No wonder their sports teams aren't all that good. Maybe it was UCSD...I don't remember. Neither school's sports programs are nationally ranked with the real teams, so that tells ya something. What...I'm not sure.

I have a call in to the registrar at CHC. I'm hoping they have some options for me. Since I only need a couple of classes, I'm hoping that they'll let me pick 'em up here and submit transcripts to CHC. The waiting for the call is the part that's killin' me. I'm sure it's almost the end of the day there, two hours behind where I am, so I may not get that call today. Lord, give me strength, because this is just plain hard. I will finish this dang degree one way or another though. Mark my words.