School Updates

 Okay, these past couple of weeks have been hectic with all the school information and such. Anyway, here's what's happening.

 I was finally able to sit down with a counselor to discuss my goals and such and my plans for graduation. She looked over everything, and told me "Okay, the waiting list for the radiation tech program is 2 years. After 2 years, if you get in, you'll be able to start the program. But until then, you can always take other classes."  Wait, what? 2 years? So let's see. I play around in school for 2 years in HOPES I get into the program. That's like 4 years to even finish. I can be done with my bachelor's degree in 4 years. No need to waste time. I know the nursing programs have waiting lists, but this? This is more for someone who's in high school planning ahead. Sigh.

  She did tell me the biotechnology degree doesn't require any waiting or programs, but informed me I'd have at least 15 units per semester full of high level math and chemistry classes; plus all the gen. ed programs. I thought about that one. But even in biotech, I'd need a higher degree.

  So, I walked out a little bummed about the whole thing. I considered other courses from the college, but realized the only appeal of driving an hour to school was for that one specific program. I decided the smartest thing to do was to look at what my college (a few miles away) has to offer. I let Gary know, then came home to check things out.

 Most of the programs I came across didn't really appeal to me. Sure, there were a lot of sciences, but even with these ones, careers in those fields would require me to at least get a master's degree. I haven't planned that far ahead and I'm not too sure if I want to go down that field. Don't get me wrong, the school has wonderful programs, but nothing I felt would be worth the money without going to school forever. Computer science is always good and handy, but getting an associates in CS doesn't really do much when I can just buy books and learn from home (Gary tells me this anyway).

 Finally, I came across something that didn't really grab my attention but I kept scrolling back up to. A science degree in automotive technology. Not exactly what my dreams were all about. But for some reason it kept calling out to me, and the more I thought about it, the better it seemed. It's hands-on (which I'm good at), doesn't require people skills (again), and it's a very valuable thing to learn. Even if I wasn't working later after graduation, I'd still have a skill that could save us hundreds of dollars in car repairs and mechanics. Not only will I get a degree in the program, I'd also be certified upon graduation to start work. Not too bad, right? While I was reading the requirements and information, Gary glanced over my shoulder and said, "Ooh, go for that one! Do you realize how valuable it is to learn something like that? We'd save hundreds if not thousands in car repairs; not to mention we'd know what we were getting into when buying cars, and you'd be able to start your own business if needed (if we lived out in the boonies someday on a ranch). You could even help people in the ward." While Gary was going off about how happy he'd be if I learned this stuff, I had everything transferred over to this college. Financial aid, orientation, assessments, etc. Now I'm ready to begin this fall.

 I know, rather a dramatic change, but I'm still determined to graduate with something I can benefit from. Since we have old vehicles, I'd be able to practice on them during my free time. Like I said, I didn't grow up wishing to go into this field, but with today's world, I can at least have something I could greatly benefit from (and my family). When Gary and I were watching The Colony some months ago (the show where they get people and throw them out in a closed-off area of the world and force them to survive on their own for several weeks), one of the girls from the most recent show was a mechanic. There were able to accomplish so much because of her skills. Of course, she grew up building cars, so her skills would far exceed mine, but still. So eh, just a thought.

 Anyway, that's the new update.