Tuesday, May 27, 2014

pursuing my dreams/ Education habit essay



Mar. 8 Pursuing my dreams: I was reading a Pickles cartoon on Mar. 4, 2014.  It listed things dying people say they most regret.  They are:

-not traveling more
-not pursuing their dreams
-not using sunscreen
-not spending more time with family
-not learning another language
-not flossing

You can click on the link to read the cartoon.

My opinion: All my life I have been pursuing my dreams.

Education:

When I wanted to graduate out of high school on time, I worked so hard, especially with passing math.  My sister tutored me a lot.  I have always wanted to graduate out of high school.  When I was a kid, it was always that you are supposed to grow up and graduate out of high school, go to college, and have a career.

When I wanted to get into college, there was a lot of struggle.  I had to upgrade for a year and then the college applications process was hard too.  I had to get my sister to read and edit my applications.
When I wanted to graduate out of college, I did a year at NAIT and studied graphic design.  It was because I got rejected from the NAIT’s TV program and there were spots available at these other programs.
I didn’t graduate out of NAIT.  However, I did take a few classes in the Arts and Cultural Management program at MacEwan.  It then lead me to Professional Writing.  I did 2 years there and graduated with a college diploma.

Career:

I have worked at the Soup place for 2 yrs and then got laid off when it closed down.  I have been working at my restaurant job for 3 yrs now. 

I have been constantly looking for an office job and I did get one in 2013.  I worked there for some months.

I’m always reading the business section of the newspaper to learn about careers.

Apr. 3 List of successes: At the beginning of 2013, I wrote down a list of successes.  A few days ago, I decided to organize my successes between education, career, job, and writing.

Apr. 4: This is a job email, but it’s also a self-analysis email.

The Simpsons: I was watching The Simpsons episode where the school bus driver Otto lives in the Simpson’s garage.  At the beginning of the episode, Bart gets a new guitar and starts playing it.  Then he quits by telling Homer: “I didn’t get really good at it, really fast, so I quit.”

My opinion: I always have to give things a good shot before I quit.  There are some things like lessons that you can’t get a full or partial refund because you already took 3 classes out of 8.  I’m like that with jobs.  That time I took a job to sell newspaper subscriptions door-to-door.  I signed a contract where I have to work 40 hrs to get paid 100% commission for all the subscriptions I sold. 

I worked a 4hr shift and gave it my best effort.  I sold 3 subscriptions.  I really thought about if I wanted to keep working and I didn’t really want to continue.

May 7 School websites: I was reading the Edmonton Journal found an “EDGE- Education week section.”  It listed some websites: 


Schoolfinder.com: You can sign up for free to create an account and take a career quiz.
Step 1: Take the Quiz
Answer easy questions designed to focus your career goals.
Step 2: Identify Your Career Options
Browse through possible careers found for you based on your answers.
Step 3: Research Careers & Schools
Read detailed career descriptions and learn what each career has to offer in wages, duties and rewards. Research the schools that will launch you into the career of your dreams!

Careercruising.com: This is a good website.  I read it and I feel inspired.  There are sections for parents too.


Scholarships Canada: This is a good website where you can find all sorts of scholarships.


Education habit essay: I was reading in the Globe and Mail on Apr. 10, 2014 called “Breaking the education habit” by Dave Jorgensen.  I went to look it up on the internet so I can copy and paste the excerpts and make my comments.  Instead I found this blog “The View from High Heels” who agrees with the essay.”


I have to type up the excerpts.

“I was in university but had switched my major from psychology to sociology to history, which is to say from useless to pointless to aimless.”

My opinion: A psychology degree could be used to become a psychologist and that’s useful.  As for sociology and history I see that it’s not useful.

“Have you seen those trained seals that can balance on one flipper and push a ball through a hoop?  Imagine if you took one of those and said: ‘All right, Cinnamon, you’ve completed all the tricks we’ve taught you.  It’s time for you to leave the aquarium and live in the ocean.  It’s way colder, there are lots of sharks, and all the skills we’ve been rewarding you for are now completely useless.  Good luck!’  That seal might just be applying for a post graduate program.”

My opinion: Oh my God, that is like my “island comparison” of me trying to graduate out of high school.  Does anyone remember this 2013 post “island/ Bayshore Inn/ low classes”?

Jul. 22 Island: Going to high school is like swimming to the island called Graduation.  My parents wanted me to go this route and swim to the island.  I wanted to go another route like go to Victoria Performing Arts high school, and they won't let me.  If I go to the high school my parents wanted me to go to, the route would be murky water with a few sharks.  As in I wasn't a good and strong swimmer.  My sister went that route and she would be 100 metres away, so kind of close by.  They can keep a watch on me.

The route if I went to Vic would be dark water, with sharks, pirates and sirens.  lol.  There is so much danger over there.  My sister would be 200 metres away.

The analogy is that I'm not a good student.  I had to swim with my sister (she tutoring me in math everyday for hours) and I had to swim behind her.


Back to the essay:

"There is one good reason to go to school:  You want to do something that needs specific skills.  That's it.  Anything else is a hobby.  And going to university while you decide what you want to do is like skipping your skydiving lesson because you want to figure out the parachute during free fall."

My opinion: That’s a good point.  I’m going to put that ending in my inspirational quotes collection.

No comments: