by Kate

What’s your major? The dreaded question.  For many this evokes an immediate anxiety response.  What is my major?  I can’t be undecided forever.  I’m supposed to tell you what I want to be for the rest of my life?! How can I possibly know that?  At 18 I hadn’t experienced enough to rule out (or in) hardly any careers (a couple, though: waitress and dishwasher were out).  Frankly, 20+ years later, I still would not want to tell you that I’m ready to stick to any one job for the rest of my life.

Fortunately, these days we have options for making job and career changes.  Pursuing a degree is one way to go at it, but still we have to settle on a major, and that can be a tough call. As you narrow your own field of study, it may help to look at the many available areas of study through the following lenses:

Go with the grain (your grain). Go with what you tend toward, who you are.   If you like figuring out what makes people tick, you might do better at sociology or psychology.  Just because you can pass the test and get the credits in an area of study, doesn’t mean you’re going to do well in the long run.  You have to want to do that job.   It is a great idea to gather information about projected salaries and job demand.  However, you may be setting yourself up for unhappiness if you choose a career course based solely on where the job market has a need.

Match your personality. The world is too full of people who are miserable in their jobs.  There is something heroic about going to a job day in and out, even if it’s not your higher calling, like so many do to provide for their families.  Proud and good people do this every day and they have my respect.  But others suffer through a lifetime of jobs that they dread going to and become embittered, even when they have the ability to change it.  That‘s just wrong, and it doesn’t have to be that way.

“Follow your bliss.” Joseph Campbell, scholar, mythologist, and advisor extraordinaire to the human race, coined the phrase.  He didn’t mean you should just pop a happy pill and run away with the circus.  Nay.  He meant that we should find what we are passionate about, and find a way to weave it into our daily lives.  Don’t just leap off a cliff of faith, but make a point of incorporating your bliss into your work goals.   You’ll likely feel more fulfilled, and with a more enduring stamina that will see you through much.

What is your calling? Try to respond to what calls you.  Such a diverse job market means that we have more freedom than ever to incorporate our calling, our bliss, our chance to create a masterpiece, into a income-producing enterprise.  We all imagine we have something greater to offer the world than just getting through the grind, whether it’s teaching children the alphabet or creating compelling music, designing and putting together an interactive video or feeling like the whole world has just been put into understandable order by the perfectly devised algorithm.  Any of these things can be your personal bliss.

If you keep your bliss in your sights, you are bound to make decisions that you will find agreeable in the long run.  Choosing your major can be difficult, but through self-examination, you’ll be ready to make a choice that suits your individual needs and preferences, and sustains you.

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by Judy

It’s amazing the way that little adjustments can change things. As soon as I printed off this week’s reading assignments, I breathed easier. The tactile experience of reading and hi-lighting on real paper reminded me that schoolwork does not have to be as hard as I am letting it become in my mind. Even though I am taking a class online, in a set up totally new to me, that doesn’t mean that I can’t do it. I just have to tweak my studying habits so they work for me.

I was complaining to one of my co-workers who has taken some online classes about my anxiety and asked for some advice. One of the things that she told me was to write all of my assignments in a word document and then copy and paste them onto the discussion board. From her own experience, this enables her to write more seriously, because all too often it is easy for the tone of your writing to sound like a blog. This is because online classrooms are built around threads on discussion boards. She said that many students seem to forget that they are still in a classroom and then the quality of their work can slide. Having tried out her advice this morning, I think that it is pretty sound. It is also easier to keep track of my word count, which is important since in this format lengths are judged by the number of words, not pages. Too bad, we students can’t write really big to quickly fill up a page!

As for the content of the class itself, I am already learning a lot. We focused on learning the different parts of a grant proposal and then took more of an in-depth look at the “needs” statement. Because the class, like all University of Phoenix classes, is only five weeks long, I had wondered if it would be enough time to really absorb all of the necessary information. After we kicked off our first day with introductions about ourselves, we got right into the subject matter. For a class that has a specific subject, like this one does, I think that five weeks is an appropriate amount of time. There is a lot of work to be done, as we have 300 word assignments due every two to three days, but for me at least, that is not too bad.

However, I do not know if I would want to take something like a World History class in this timeframe. The University I attended had semesters that were 14 to 15 weeks long. Some Universities have quarters or trimesters, which are shorter, usually 8 to 10 weeks, and I’m not sure a World History class (or similar) has time to be really substantial in that time frame, either.

Not that I have ever taken a World History class, come to think of it. But hopefully you take my point.

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by Kate

It’s true.

Now, you may ask yourself, why do I need the library when I have the Internet?

True. But the library does have things you cannot get anywhere else. Some examples: special collections, government documents, periodicals and bound journals (and there‘s more!). Crucially, university libraries grant you electronic access to full text academic journals not available via the web.

Source Evaluation. As an instructor, the most frequent question I encounter from students is simply this: How can I find solid resources for the paper I have to write? Here are some quick tips to get you steered in the right direction.

Scholarly versus Popular. You can tell if it’s a scholarly publication—be it a book, article or website—if there is a bibliography and if the credentials of the author are clearly for real, and pertinent to the topic at hand. (On the other hand, don’t get me wrong: a person doesn’t have to have a bunch of college degrees to be able to teach you something. You’ll never hear me tell you that if the author’s list of credentials is as long as my arm they are therefore smart, a reliable source, or better than anyone else. Oh, heck no.)

Objectivity. As you read the piece, decide whether the author is giving you their opinion or basing what they say on facts or research. Are they trying to sell you something?. There are a whole bunch of factors that determine whether you can place confidence in research conclusions. But that is a whole other blog topic. When I was working on my thesis, I had a college professor who liked to say, Statistics are like people: they can be tortured until they tell you what you want to hear.* The message here is to be cautious about taking research at face value.

Internet Sources. Remember that on the Web anyone who has access to a computer can get published (that includes me!). While there are many worthy sites that can provide you with tons of information on the internet, the fact remains that it can be more difficult to ascertain their validity. Some instructors may be under-impressed if you rely too heavily on internet sources, so you may be doing your grade a favor by finding some other avenues that support your thesis. (Perhaps here is a good place to mention that I’ve earned my MA in Counseling Psychology and am a published author and have taught college courses?)

With the avalanche of information available to us through technological sources, we are called on more than ever to exercise sound evaluation of the sources that we rely on. Even as electronic media grows there remains a place for libraries in the intellectual community.

*Famous Corollary: Beware of statistics and averages. The average person has one breast and one testicle. -Des McHale

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Only a quarter of Americans have a college degree. What if that proportion was flipped … how different would things be if 3 out of 4 people had graduated college?

Vastly different.

In his speech to a joint session of congress last night, President Obama said that 75% of the fastest-growing jobs in the United States now require at least a high school diploma, and usually more.

“We have one of the highest high school dropout rates of any industrialized nation,” he said, and then outlined his vision for reforms of the education system. But, he continued, government reform will not be enough on its own.

“It is the responsibility of every citizen to participate in it. And so tonight, I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training.”

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by blythepyrate

Things I Love:

·    I love is lists. List-making is a powerful organizational tool. Everyone knows that. Beware though, the power of lists is an addictive power. Fine, don’t believe me. But consider yourself warned.

·    I love handy website features (that work). Lots of websites have features they think are helpful when they are actually just annoying, not useful, or plain overlooked.

The EarnMyDegree.com feature currently under my magnifying glass combines these two deep loves, lists and handy website features into a beautiful bouquet. The resulting arrangement is an effective web feature that provides you with a useful list. A useful list of what? So glad you asked.

If you’ve signed up for pretty much anything on the Web before, you’re familiar with the confirmation page. This page is displayed to confirm whatever information you sent has been received. In the case of Earnmydegree.com, each time you complete a school form and click the Request More Info button, we show you a confirmation page. That’s expected. What is not expected is the nifty tracking box called Schools you have submitted today. This wonderful little feature tracks all the schools you have sent your contact info to already. If you fill out nine school forms as in the example, EarnMyDegree.com tracks and displays the school names for you.

Here’s the straight 411.

How it works: Every time you click the Request Info button for a school’s degree program, the school is automatically added to your list.

Where to find it: Usually in the upper right corner of the confirmation page.

What it does: Tracks schools you’ve already submitted to (so you don’t have to).

When it appears: After you’ve submitted to your first school.

Why you should love it: It helps you stay organized and keep track of all the schools from which you’ve requested more information.

How cool is that? Thanks Earn My Degree.com!

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by Judy

Class has started and suddenly I’m freaking out — I don’t want to do it.   Me, who loves school, now wants to run away.  Because I suck at the Internet.  Because I am the least technologically savvy member in all of Generation Y.

Even the idea of a “kitchen computer” (basically a giant recipe book) scares me.

If you are reading this post, you probably have a leg up on me.  You, dear reader, can probably do simple things like download Adobe.  I have to barter with my husband: I clean the kitchen; he puts it on my computer.  I have been doing things like this my whole computer life.  I blame my family for lagging behind — we didn’t get a computer until I was 16.

So, why am I taking a class online?  An advanced one at the 400 level, where most of my classmates have already taken several online courses and know the drill?  Because, it is so convenient, and because none of the colleges near me offer a class in grant writing.

Luckily, I have an awesome enrollment advisor who walked me through the process the first day of class.  It went longer than planned, so he called me again the next day to finish up.  I was able to post my first assignment, due the first day of class, and even responded to other posts by myself.  Here’s the assignment, a 200 word autobiography:

My name is Judy Wilson, which is my married name. 
I always think it sounds like a 1950s housewife, not someone in her mid-twenties. I have been married for about 3 ½ years.  In 2005, I graduated from Western Michigan University with a degree in English (emphasis in creative writing) and also in Comparative Religion.  My goal was always, and is still, to be a writer, but I increasingly feel the need to focus my attention on a career that will pay the bills in the interim.  Currently, I am a Unit Coordinator at a pediatric hospital.  However, this is a job that does not challenge me creatively.

I love the atmosphere of the hospital and hope to broaden my career opportunities by taking this course in grant writing.  I feel that grant writing is an avenue that would allow me to use my writing ability and also feel good about my work at the end of the day. 
My goals for this course include learning about the process of grant writing and to write some samples that I can submit along with my résumé in order to demonstrate my skill.  I am excited to get started on this course!

It is 200 words exactly, but I think that the word count is more of a guideline, as some students’ bios were over or under.

My next assignment is due at midnight tonight, Mountain Time, which means 11 PM for me on the West Coast.  I have to respond to some questions about our first reading assignment.  The reading comes from a text book that I downloaded.  It is .pdf format, hence the needing Adobe.  The responses to questions on the reading have to be about 300 words each.  I then post them under the proper thread on the “Main” forum.  There are two other forums: “Chat”, described as the student lounge, and the “Course Materials” where the teacher posts things, but students can’t respond, so I guess that really isn’t a forum.  So far all of my assignments coming up are individual assignments, but we are going to be divided into “learning teams” for some group assignments.

That’s all for now … I have to do my homework!  I’ll let you guys know how it goes.

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by Judy

I did it.  I signed up for my first class.  I think.  Actually, I’m not so sure.  I definitely signed up as a University of Phoenix student (I paid the $45 enrollment fee), but I think I messed up in signing up for my actual class.  I had to list what course I wanted to take, and when I wanted to start.  I couldn’t find on the website when exactly the next course starts up, so I just put down today’s date.  The more I thought about this afterward, the more stupid that decision seemed to be. I started to panic a little bit.

During my freak-out, I wondered if I’d signed myself up for a class already in progress.  I called my enrollment advisor and—of course—he’s not in the office Friday afternoons.  Figures.  I e-mailed him, and I’m hoping he gets back to me on Monday.   Meanwhile, I logged in online, and found that I am not signed up for any classes at all.  This put me at ease because I at least know that I’ve not messed up irrevocably and lost a bunch of money.  I think.  So, now I am just waiting until Monday to talk to a real live person and not the internet.

I really want to get started on this soon.  We received a memo at work this week forbidding us any overtime, except for extreme weather conditions. Our department is also on a hiring freeze. I don’t think they’ll start laying people off, but it does make me wonder if it will be easy for me to transfer to a different department once I have my super-cool grant writing skills.   Maybe the hospital needs more grant writers because they’re losing money and need more donations.

On a happier note, I talked to a friend in the Diversity Department the other day and asked if she knew anything about grant writing at the hospital.  She said she does and she’d introduce me to the head of the foundation that handles all of the non-research grants.

So, as for online education thus far, there are ups and there are downs.  I don’t think that I messed up my application too badly, and I don’t have to worry about my current job, so things could get a lot worse.  I heard on the radio today that the national unemployment rate is over 7%.  I went home to Detroit for the holidays, where unemployment is over 9%.  People aren’t hiring for a lot of entry level positions right now, so I really hope this class gives me a leg up.

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by Kate

Now that you are familiarized with the general workings of the library nearest you, have your library card carefully ensconced in wallet and understand that librarians are critical to your efficient success; let’s talk about some basic guiding principles for behavior at the library that will keep you in good standing.

Quiet! (Sort of) We are all painfully aware of the expectation of silence in these hallowed halls. Frowning, pinch-faced nerds spitting out “SSHHH!”, just when we are starting to have fun. But that is a tragic misrepresentation put out by bad sitcoms. Here’s the real deal.

- Be reasonable, don’t yammer away or guffaw like a burro when others are trying to concentrate. However, if you need to make polite inquiries about where materials are located, that is entirely acceptable.

- It does bear emphasizing that cell phones can shatter the serene stillness and this is an infraction that is likely to earn you massive social disapproval from library officials and patrons. Turn off your ringer before you go in, put it on vibrate if you must. But at all costs; do not engage in cellular conversation until you move away from where you may annoy others. Head out the door or step into a study room.

Food and Drink. Not. You won’t be surprised to find that libraries don’t want you taking snack breaks among the stacks. Understandable, really. Pest control is a priority and spillage on the pages could make a book unreadable for the next guy.

Fines (are a bummer). With all my previous talk of the free nature of this wonderful resource, I should also mention the potential for racking up fines. The library is lending you these fine volumes with the unwritten agreement that if you harm them, lose them or (most commonly) zone out returning them on time; you will be charged a fee.

- Late fees are usually not hefty if not too much time has passed. I confess, I am frequently a slacker at returning books punctually. I like to rationalize that I am making a contribution to a cause that I believe in.

- If you lose track of the book entirely, or ruin it by reading in the bathtub (they won’t take that book back when its swelled like a water-soaked sponge), then you will be charged the cost of replacing the book. Some libraries like to tack on a small fee for their pain and suffering when you’ve abused your privileges. I guess that’s fair.

No firearms, stogies, skateboarding or pets. For some reason, many institutions like to post lengthy lists of regulations, and libraries are no exception. No need to be intimidated by all this rule-making. Mostly it’s sensible stuff that you would not dream of being involved in. Just leave your hamster at home a be prepared to study without bothering other people.

If you want to maintain a good working relationship with your librarian guide (And you do!), be sure to be familiar with the rules of this grand institution. But don’t be put off by unpleasant stereotypes of bitter elderly spinsters that yank away the library welcome mat. The idea is; just be courteous. You are there to work after all, so of course you’ll want the same courtesy extended to you.

By becoming a college student you have clearly demonstrated your willingness to learn, possibly even your eagerness to find new information. The library can be a place of great nourishment for you, and you just may get a thrill from all the amazing things waiting there for you.

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