14A - Halfway Reflection

1) I’ve been able to keep up with this course by setting a stringent timeline for completion of tasks. The weekly repetition has helped me fall into a routine that works. After completing my blog responses and taking the weekly cupcake on Sunday’s, I look at what I need to complete by Friday at noon. If it involves reading a book or doing interviews, I figure out which nights after work are best for me to complete those tasks depending on my work schedule. I then repeat that schedule weekly. Saturday’s are set aside for doing something with my family and studying for my Business law class.

2) After 20 years of putting college aside and believing I could be successful without a degree, I came to the realization that it could actually help my advancement and would be a great role model to my son who is in elementary school. The financial payoff of the cost of college versus improved wages at my age is still up for debate but I made the decision to start anyway. That was 2016 and I had never taken a college course in my life. I had attended a college preparatory school for many years but dropped out and graduated from public school due to family issues and a revolving door of home addresses around town for a couple of years. I found out I did not retain much math knowledge over those 20+ years and my credit earning classes would be delayed while I took remedial math classes that wouldn’t count towards my degree. I considered giving up again and up until I took the first class in the remedial math class I was considering not getting started. Once I started that first class, I had gone farther than all the times I talked about starting previously. My son asked me how school went and then talked to me about his school that day. It was enough to get going. I haven’t looked back since. I’ll be done in 2021. I’ve completed large projects in my professional life and dealt with many people with MBA’s. I know a degree doesn’t mean someone is smart, has good ideas, or is a good employee. It only means they did what they needed to get the degree. I’m doing it and working at the same time with a family.

 3) My three tips are to set and accomplish small short-term goals as well as long term goals. There need to be checkpoints along the way so you can appreciate what you have accomplished and check timelines for your long-term goals. Don’t set a specific time to compete schoolwork. Set a range of hours as possible times to do it. Let yourself choose the portion of that time you want to do the work. You may feel like getting it over with one day and may need some extra free time before starting the next. Both are ok because you are still on track within the time window you gave yourself. The first time you want to push everything to the last day and the last minute, tell yourself you’re not going to suddenly feel like doing it tomorrow and just start now.