25 hours a day...

With this time of year comes family and celebration and a quiet reflection of the year gone by.  It is important to be aware of the things we would have done differently to avoid mistakes of the past.  But above all, this is a time to give thanks for the blessings in our lives.  As adult college students, it is easy to be bogged down in the extra time we spend reading, studying and writing at our Lebanon NH college.  Here is what I am thankful for. 

I am thankful for my family.  Everyday I think about what wonderful people I have closest to me.  My son makes me smile everyday and brings me the most satisfaction I have ever felt.  His sister Ashlee makes me so thankful for new beginnings.  Parents of teenagers can be as difficult to get along with as teenagers themselves.  Our relationship has improved so much in the last year, and the feeling is so sweet.  His sister Emilee still seems to be the human embodiment of the famous theater symbol of the comedy/tragedy mask.  She can be so good one minute and so...so...Emilee the next.  But a great kid nonetheless.

I am thankful for the company I work for.  Hypertherm is a wonderful company, and not just because they are paying for me to go to college.  We consistently rank as one of the top companies to work for in NH, are employee owned and have great benefits and a lucrative profit sharing program.  I have been there for nearly 13 years and expect at least that many more.

I am thankful to Granite State College for providing the opportunity to finally attain the most important goal of my life: to earn my bachelor's degree.  This adult accelerated degree program makes my experience so worthwhile and fulfilling.  I cannot believe I waited this long to start my journey again, but what is important is that I am here, chipping away.  My life has improved dramatically because of my time spent here with my career advancement education.

Strike the iron while its hot.

Make hay when the sun shines.

Our language is full of phrases that express the best time to go for an opportunity, which is when things are going the best for you.  There is a lot of wisdom to these sayings, because when the dominoes are falling the right way, our attitude is in the right place.  With the right attitude come positive thoughts and actions, so it easy to move on to your next challenge with the confidence and tools that you have picked up along the way for success.

But if there were never tough days, there would never be good days.  In my initial blog post, I talked about being recognized as a smart guy, but as I climbed within the organization at work, I seemed to hit a glass ceiling at a certain point.  I remember the day well.  I applied for a new position in Customer Training that attracted 65 other applicants.  After many rounds of interviews and mock presentations, the job came down to myself and one other applicant.  The hiring manager asked the both of us to make one more presentation to help him decide who to hire.  After this bonus presentation and so many interviews, he expressed to me how he believed either one of us would be great for the position, so he decided to let his decision be made by who looked best on paper.  He told me that my lack of a degree was one less box checked for me, and thus was the deciding factor in me not getting the job.  Of course this was meant to cushion the blow, but still I was crushed.

That was the day I decided that my lack of a career college training would never be used as a reason not to hire me ever again.  Out of the despair of this news, I gathered myself and reapplied to Granite State College to take part time classes.  Rejection was fuel for the fire; the fire still burns. 

I still work for that great company, and I look forward to the next opportunity that comes my way to share my strengths and talents, combined with the education I am shaping and receiving at my Lebanon NH College.  My day to make hay is coming!

Use your academic advisor for EVERYTHING - this person is your lifeline to Granite State College.  They can tell you where to get adult financial aid information, which classes to take and how to enroll.  Never let confusion or questions interrupt you mission to success!

Plan your degree - GSC has all of the classes they will offer through the spring of 2012 posted at this link:  http://rockon.granite.edu:8080/courseofferings/index.html

Plan each week - Each Sunday evening I take my calendar out and write down each commitment I have for that week, from work schedule to my child's schedule to individual homework assignments.  Each morning I look at it so I know what I have to get completed on that day.  Become good friends with that calendar.

Take an online class - The world is relying more and more on technological advances; don't be left in the dust!  You need to be familiar, if not comfortable, with completing tasks in a virtual environment in order to be successful.

Take a summer class - They are only 8 weeks long instead of the normal 12, and you will earn your degree that much quicker.

Participate - There are opportunities to get involved with the college to build a community.  The Granite State College Council is one way.  And it is a great way to give back.

Recognize your successes - Adult college courses are time consuming, but what better investment can you make in your and your family's future by strengthening your odds of success in your career?  Take your family out to dinner after the term ends.  Tell the kids when you earned an A on a project. 

Have a sense of humor - Whether you want to or not, you will build relationships as a student.  Recently in a class my group was struggling with an assignment.  As we commiserated, we began to laugh about the comedy of errors we had made.  It was a big help to get us back on track.  And keep in mind on the toughest days that there is a 5 week break in between the Fall and Winter terms.  ;)

Here we are in the warmest days of August.  The sun is shining and I am sitting underneath it writing this installment of my blog, having just finished reading a few chapters of a book for my adult college classes.

Class?  In August?!?

Yes.  Some current (and prospective) students may choose to ignore that there are adult college course available all year round.  Sure, it may be nice to take this beautiful time of year off, but for 25-hour-a-day students such as myself, there is no substitute for crossing things off of our to-do list.  That feeling of accomplishment is a feeling that can rarely be replaced.  It provides a sense of purpose and completion. 

As mentioned previously, I love learning and being a student at Granite State College.  But let’s be real, there are many things I would prefer to be doing over going to school.  Hanging out with my son, swimming in the cool Mascoma River and working on my yard are at the top of my list.  I do still get to do all of those things, but only in the purest forms of moderation, as my time must be split between things I must do and things I would prefer to do.  By taking summer classes, I can ensure that I will finish school in a shorter time period (the four summers I am taking classes are shaving two full terms off my time in school).

And the sooner I can cross “completion of Bachelor’s Degree” off my to-do list.  :)

Part of my self-imposed responsibility of blogging for Granite State College is sharing my individual experience with readers.  I believe I have many of the same concerns and fears that other current and prospective GSC students may have regarding aspects of college life as an adult, so as I share mine, you may find you relate, or the gumption to try something new. 

I recently blogged about alternative course delivery options that my Lebanon NH college has, and in the spring term that I just completed, I took a five week intensive class.  I had lots of questions going into this class, such as...where would I find time to take a class in five weeks that required the same amount of material be learned as a 12 week class? 

In all honesty, this was a bit of a challenge.  Each week of class required reading a chapter in our text book (not out of the ordinary for any class, regardless of intensity), but we also had to take two quizzes per week, write an essay paper each week, write a longer paper for the end of term, as well as the standard discussion board participation required when you take college classes online.  As I learned in the economics class I took a year ago, every decision we make requires a trade off: if I get out if bed in the morning, I will miss sleep.  But I will also lose my job, so I make the decision to get out of bed.  Sure, taking a class with this much work did create some pain in my life, but it also allowed me to shorten the length of time I spent studying, which ultimately was the big payoff.  I am taking two classes per term until I earn my Bachelor's Degree, so for the first seven weeks of the term, I only was taking one class, which allowed me to focus more time on other important parts in my life, like spending time with my son and working out.

The class I took was called Comparative Religions.  This was a great opportunity to learn about the major religions of the world, as well as how locally spirituality is experienced.  New England consistently rates in the bottom of the country when surveyed about church attendance, so when a requirement of this class had me visiting a house of worship, it will be no surprise to you that this was my first visit to a church in over eight years.  It has been said that college is not only a great avenue for career advancement programs, but also has the distinction of giving people a different view of the world through giving them a well-rounded education.  In this case, my view has taken a dramatic turn because I found a church to visit that spoke to my heart so much that I have become a regular member.  That was not the intention of the class, and my grade was not impacted by my decision, but if not for college, I never would've considered attending, much less joining a church. 

Whether trying something new for you means taking a five week intensive class or challenging yourself to try something frightening and different, the experience is what makes the journey so valuable.  Live life.

The calling card of successful people is that they can influence the thinking of others in a constructive and positive way.  Successful people also should be able to manage their time, knowing when it is appropriate to commit to requests for our time, as well as when it is alright to say "no".  Of course, we all want to consider ourselves, or at the very least are on the path to becoming more successful.  We individually have images in our head of what it means to be successful, but a common misnomer is that it is a mistake to seek out assistance from time to time.  Asking does have its downsides, as it requires us to be humble.  It conveys to people that we do not possess every strength, every amount of intelligence that is available to us;  it exposes our weaknesses.  Also, asking for help says that we do not have all the time in the world to do everything we want or need to do; our time management skills require significant exercising.  The mark of successful people is knowing when it is appropriate to ask.

At Granite State College, there is a wonderful support system set up just for students.  The pinnacle of the support system consists of our academic advisors.  Their job, according to a recent press release, is to "meet with potential students who are interested in GSC, lending assistance and guidance through the admissions process. Once enrolled, students work closely with academic advisors on course and degree planning."  My advisior, Kate O'Neill of our Claremont NH College, has been a wonderful blessing to myself and the other students of our region.  Kate has gone above and beyond her duties to not only be available for a phone call each time I need her, but has anticipated my needs by letting me know about available classes coming up that fit into my schedule and are required by my degree.  When I wanted to plan out my academic path during the Fall term of 2009, Kate helped me to find a listing of all online classes for college extending out through the Summer term of 2011.  For a student like me who values having an operational plan like this, she turned out to be a great resource.  I highly recommend anyone in school now or anyone considering enrolling at Granite State College to take advantage of their academic advisor.  Not only is it their job to be the true "customer service representative" of the school, but they love what they do.  Thanks Kate!

This spring term is a significant one for me for a couple reasons.  I am on track to earn my Associates Degree in June, and I am continuing on with my plan of taking two classes per term (the significance of this can not be overlooked). An explanation will follow...

When I chose to leave Keene State in June 1997, I told myself I would return to school, that I was just leaving for a break.  Of course I attempted to keep that pledge true.  I took a class with the College Of Lifelong Learning in 2002, but did not continue.  Again, I enrolled in the adult education program and took one more class in 2005 but the reality of having a new baby son again had me reconsidering my idea.  In the summer of 2008, I returned to Granite State College, this time for good.  What was different?  I was in the middle of interviewing for a newly created position at my company, and two things were quite clear to me: 1-I was being seriously considered for this position of high visibility and responsibility and 2-my lack of degree completion was a major concern.  At this point I decided there was no more room for excuses, and it was time to set my sights and accomplish this goal I had set for myself so long ago.  In hindsight, I am thankful for this commitment I made, because my current position is being moved to a new region of the world at the end of the calendar year, and without a degree, I would most likely be moved into a position with a lower pay grade and fewer opportunities to advance up the ranks. 

Why is the fact that I am taking two classes this term again a significant milestone?  When I found out a year ago in the summer of 2009 that my current position would be leaving our US based office, my leader made it very clear that it would be a tough sell to get me a position with the same level of responsibility and pay without a degree.  He encouraged me to double up on classes to ensure the attainment of my Associate's Degree by the end of 2010.  Around this same time, a significant change in my life forced me to pick up a part time job.  From late August to the end of the winter term in March, I cursed the decision.  I had zero time to do things I really WANTED to do, but I recognized the important message I was sending to my leader, as well as the great friends I have made at my part time job.  Alas, I seriously considered not taking two classes per term anymore, until I realized the myriad course delivery options available at Granite State College.  This term I am taking (along with my normal 12 week class) a 5 week intensive class (delivered through online classes for college).  This class will begin later this term so I look forward to blogging about my experience.  Now I can finish school sooner and still have time in my life for friends and activities that make me happy and fulfilled. 

It is important to begin school at the right time in your life, but consider that there is never a "perfect" time.  It is a real commitment, and beginning sooner rather than later can only benefit you.  Also, for people concerned about the intrusion in their life that this comittment will engender, realize that you can take 5 week classes or even weekend intensive classes that deliver accelerated studies, yet allow you to minimize the time requirement.