Continued Education

[Tormod]

So I have a question, what strategies did you use to get through courses that were so boring that you could not get through the reading material?

 

Some of those courses I usually ended up crash reading before a test. If it's boring and you can't find the inspiration then there's really hard to to anything else - especially with so much else going on in a professional life. :eek2:

[Erasmus00]

So I have a question, what strategies did you use to get through courses that were so boring that you could not get through the reading material? I know this must happen to everyone, so how do other people handle it? What is funny to me is that I find the topic of ethics very interesting, but the text book is unbearably dull!

 

Does the course have a recommended book list? When I found textbooks unreadable I often went to the library and skimmed through the recommended books until I found something I could tolerate. I would read that instead. Maybe glance through the official textbook once in awhile just to make sure I was getting similar material.

-Will

[TheBigDog]

Does the course have a recommended book list? When I found textbooks unreadable I often went to the library and skimmed through the recommended books until I found something I could tolerate. I would read that instead. Maybe glance through the official textbook once in awhile just to make sure I was getting similar material.

-Will

Will, I ended up taking a day off and going to the library. Pulled some books from the shelves, and managed to read that plus my text and got my papers written. Changing my atmosphere seemed to make a huge difference.

 

Bill

[TheBigDog]

Another update. I completed my PHY107 class, and despite some late entries still managed an A- for the course. I am now in the fourth week of my REL 107, Comparative Religions course and I have the same professor as I had for my previous class. For this class the text books were back ordered so we have been using online sources until the books arrive, which they did this week. But with a five week course schedule it is mostly passed.

 

I have been collecting all of my books into a mini library that I keep on my shelf at work. It helps remind me of the progress I have made, and I even crack them open once in a while when I am curious about something. The books on logic and ethics have been particularly well used.

 

So with this class I will have completed 20% of my degree, with English Composition II and Dependence of Man upon the Environment (SCI 207) rounding out my "freshmen year".

 

There are two classes that I skipped, choosing to take the CLEP tests as a substitute for the class. They are Computer Literacy (INF 103) and Survey of Mathematical Methods (MAT 126). Math is a hobby of sorts so I know I don't need that class, and being a ten year veteran of the IT department I cannot in good conscience take a Computer Literacy course on the company dime.

 

Still going strong. Work has gotten very busy and has made it more difficult to find time for the school work. And my posting here at Hypo is almost at a stop. But it will swing around. I am actually doing some very exciting stuff at work, and I am considering a thread similar to this one to document my progress on that project.

 

Bill

[Pyrotex]

Another five weeks; another course completed. ...I have now completed 12.5% of my degree. Well on my way to graduation.

Congratulations, Bill. My admiration for you is boundless.

 

I'd love to get another degree in something, but I found out the hard way that I cannot work full time and go to school; I'm interested in too many things to pick just one; and I have a mild case of Boerseun's Syndrome.

 

:( Way to go, BD!!!

[TheBigDog]

Last night I was up until 3:45 AM completing the work for my ENG 122 class. That signals the end of class number nine. I now have 27 of 120 credits required for graduation, a whopping 22.5%! Today I begin my first science course, SCI 207 Dependence of Man on Nature. I am really happy to be past the English and Philosophy for a little while and get to deal with physical forces again.

 

At the end of this class I will have 31 credits, and I will no longer be a freshman. For those considering a return to school I need to warn you that it can be a real drag if you don't keep a good mindset and work hard on your time management skills. I was really disengaged from my last class. It was so similar in content to a couple of classes I took earlier in the summer that subconsciously I had trouble prioritizing the necessity of the tasks. It seemed like busywork rather than education, and that is something that really goes against my grain. I did almost everything at the last possible moment and did the minimum amount of "required online interaction" rather than getting engaged in the conversations. This was unfair to those in the class with me, I normally try and help people along, but I was really not interested in repeating the same conversations over again from earlier in the summer. That has become part of my posting style here as well lately. ;)

 

Since this thread is rather bloggish in nature I may as well share a bit more about what is going on in my life. The kid in cap and gown in my avatar has moved out. It became a very ugly situation around the house when he decided that honesty and respect were no longer a traits that he wished to exhibit. This was part of his turning 18, becoming and adult, and deciding that he could make his own rules, and that his family were simply people to be used at his convenience. Due to an indiscretion earlier in his life he was compelled to live with certain legal obligations of behavior and such (euphemism for probation). It was when these obligations began to fall outside of his personally established rules that I became really insistent that he correct his behavior. Ultimatums were put down, lies were told to lead me to believe things had changed, while behaviors simply got worse.

 

I came to a point that if it were my decision alone he would be thrown out of the house, but out of deference to his mother he was welcome to stay-but he had to follow rules. We had a few long (and at least from my end) heartfelt conversations as we drove him to and from the job he had gotten 20 miles from the house. We worked together to establish rules, and at the first and every opportunity he basically told me with his actions to go **** myself while I kept an even keel, granting him freedom while insisting that basic rule must be followed. After a fiasco with him not being at his job when we went to pick him up at the agreed upon time, and him showing up an hour later having just spent his entire paycheck on clothes leaving no money for gas he had agreed to pay for, and him basically saying (clearly saying with his actions) that his new clothes were more important than his family, his home, his job, or anything else, leaving his mother in another hysterical fit of worrying about him I showed him the path he should take. I told him that eventually he was going to piss off his mother to the point that she would want to throw him out too. It was in everyone's best interest for him to move out on good terms than wait for mom to break and leave on awful terms. He told me some lies.

 

I reached a breaking point when he took my truck out joyriding. No apologies, no regrets, he simply acted as though it were his right to do it if he pleased unphased by any consequence it would lead to. I told him that night that he had worn me out. That I had believed we could get along with a level of respect between us, but that he had worn me out, and that I no longer believed he was capable of acting respectful toward his parents, his brothers, his extended family, or the mutual property and trust shared by a family. I told him he was welcome to stay, but if he crossed me out of line again that I would beat his *** until he was begging to leave. As long as he could follow the basic rules that we had agreed to we would continue to coexist peacefully, but he had to exhibit respect with his actions, and that he needed to work hard to reestablish trust that he had violated. He moved out two days later without a word. He has called Shannon and his brothers a couple of times, and even come to visit once when I was not home. He has not given us a forwarding address or contact number. I know where he is living, but only because I had picked him up and dropped him off there several times before he moved out.

 

It is difficult to know what could have gone differently. My wife is so broken up with worry that she is seeing a therapist. His brothers miss him and don't understand why he is gone. There is far more detail to the story than can be written here, but much of this really took me by surprise. As far as I knew he and I were getting along fine and had been for a long time. I trusted him implicitly because we had gone through his court mandated therapy sessions together for about two and a half years, and I could see how he was open and honest and backing up his words with his actions. Trust had been established between us that I had absolute faith in. Then I learned that he had been weaving a web of lies for about eight months, some of them much longer, none of them really needed, but they became seeds for bigger lies until he had trapped himself. The act of telling the lies was (I believe) a control thing. By him telling a lie to me he frames my reality, and thus takes an element of control over my life. As he watches me live my life based upon the lies he had told he is gently pulling puppet strings and controlling me ever so subtly. It almost becomes a game, to see how many lies he can have going at a time, how much bullshit he can convince people is real. My wife is at the point of telling me that I need to get over whatever problems I have with him so we can convince him to move back home. I never threw him out, I only demand he exhibit a basic level of respect. I wish him well, and he is welcome home at any time, but he knows the rules and the consequences.

 

So that might have been on my mind while I was struggling to focus during this last class. I dive into my hobbies at times like this. The fantasy/reality of the lunar mission, dieting (I have lost 36 pounds since late July), exercising, playing with the kids, turning the garage into a workshop, and and examining myself internally and externally to try and make my relationships with my other kids turn out happier than they have with Garrett.

 

Life is long. Dreams grow and fade. Mistakes are made and we move on to try again. Here's to trying again... ;) :D

 

Bill

[TheBigDog]

I have been a rare sight in these parts lately. I am quite overwhelmed by life at the moment, but I feel compelled to take a few moments to post on this thread.

 

I have completed by first year of college. Seems like I just started, but a year has passed. Ten classes done and a GPA of 3.9; not bad for a guy who failed high school. So now I am officially a sophomore, and the tougher classes begin this year. But right now I am looking forward mostly to Christmas, and the only two weeks of the year free from classes. I am wiped out, and I need the break.

 

More to come...

 

Bill

[InfiniteNow]

Way to go, Bill. Your GPA is impressive, especially when considered in light of your job and familial duties. Seriously... Way to go man... what percentage of your overall are you done now?

 

 

I am beginning classes for my second degree, which will be in Chinese , as of next month, and my company is paying for it. I am nervous, going back to school for another degree while being such a large part in such a large project at work, but I think it's a good investment for my future. Thanks for leading the way, sharing your stories, and helping me to find my own inspiration.

 

 

Happy holidays. :)

[Pyrotex]

I ...have completed my first year of college....

DUDE!!! SWEET!!!

 

Congratulations, Bill. :):):) Proud of you, my boy!

[Buffy]

Yay! Way to go Bill! :)

 

My not-so-little one is getting big enough that I'm having to start studying again. I can handle the Algebra, but I'm having to brush up on my Roman and Byzantine history at the moment. And I gave her "Gulliver's Travels" for Hanukkah! "How do you pronounce Houyhnhnms, Mom?" So now I have to start reading ahead of her...

 

Good luck Soph! :) ;) :cheer:

Buffy

[Freddy]

Keep up the good work Bill!

[TheBigDog]

Howdy Hypography!

 

I have been pretty busy, still. Work, home, school; life in all of its diverse glory has been keeping me away from these hallowed threads far too much, but having gotten a solid hour of sleep last night with another hour until I tuck in the kids tonight it seemed like a good time to stop in and give an update.

 

I have now completed 11 classes, for a grand total of 34 credits of the 120 I need for graduation. But the big news is this... I made the Dean's list! For the first time in my life I have received academic recognition, and it is a pretty cool feeling. I have finished all of my general education type courses, with a few I opted out of to take the CLEP test instead. I am in my first course related to my major, which is Organizational Management, and it feels great to be studying something that is directly building critical skills that I need for advancement at work.

 

And speaking of advancement at work. My boss left the company a couple of weeks ago, and I am making a big move to step into his role. I am more than ready for the job, but now I need to make the transition actually happen. Of course my workload jumped through the roof when he left, so I am really stretched thin professionally right now, but that will pass.

 

It feels good to come in here and type. I hope to be seeing more of everyone in the springtime. Until then, cheers everyone!

 

Bill

[Buffy]

:hihi: :) :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer:

 

Woohoo! Big congrats, Bill!

/forums/images/smilies/banana_sign.gif

 

You've certainly earned it! Now go show 'em who's boss!

 

Graves at my command have waked their sleepers, oped, and let 'em forth by my so potent art, :shrug:

Buffy

[Turtle]

:cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :cheer:

 

Woohoo! Big congrats, Bill!

/forums/images/smilies/banana_sign.gif

 

You've certainly earned it! Now go show 'em who's boss!

 

Graves at my command have waked their sleepers, oped, and let 'em forth by my so potent art, :hihi:

Buffy

 

I couldn't have said better myself! No...really. :cheer: You, and Will, know I'm going to try though. :doh:

 

Nicely rowed Bill. :shrug: Navigate thee by thy stars, and forgeteth not thy anchor. :eek2: :)

[freeztar]

Awesome, Bill! :shrug: :hihi:

 

Congrats on your accomplishments and may they (continue to) bring you much success, both professionally and personally.

 

I'll echo Buffy's confident declaration of your impending boss status. I have no doubt that you will make an excellent leader.

 

:)

[TheBigDog]

How the might do fall. It was at my last posting that I mentioned I had made the Dean's list. On my very next class it appears that all hell has broken loose.

 

I have been mostly absent from here lately due to some pressing affairs at home, and they were keeping me quite busy. During my MGT 330 Management of Organizations class I started to slip a little. In the first week I did not get my work due on Thursday turned in until Sunday. As a result I received half credit getting only 3.5 points instead of 7 (out of 8 possible) for the work. The next week I was even later, and turned in my Thursday work on Monday, the last day of the week. While I completed the tasks I did not participate in online conversation, and did not give others the opportunity to respond to my own work, so I received no points, 0 (out of 8 possible). At this point I realized I really needed to pick myself up by the bootstraps. I had already missed 12.5 possible points of the 100 available for the class. I wrote to the professor and inquired about extra credit (in a cleverly written note entitled "grade grubbing" and was simply told that none was available. Realizing I had made a rather sloppy bed I prepared to sleep in it. I dedicated myself to making damn sure I still got a B in the class.

 

Well, on the last day of class I left work early and went to library to finish my final paper. Turns out that the library was closed for President's Day, so I went home to bull through it there. I kept at it all through the evening and into the night, writing and rewriting and editing to make sure I turned in an excellent paper. I was sitting on 59 points, with 25 available for the final paper I could still get an 84 for the class (I had missed a couple of stray points on what I through were rather ambiguous quiz questions, but that is another story). So I am diligently working on the paper when I notice that it is 2:45 AM. I decide to go over the formatting of my citations before I save and submit the paper. As I was polishing that formatting I was still making some grammatical and edits and tweaks to the phrasing to make the flow feel good. Looking up I noticed that it was 3:07! The deadline for the class was 2:59 (11:59 pacific time). So I saved and submitted and went to sleep.

 

The next week I checked every day to see when my grade was posted, and the fact that there was a 0 for the score did not bother me too much as there was no score in the "average grade for the class" section. By the weekend the average grade for the class was up to 9.48, and I was still showing a zero, so I decided it was time to write to the professor. Sure enough she gave me a zero because my paper was timestamped Tuesday, which means it missed the deadline.

 

This really sucks. More than the grade, I need a C in the class to be reimbursed by work. The tuition for this course is $990, and the book was around $110. So the zero on the final paper might end up costing me $1100 dollars. The REALLY sucks. What is even more aggravating is that enforcement of deadlines is at the discretion of the instructor, so she could just as easily choose to give me full credit for the paper (or any credit for the paper), but she chooses to give me a zero. To further salt the wound, this week the average grade for the class has risen from 9.48 to 11, which means she is changing SOMEBODY's grade.

 

Needless to day I am appealing this with the proper authorities at the school. I am very hopeful that I am going to get at least 11 points for the paper in the end. I would still like to get 21 or more and see a B for the class. I can understand the points missing when I essentially missed class (as much as you can in an all online format), but the zero on the final paper for missing the deadline by just a few minutes, that is just rude.

 

So after some rather well written appeals to the school I saw today in my current class a posting of the school's policy for late submissions. It turns out that the school accepts papers up to three days late, but each day late constitutes a 10% penalty on the grade. So with that knowledge I am confident that my paper will be graded. I just hope I didn't say something along the lines that makes her give me 12 points on the paper, then deduct 10% leaving me 0.2 points short of reimbursement. Then I might understand why people go postal.

 

I'll update when I have news.

 

Bill

[freeztar]

I can relate to that somewhat.

 

When I was in my juniour year at college, I signed up for this really cool class about comparative literature. The class size was set at 60 people. When I got in there, there were far more than 60 people. The teacher systematically weeded out a dozen or so people. It was down to 63 people at that point.

 

He cut me the next day. I appealed to him and we had private meeting. I expressed my dismay at his ruling and my enthusiasm for his subject matter, to no avail. So, three weeks into the semester I all of a sudden had 1/2 my credits (the class was worth 8 credits). I sought an advisor and she was able to cleverly sneek me into a class called "Trash" (I shite you not). It turned out to be a boon. The focus of the class was examining man's impact on the natural environment. It's during this time that my formative opinion regarding climate change developed.

 

I acceled in the class, but in the end, one of the teachers gave me 1/2 credit. I appealed. (it gets old ya know) :)

 

I had a private conference with her. It was scheduled for 1/2 hour, but I kept debating her for 1 1/2 hours. She finally conceided and gave me full credit. She was attempting to punish me for the school's own poor administration. I was ready to go to the dean, but fortunately it didn't come to that. After she finally agreed to give me full credit she admitted that she felt guilty and manipulated. I still feel kind of bad about that. I did give it to her good (she wasn't capable of arguing logically). :)

 

The whole point of this is that you have to fight for your grades sometimes. I'm glad you stood up against them BD instead of giving into the feeling of failure. If you get a zero, FIGHT IT!!

 

Cheers mate,

freez