About Career Blog

Registration

After a great deal of work and credit hours I have finally met with my advisor to be accepted into the education program next spring!!!

With all the requirements being met, I thought all I had to do was show them my grades and everything would fall into place from there. I was definitely wrong!

Wiith registration just around the corner, I can not register for the new education classes until my grades are submitted mid-december. With everyone signing up nearly a month earlier I fear that I will not be able to get into a lot of the classes I need.

I didnt anticipate this would be so stressful and hard, but there are about another 100 kids in my postition. Hopefully I will be lucky enough to get the classes and hours I need next semester.

College stress never ends!!!

Labels: , ,

Posted by Kelly on 10/27/2007 01:37:00 PM
| | Comments (0) | Permalink

Working At Home

So I recently ended my previous job, and soon after found work doing video editing. The new job is better in all aspects, and I also get to work at home.

I've come to realize that although working at home definitely has its benefits, it can make things a little harder on yourself as well. Having to meet a deadline on my own schedule, much like it is for school, gives me the freedom, for better or for worse, to choose the hours that I want to work.

I'd like to think that I'm pretty self-motivated, so having this freedom for a job as well as school hasn't been an issue so far. I'm just hoping that it stays that way, because after college, I'll have to meet deadlines frequently.

Posted by jeff on 10/25/2007 12:25:00 PM
| | Comments (0) | Permalink

Traveling

During the past 9 Days I have flown to NY and CT. Not only is flying and traveling exhausting in itself, it also is very hard to adjust to. For just 3 or 4 short days of staying in one place, I have had to wait in the airport for over 6 hours for a delay.

Not only was I home for a very short period but on top of that we had to make a 4 1/2 hour car ride to Maine for a family wedding. After finally being back at school for a short 8 days in between traveling, I was finally adjusted to being back in NC.

Now, coming back to school again, it is a very hard adjustment to make. I'm in the wrong mindset and miss my family, but know that I need to void out these distractions for the next few weeks to come to do well in school.

Labels: , ,

Posted by Kelly on 10/25/2007 08:19:00 AM
| | Comments (0) | Permalink

Meals Plans = Big Mistake!!

It's mandatory for freshman living on campus to buy meal plans. You can choose from a number of different options, ranging from unlimited to 10 meals a week. I have the 15 meals per week plan. I can't even tell you how much of a mistake that was.

After my first week of living on campus I had already become extremely tired of the food. It's the same ingredients everyday just mixed into different combinations. It's not even good food. It's greasy and gross.

With my meal plan I also get $350 of flex bucks, which is kind of like Disney money. You can spend it at any of the fast food places around campus. We have places like Starbucks, Einsteins and Subway. I'm even bored with these places and I find myself eating off campus all the time. I'm definitely not getting a meal plan next year. The food is bad for you and doesn't really taste good either.

All I want is a home cooked meal. I've never wanted that so badly in my life!

Labels: , ,

Posted by Jen on 10/24/2007 11:41:00 AM
| | Comments (0) | Permalink

Becoming A Teacher

Last Friday, at 9:15 am I arrived at the Elementary school downtown. This was a drastically different experience than any other school I had been to previously.

I worked with many different teachers, some good, but many were very mean to the kids. It was definitely an experience I will remember. There I actually received hands on experience and guidance on what an actual classroom will be like, rather than factual information taken from books.
I saw many different style of teaching, with many different academic levels of children. This was definitely a worthwhile experience that I will remember and who much rather prefer to do.

It made me realize how excited I am to have my own classroom of children. I wish I could just skip through all this boring, repetitive college classes.

Labels: , ,

Posted by Kelly on 10/18/2007 12:40:00 PM
| | Comments (0) | Permalink

When Will I Ever Use This?

So I got on this topic with one of the interns at my doctor's office the other day. We were talking about writing papers, class presentations and group projects, and how, as undergrads we always wondered how any of this would actually help us in the "real world."

And now I can see. No, nobody actually cares about the history of the field, and you will never end up talking about theory or obscure case studies in the work world.

But learning these things are valuable in a different way. You learn how to independently find information, you learn how to back up your arguments if you are proposing a new program at work, and you learn how to appropriately participate in meetings and such.

I wish I had realized these things when I was going through school the first time around, because I think it would have helped me shape my resume when I had no experience to speak of....

Labels: , , ,

Posted by Christina on 10/16/2007 11:51:00 AM
| | Comments (0) | Permalink

I'm sick and so is everyone else.

I have recently realized how easy it is to get sick while living on a college campus. When one of my roommates becomes sick, more likely than not, one of my other roommates will also get sick. There are more opportunities to pass along illness. I feel that the dormitories are the problem. They are festering with germs and bacteria.

There is ridiculously old carpeting with tons of dried up grossness underneath something that one might think was clean, but actually is not. Imagine how many people have walked on the carpet with their dirty and sweaty feet. Imagine all the sick people that must of lived in my room before me and how many sick people are in my building right now. The air conditioners carrying germs from one room to the next.

There's no escaping being sick in college. The only thing you can do to prepare your body for what will inevitably happen would be taking your vitamins everyday and hoping for the best.

Ok so this all better pay off one day-- when I have a great career and have enough money not to have old carpeting....

Labels: , ,

Posted by Jen on 10/14/2007 12:35:00 PM
| | Comments (0) | Permalink

Intern

My boss and I were talking this week about internships and how necessary they are for college grads right now. Everytime I tell my brother or one of my friends that they should get one before they graduate, I always get the same answer. "I don't want to work for free."

This is such a bad frame of mind, because without experience, you will not get a job, not even with a college degree. Well, you may get a job, but not one that will make you very much money. I know. I had to work in retail management for years before people would take me seriously.

Now that I am back in school I have made it a point to get internships and join PRSSA. And this seems to be a better route for me because they just asked me to stay on.

Thinking about this is much nicer than thinking about how our offensive line needs some serious work. boo to that!

Labels: , ,

Posted by Christina on 10/13/2007 07:02:00 PM
| | Comments (0) | Permalink

GenEd vs. Major

It's been hard, lately, to force myself to do the work for my general ed. classes. Last week, I was on-set for several days. The work days lasted 15 hours some days, and I probably slept a total of 10 hours. But despite all of that, I was surrounded in a place and situation where I gain motivation for creating my own work.

I'm not just passing on doing the work for no good reason. I've been working day and night on some projects that are directly related to my future career. I realize that it's essential that I pass the gen. ed. classes to graduate. I'm just finding it difficult to see how doing this work over doing the projects of true importance is of any benefit to me.

Posted by jeff on 10/12/2007 01:25:00 PM
| | Comments (0) | Permalink

Clinical Hours

For the first time this entire semester I finally feel like I'm starting to begin work more closely related to my major and my career.

On Friday I will be observing and hopefully teaching special education students in a public elementary school. From 9-2:30 I will be helping students with special needs and getting prepared for what my future classroom may entail.

With strict dress codes and proper classroom etiquette, I'm both excited and nervous for this experience. Rather than sitting in a classroom and taking notes for hours upon hours, I'd much rather actually go to a classroom and learn from hands on experience.

I feel this is the best way to prepare future teachers and also more exciting. While I do have some experience in a classroom, the school systems here differ vastly from those in Connecticut.

I can't wait!

Labels: , ,

Posted by Kelly on 10/10/2007 03:57:00 PM
| | Comments (0) | Permalink

Get Right

Between working a desk job, always being on the go, and being up until the wee hours of the morning writing papers, I have put on a few pounds. No it's not the grad student 15, or anything, but it's enough that I notice. So I have started watching what I eat (and drink, no more soda!) and going to the gym.
There is no doubt that eating balanced meals improves your concentration, boosts your immune system and keeps you balanced emotionally. There's tons and tons of literature about it. And I feel alot better now that I have started adding veggies to my diet, but is it hard to afford to eat well! Fresh fruits and veggies start to get expensive compared to, I don't know, ramen. Especially because I tend to prefer organic.
As a result I have started budgeting differently, but what do you do to afford your eating habits, other than recognize that Whole Foods can be a dangerous dangerous place full of temptation?

Labels: , , ,

Posted by Christina on 10/08/2007 12:56:00 PM
| | Comments (0) | Permalink

grades

I am lucky this semester because I really don't have midterms. Instead I have three exams in both my classes, plus presentations, and then two papers for my internship. So these past two weeks have been really busy, both with my internship and preparing for exams.

Since I recently quit my retail job, I have changed my study habits. I don't necessarily study more, but I have more time during the day, instead of cramming at night, and as I get my grades back, I am seeing A's instead of B's.

It's interesting, because we all talk about work/school/life balance, but I never realized how much of an impact it makes until now.

I also have time to go see the 'canes play football. Always a bonus!
(gooooooooooooo C A N E S Canes!)

Labels: , , ,

Posted by Christina on 10/04/2007 11:15:00 PM
| | Comments (0) | Permalink

Happy and Sad times.

It was great being able to see first hand the camaraderie that a sporting event can bring to a school. 67,000 people showed up to the game on Saturday and the majority were USF supporters. Go Bulls! We're number 6 in the nation.

Sporting events are not the only thing that can unite a school; the death of a student can also bring a community closer. One of the girls from the sorority Delta Gamma contracted Meningitis and died last week. It was a sad day for us Greeks and the USF community at large. She was only a sophomore. We had a candlelit vigil for her in Greek village and a ton of people came out to show their support.

No one else is reported to have contracted meningitis. Thank goodness, because if two people contracted the virus it would be considered an outbreak. Meningitis is a scary disease and has made me realize that I need to be grateful for my life; it can be taken away at any moment. I just think everyone needs to love each other, be happy and move toward the future :) Please keep the sisters of Delta Gamma in your prayers.

Posted by Jen on 10/03/2007 12:06:00 PM
| | Comments (0) | Permalink