Academic Endeavours

I am taking an accelerated degree program for Business Administration. I go to class two days a week. Each class takes 5 weeks and there is a lot of work to do inbetween. After I get my Bachelors next year I plan to continue on for my Masters.

great post Michel. I completely understand your motives, they are a lot like mine. After delivering mail for almost 20 years, the arthritis in my ankle was really starting to bother me and I knew I'd never reach retirement age in that job (notice I said job and not career). I was working full-time and going to school part-time at night (majoring in computer science), and training for my 5th marathon at the same time. Then I broke my ankle again and finally stopped to pay attention to what my body was trying to tell me. The moon was in the correct alignment with the planets or the stars or something like that, because circumstances allowed me to leave my job and return to school full-time. I had watched the economy swallow up a lot of the good tech jobs and wondered who'd hire an almost 50 yr old woman when they could have a 20 something hot shot guy who would probably have tons more experience than I.

Then came 9/11 and I decided I wanted to do something that mattered. For almost 20 years I brought a pile of sh*t to your door and you cursed me for the bills or just threw away the garbage. 9/11 made me realize that life is too short not to live it to it's fullest, we never know when our time is up. My kids are older now, and I was never able to do the things with them that stay-at-home moms do. but they've turned out fine and I owe that to the other moms and dads who WERE there. The ones that teach and provide day care so the rest of us can chase the almighty dollar. So I decided I want out of the rat race and that I need to go into teaching.

I switched my major to education and if all goes according to plan (and what does?), I'll be doing my student teaching in fall of '05 and graduate after that. I've already taken (and passed) the tests required for certification, so I just need to apply for licensure once I finish my degree work. Then I can start my post grad studies! Woo hoo! LOL

again....more than you asked for, but there it is

Two years ago, two weeks before my 42nd birthday, I walked across the stage of the Lyric Opera house in Chicago, IL. and received my Master of Music - Jazz Studies, Performance degree from DePaul University. I perform as much as I can locally and have a private studio of 35 students. I substitute teach for friends on occasion who have "real jobs". I decided I really enjoy the classroom and am thinking about getting a ed. certification. I just don't like the thought of going back to college again. But can't get one without it.

Definitely go back. You'll be amazed at how much more enjoyable education is when you are older and wiser. As for me, I will keep on taking courses even after I have achieved my goal because I like learning and I like the lively discussions with the youg students some of whom are bright as buttons.

I made a promise to myself that I would go back and get my degree before I turned thirty. 13 days before my birthday, I graduated with my brother. I wouldn't trade that day for anything... It is something that can never be taken away. GO FOR IT!

I am a nurse practitioner (Master's degree) and getting ready to go back and get the Ph.D. in nursing. I've always liked research! Just put in my application today to CU.

Wow, quite a group here. I keep thinking that I'll have trouble juggling a FT job, motherhood, and tri training with school, but now that I see how many others do it, I know it can be done! Thanks for the inspiration everyone!

cathy

I'm now chasing my CLU (chartered life underwriter) certification. So in order of importance - I'm a husband and daddy to 3 year old twins, AWANA leader, cpa in tax time, training for a TRI, and studying about 12 hours a week. I'm not exactly sure how much longer I can do this, but it's an interesting experience. The study notes on tape have actually turned my 60 minute each-way commute into some productive time. ;-)

Finally! Sorry, just wanted to start my sentence that way. Anyway, I am currently a full time student in my fourth of five and a half years at a university. Good times I tell ya. I'm going into elementary education, but ultimately want to teach 5-8 grades. Those grades are so much fun and the kids are so great at those ages. I have one more semester in the fall, then I will head home to live with the rents for a few months to do some student teaching, then I will complete my student teaching in the Ausome country of Australia. Yeah, I will spend 8 weeks in Perth student teaching there as well. Then once I get back, who knows what. Maybe I will get a job in my hometown, however, I hear that Colorado is in need of teachers so maybe I will head out there for a little while until the economy picks up again. In conclusion, that is what I'm doing with my life and I hope that it works out. If not I have a back up plan with Cartography. Good stuff. Later.

Cory

I left school at 16 and have worked full time every since. However when I moved to the states I had to go over all the courses I had done over the years and submit them to a couple of Professors in the USA. I now have the official equivalency of A BA in Business Admin and am qualified to teach.

My wife stays at home and my job dictates frequent enough travel and extra time (unpaid!) required to work. That means that I have little time for further education.

I would like to use what time I have to study and have even researched online options.
However for the moment I am restricted to training for a triathlon, and being a soccer coach plus actively partaking in the homeschooling of my kids (well the youngest 2 anyway) this means reading a whole variety of books and spending a lot of time reading in Barnes and Noble. Its not going to get me a certificate at the end but reliving education through the children is challenging! Mind you I can do field trips where I like and call it home schooling. IE Florida at xmas to see the rockets

I took (gasp!) almost ten years to finish my undergraduate degree!! Long (and dare I say, interesting?) story. My major was Ethnic Studies--what that means is the study of race relations in the United States and the global community.

I loved it, but was exhausted from the long haul through college. But now I'm back in the saddle again.

I start seminary in the fall, and in the mean time am putting a few courses under my belt at a local community college, to sort of get back into the discipline of studying again. Currently, my courses are: Swimming, Swimming and Creative Writing. The writing course was sort of a whim, but has been a TERRIFIC experience! Unfortunately, one fo the things that it has brought to light is how little time I have to study!

I basically write from midnight to 3am, three times a week. Ugh.

Dana

Hey, ten years is not too long to get your undergrad degree. I've been stiduomg for my Honours degree since the fall of 1997 and only have 9 of the 20 required credits so far! I had planned to retire last year and go to school full time but I put that on hold indefinitely.

I'm at a liberal arts college, and not sure what I want my degree in. Too bad there isn't a department of Triathlon Studies, no?

I see myself joining my passion for studio arts with something else like politics. Who knows. Political art? Artistic politics? I'm working on it - get back to me in a year.
-S

im almost out of high school, only 21 weeks left! how scary... I want to go to uni for either diagnostic radiography or some type of medical science. Depends on what UAI i get

.::aidan::.

Sirsam, how about Nouveau Impressionist Politicking? Or Poli-Sci-Fi Expressionism? Or even Neo-Cubist Cuban Politics?

Aidan, still in HS?!? It's been a very long time since I've left HS....it was actually during the Canadian Centennial year!!! Yeeech.....

Hey - this is a wild group! Did my doctoral work in psych - trained also at the Jung Institute in Chicago (Evanston) - but had a tech background and worked for IBM many, many, many years ago. Also did a doctoral program in theology and now am distance learning director, and con ed director at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. Teach some, but mainly came to build the distance learning program from ground up. After getting into the fitness routine, falling in love with tri-ing, and gathering up some grad students to make a wholistic journey toward fitness integrating their spiritual/theological studies, I'm in the process of doing a book on wholistic fitness. (Did a couple of tech books and am burned out on that kind of writing. Latest came out in Feb. and is at Brazos Press - here: (hope it comes through - long url)
http://www.brazospress.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=76563D1470D...

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Lara,

I can't stress enough that you do NOT want to take a couple years off before you take the CPA exam. Finish the classes you are required to have to sit for it, take a review course (I took the "Dauberman" course 10 years ago, I think now it's called "Mark's CPA review") and get it out of the way. Once you've passed it, you've passed it and you can forget all the crap that you won't use in the real world. Back when I took it the exam was 4 parts - Theory, Accounting, Audit, & Law. In spring of my senior year I sat for just two parts and passed them, then returned for the other two in the fall. It was a tough exam, if I had waited it would have been even tougher. As each year ticks by they seem to make the exam a little more ugly (which is fine with me since I'm already in ). If you can juggle all that you are, you're obviously a smart cookie and have the dedication to do what it takes, so go get 'em. I sympathize with you on being able to spend time with your family. Because it's tax time I'm working 6 days a week, 12+ hours a day and trying to get some training in and spend time with my wife and twin 3 year old boys. It's an adjustment that the whole family makes and it's not always easy, but somehow we do it. Conquer that exam and then move northward 60 miles or so - we're always looking for new talent.

Good luck.

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Lara,

If you can nail down the tech side and the business side, it'll be like having your own money printing machine in your garage! My partners and I KNOW accounting, auditing, tax, investments, estate planning, etc. but we're certainly not experts on the tech stuff. We hired a guy to be our IT guy and he's a real tech geek but couldn't find his rear end if it had a bell on it when it comes to A&A, tax, etc. And this guy passed the bar exam AND the CPA exam! The title CPA will open doors to you that would have never opened otherwise. Whether it's deserved or not, when you have a CPA behind your name, you carry much more weight. The CMA is great for industry (i.e., not public accounting). Get the cpa and cma.... lordy, I don't even want to think about how much demand you'll be in.

Here's the evoloution of the Mark's cpa review course. Mark Dauberman started a review course school. Staffed it with the best instructors from the universities, and big accounting firms. It was going gangbusters and then a group (Kaplan?) came in and bought it. Mark signed a covenant not to compete (for big $$$ I imagine). Things went wonderfully until the covenant expired and then he started over again - hired away all of the instructors, re-wrote the materials, etc. Almost overnight the Dauberman course folded and Mark's replaced it - an almost seamless transition (much to Kaplan's dismay!). In my opinion (and the opinion of my staff), Mark's is far superior to Becker. I even had a gal on staff who took Becker, was a rep for the company and thought it was wonderful - but she took the CPA exam and crashed & burned on it. She then took Mark's course and scored in the high '80's. She said Mark's was far superior. That's my $.02. Are you still awake after that?

Good luck to you, you're going to do great things. I admire your persistence - I'd like to get my masters so I could teach but I'm too lazy. :-O

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I'll just chime in about the soon to be 14 yr old you'll be dealing with.  Surprise!  He's going to need you around more than ever.  I am doing as much stuff now if not more with Matt as I was when he was 5.  Never mind just because he needs a ride (they're waiting for me right now) but there are times when we even do things together.....and we both enjoy it!

I'm in my second year studying Architecture. I spend about 70 hours a week in studio drawing and making models and squeeze in a part time job and excercise whenever I can. I've got two more years left for my B.Arch. then I'll either take my Masters and become certified as an architect or take an apprenticeship in carpentry and become a contractor... so many decisions.

Hi Jess, where are you studying architecture? My son is just completing his fourth year at Carleton in architecture and will be off doing his Masters soon although he has not decided where as of yet.