My personal goal of earning a bachelors degree is very important to me because I failed to complete an associate’s degree ten years ago. I know that Interior Design it is going to be a fantastic adventure to experience working with various elements such as fabrics, furniture, and lighting which will open up a whole new world to design and explore.
I feel that it is imperative to always have a goal and to stay committed and focused no matter how long or turbulent the road is to achieve it. I know that I am a great example of personal strength and perseverance. I will complete my bachelor’s degree online in seven years from now which may be a long road for some, but well worth the struggle.
January 2008 - Posts
-
I am almost through week four of five and a half week class session for schoo, and I can’t wait for it to be over. Theory and development of form is turning out to be a boring class for me and I don’t understand why it would be a required class for my degree program, but I continue on the journey. I personally can’t wait for the class to be over.
Today at work was a tough day for me, I want to cry and quit. I had a phone teleconference and my supervisor made a comment directed at me that was totally unprofessional and uncalled for. It put me in a foul mood the rest of the day. On Monday, my director called an impromptu meeting and asked if there was anyone in my department interested in extending their exit day past the end of March, but after today, I don’t know if I could last much longer. People in my department are getting more defensive and insecure and the days grow shorter. I deal with stupid, incompetent people directly and it upsets me that they waste my time with stupid changes to art and copy for days, and then change it back – they really don’t know what they are doing. Unfortunately for them, they have a rude awakening when they will also be unemployed and are looking for employment. Giggling and gossiping aren’t going to get them in the positions that they currently have. I can’t wait. I know that sound vindictive, but it is true and I am sure that everyone has that person or group that are just a bunch of ding bats, it drives me nuts. The environment that I am in is very cliquish. If you aren’t twenty something and go out drinking with the group, you are not respected and you get talked down to like you are no one important. I have much more experience than these bimbos.
Tonight a friend of mine called and asked me to help them update their home to put up for sale. I was tickled pink that they asked me to help them. They are getting married in a few months and want me to update and get the home ready for both of them to live in it so it’s neither his or hers, but theirs. With the real estate market the way it is, they are anticipating living in the house for a year before they buy a new home together. I guess the honor of my friends asking for my opinion and giving me the opportunity to play interior designer will be fun. I guess every day can bring something positive that is unexpected and turn the negativity of a destructive work day to an end. Tomorrow, who knows what that will bring.
|
-
Wow has time flown by since holiday break. I am at midterms already and waiting anxiously for grades to be posted. I have been pretty busy at my full time job and side work. My weeks have been consumed by errands and meetings at my daughter’s school registering for High School. I have also given a lot of extra time for homework and big display projects and reports that are coming due for her.
I had a small break of no work on Sunday and started an interior paint project at home. Painting is therapy for me. When it is midterms or finals, I pull myself away for a few hours and do something that I enjoy whether it is gardening or painting of some sort.
My class so far has been frustrating at times creating 3D forms out of Bristol board, I am really working hard to stay focused and keep my cool when I want to throw my work out the window. There just isn’t enough time in a day to accomplish everything that I would like too.
I still don’t feel so hot health wise. I became sick over Christmas when we were on vacation, and have not fully recovered to 100%. I have an appointment with an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor to possibly get tubes put in my ears so they can drain and clear. My energy level lately is low and I feel tired a lot. Last night and tonight I don’t have homework to do, I was able to find sometime at work to accomplish my assignments. Last night I took my daughter out for a steak dinner to celebrate her grades on her report card and her consistent honor roll status, I am so proud. She is finally starting to mature and understand the reasoning for rules and the consequences for not following them. I try to keep a tight leash on her and keep her grounded. She has really shown initiative on her own to be responsible for her grades. Issues around the house are a different case and become a struggle due to her ADHD. It is frustrating to deal with and I could blow my top with frustration so easily, but I keep my cool.
It gets very hard at times to juggle the hours that I work, and school, along with family, but I feel that there is no choice not to. I cannot give up working or my family, and I will NOT give up school.
|
-
Well, I have made it almost through the first week. My next assignment due tomorrow consists of making a relief form out of balsa wood or presentation board. I have to create the design and draw it out and illustrate where all of the various cuts and folds are. Then I have to actually cut and fold to make it a 3D form. I have never done anything like this before, but that is what school is supposed to do, bring your out of your comfort zone and make you explore new concepts and procedures. I can’t believe that a week of class has gone by and I only have four and a half weeks until finals.
Today at work I was away from my desk and attended the first all day workshop with a company called DBM that helps employees with services such as resume and cover letter writing along with skills to better search for employment. I have about 2 and a half months before the bubble of my comfy little ho hum job comes to an end. I am definitely going to take advantage to the resources available to me. I am going to explore the option of seeking a position out of the Daytona area and perhaps investigate areas such as Tampa, Jacksonville, or even Orlando in hopes of greater stability and income. I am really starting to feel the pressure from so many different people such as our landlord and my family. We are all anxious to figure out where we are going to land or if we will stay put. My husband mentioned that if we could find a more economical living situation, that perhaps I could do school full time instead of part time and finish in three years verses the six that I am looking at right now – definitely an option. Sometimes I wish that I could look into that little crystal ball and see what path is the right one for us to choose.
My daughter brought home an A+ history paper that had the comment that it was the best written paper out of all seven of the instructors classes, god, what an awesome feeling it is to see my daughter excel and receive the high marks for her hard work. My decision to further my education has definitely rubbed of onto her in an extremely positive manner.
Last weekend I had the pleasure of purchasing a new car. I have had my eye on a specific new car for about two years, but figured with my upcoming unemployment, now was probably the best time to do it with the current length of time at my present job. You definitely feel old when you trade in the sporty car for an SUV.
|
-
Man, do I feel overwhelmed lately. This past week has flown by with a lot of little “life” events. I had to sit down with my daughter and choose a high school to enroll her in. In the area that we live in, you can choose any high school to attend in the county and all of them have different career programs based on your child’s interests. Its and important decision for my daughter, but I realistically told her that what she chooses now may not be the path that she ends up taking in life. Really, how many of us knew at 14 what we wanted to do when we grow up, that’s why we are all attending college online. We have decided to further our careers for a better position or maybe even change careers like I am doing.
Work has picked up with project which is great, I have also started attending a career program to brush up my resume and interview skills. I don’t know at this point if I should make the jump to an entry level position in Interior Design to gain the experience and strengthen my education or if I should search for a graphic design job which is what I have done for ten years. If I change careers now, I could start working up the ladder for an established company, but would lose about half of my income. I know eventually I will have to make the leap from my comfort zone, but when is the right time?
I have gotten through the first week of classes and I am still readjusting to allocating time in my schedule for my class work. After getting through this first week, and looking ahead at the assignments, there is a consistency to them. Every week I have definitions for one assignment, discussion questions for the second, and a project for the third. It was fun to be able to view and critique other classmate’s submissions and be a part of their creativity. I have to admit though, it was so nice having winter break. For the first time at the start of this session I have been having a really hard to get excited and staying motivated to attend school. I have this mental struggle every day that I am loosing time with my family and feel guilty for barricading myself in my office every night for either homework or freelance work. I hope that I can overcome these thoughts.
|
-
Back in full swing with the winter semester. I am on my second day of Theory and Development of Form. The objective of this class is an introduction to visual and tactile forms with a focus on the process from concept sketches into three-dimensional forms such as furniture. I am very excited to explore the process of designing home furniture and put my funky unconventional ideas to paper, then construct the model form.
So far we have had two assignments due, the first one in every class is typically just a biography, and my second assignment was a few vocabulary words and creative a visual example of the words. I have looked ahead and it appears that every week I will have a few vocab words to define, nothing too complex. It also looks like I will be constructing three dimensional shapes out of Bristol board. One assignment I have to use balsa wood, and the final looks like I have to construct a furniture piece out of cardboard – it sounds kind of cool.
I have to work out my class schedule for the second session of winter with the admissions office soon. There was a slight misunderstanding of my class schedule request that I need to get finalized. I have had a few classes with an outstanding student in my program that resides in Germany and I tried to register for the same schedule as her, I really enjoy feeding off her positive attitude and creativity. We have started communicating through yahoo messenger and help keep each other motivated when the work load gets a little hectic.
Work is back to nonexistent in the office, which is great because I can utilize my free time with school time and free myself up for my freelance work at night. I am really trying to earn whatever I can financially in anticipation of unemployment in 85 days, but who is counting. Life is back to normal now that school is back in session – lacking sleep and time with the family.
|
|
|
|