It has been a long time since I have posted. I have done so much since April. Where to begin......well I have completed the following courses:
EGC1
CGC1 (hardest class by far! recommend that students get the 2nd attempt questions and answer those and use that as a study guide)
FNC1
AUO1
MKT1
ACA1
FNT1
EGT1
The classes that I have remaining are:
TPV1(so far the most boring course, test is at a testing site and cannot be taken via online proctor)
CMO1
BGA1
and CAPSTONE (QCT1)
I also started a new position in June. I was able to obtain a position as a tax associate for an international electrical supply company. I am also their bookkeeper for their 3 subsidiary companies. It keeps me very busy and I am thoroughly enjoying being able to apply what I learned and continue to learn at WGU at work. My goal is to be done by the end of this term which is the end of January.....wish me luck!!!!
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Interview, but no luck!
Update....
I had an interview for a position as a teller at a local credit union. The initial interview went well and I was called for a second interview. It went very well until it came to the part of them asking if I lived close to the branch area (it is in an industrial, out of way area) and I stated that I lived on base. This may have been a mistake, because the follow up question was, how long can you commit to us? I answered honestly and stated that I would love to commit as long as physically possible but that as a military spouse we are unaware of how long we will be in a certain location. I refuse to lie about this part of my life, but I have yet to find a way to answer this question that will not hinder me. So of course, the following Monday, yesterday I received an email stating that they decided to go another way. In all honesty I can't think of any other reason that I did not get the position. Although part of me wants to deny that people will not hire military spouses just because we will have to leave.
Again, I will not let this keep me down. On to another day and hopefully another interview and even better yet a job offer!!!!!
I had an interview for a position as a teller at a local credit union. The initial interview went well and I was called for a second interview. It went very well until it came to the part of them asking if I lived close to the branch area (it is in an industrial, out of way area) and I stated that I lived on base. This may have been a mistake, because the follow up question was, how long can you commit to us? I answered honestly and stated that I would love to commit as long as physically possible but that as a military spouse we are unaware of how long we will be in a certain location. I refuse to lie about this part of my life, but I have yet to find a way to answer this question that will not hinder me. So of course, the following Monday, yesterday I received an email stating that they decided to go another way. In all honesty I can't think of any other reason that I did not get the position. Although part of me wants to deny that people will not hire military spouses just because we will have to leave.
Again, I will not let this keep me down. On to another day and hopefully another interview and even better yet a job offer!!!!!
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
RWT1
RWT1/Business Research and Writing
I completed this class today and although it was not extremely difficult it did take some time. I would say that the majority of the time is spent reading your sources and interpreting them. Next would be the actual researching of sources. You really want to make sure they are credible sources. Once you have these solidly in place, you should have no problem deciding how to go about your paper.
The source document is easy and is essentially your reference page. Have this done before you even begin to write anything in your paper. Then mentally be cognizant of what it is that your task is (depending on what scenario you picked).
My biggest tip was what I failed to do when I first submitted the task.....use sub headings!!!! Use it on EVERY are! For example: Introduction, Summary of finding 1, Summary of finding 2, Summary of finding 3, Analysis of findings, Recommendations, Conclusion....you get what I mean....I had mine sent back to me for this. Save yourself some time and add them in.
Oh also, for any of you that don't have Power Point of Keynote, Google presentation is free and you can just upload the link for the presentation part. I have found that some people know this and some don't. Don't go out and buy a program, this works perfectly!
Here's the link to mine for reference:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14EPyP8MybjSyb4ksE1i8zv-X0wLP2UnkaS0sU3sB9a0/edit#slide=id.p
Good luck!
I completed this class today and although it was not extremely difficult it did take some time. I would say that the majority of the time is spent reading your sources and interpreting them. Next would be the actual researching of sources. You really want to make sure they are credible sources. Once you have these solidly in place, you should have no problem deciding how to go about your paper.
The source document is easy and is essentially your reference page. Have this done before you even begin to write anything in your paper. Then mentally be cognizant of what it is that your task is (depending on what scenario you picked).
My biggest tip was what I failed to do when I first submitted the task.....use sub headings!!!! Use it on EVERY are! For example: Introduction, Summary of finding 1, Summary of finding 2, Summary of finding 3, Analysis of findings, Recommendations, Conclusion....you get what I mean....I had mine sent back to me for this. Save yourself some time and add them in.
Oh also, for any of you that don't have Power Point of Keynote, Google presentation is free and you can just upload the link for the presentation part. I have found that some people know this and some don't. Don't go out and buy a program, this works perfectly!
Here's the link to mine for reference:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14EPyP8MybjSyb4ksE1i8zv-X0wLP2UnkaS0sU3sB9a0/edit#slide=id.p
Good luck!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
MGC1....one more class down!
I started MGC1 while waiting for QAT1 results to come back. I finished it today with a 84. I took the pre-assessment without any reading and got a 56. Studied for several days, took another pre-assessment and got an 88! I felt confident in the material and scheduled the final after the first pre-assessment. I knew that I would be able to increase my score and felt like the 5 days or so that it took to get the assessment scheduled was sufficient enough time for me to study. It is a lot of material but I feel like once you take the pre-assessment you get an idea of what the final will cover. So I focused on these areas. I also found this flash card link that helped a great deal, thanks to the person who made it!
http://quizlet.com/11135032/mgc1-flash-cards/
One more class done, working on RWT1 and will have it ready to submit tomorrow!
**TIP...I've found that if you want to accelerate, it is a great idea to start working ahead on other classes even if not yet assigned to you by your mentor. I feel like it is chipping away at the classes, instead of focusing all your time on one class. If you are not good at multi-tasking, this may not be a good idea for you.
http://quizlet.com/11135032/mgc1-flash-cards/
One more class done, working on RWT1 and will have it ready to submit tomorrow!
**TIP...I've found that if you want to accelerate, it is a great idea to start working ahead on other classes even if not yet assigned to you by your mentor. I feel like it is chipping away at the classes, instead of focusing all your time on one class. If you are not good at multi-tasking, this may not be a good idea for you.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
QAT1....DONE!!!!
I finally got back my last task (Task 4) in QAT1 and I am ALL DONE! I passed the other 4 tasks a lot quicker. 2 of them came back with minor errors, which I fixed and resubmitted and passed. Task 4 was a little more difficult and not because of the material. It was because I was anxious to pass the class and I resubmitted it without really looking at my mistakes. I was doing silly things like not rounding the decimal correctly and having the right answer where I worked the problem but in the answer block I used a different number. So when I took a minute and spoke to one of the course mentors, I was able to catch the problems and FOCUS. It took me about 2 weeks to get all 5 tasks done and graded (with revisions). If no revisions would have been needed, I probably would've been able to be done in about a week max (that's including 3 days to have it graded). I know that a lot of people have trouble with this class and my mentor told me to set aside a month and a half to work on it, but I LOVE math and numbers. I also aced stats when I was in college for my previous degree and LOVED it. So for any of you out there that may be intimidated....don't be. Just work on it and reach out to the mentors, they are GREATTTTT!!!!
This makes 4 classed completed in less than 2 months. I feel GREAT and want to keep on this pace. I plan on having MGC1 done by 3/26 and RWT1 turned in by 3/26 also. My goal is to have 3 classes done this month!
I know that a lot of people might be thinking that these classes must be easy if I can do it at this pace, but in all honesty these are some of the more challenging classes I have had. Remember....I do have another bachelors from a traditional brick and mortar school. So far in comparison, I feel like I am learning much more information and am forced to learn it; unlike a traditional school where you sit in a lecture hall 2 or 3 days a week listening to your professor or TA, taking notes and a final (asking your friends what you might have missed or cramming the day before a test). I've been there, done that and I didn't really learn, I more or less just memorized. Don't get me wrong trad schools are a great fit for a lot of people. But if I can accelerate my pace, why not?
I have also been applying for several different positions, but no luck......ugggg....it is a little frustrating. I found an internship position with a federal agency but with the sequestration I am unsure if and when they will be hiring. I have also been using craigslist and indeed but again everything wants at least 2-3 years of experience. I am thinking that if I have no luck as I get closer to graduating, I will start calling around offering myself for free work/internships. But I am not so sure how that will go. I have read articles from other military wives that have done this to help keep their skills fresh or to help them in getting into new career fields. Hopefully it will work as good for me as it did for them.
I never thought that I would have this problem. I have always been a hard worker and LOVED working, so not being able to land anything is a little discouraging but I know that if I stay positive something will come my way.
This makes 4 classed completed in less than 2 months. I feel GREAT and want to keep on this pace. I plan on having MGC1 done by 3/26 and RWT1 turned in by 3/26 also. My goal is to have 3 classes done this month!
I know that a lot of people might be thinking that these classes must be easy if I can do it at this pace, but in all honesty these are some of the more challenging classes I have had. Remember....I do have another bachelors from a traditional brick and mortar school. So far in comparison, I feel like I am learning much more information and am forced to learn it; unlike a traditional school where you sit in a lecture hall 2 or 3 days a week listening to your professor or TA, taking notes and a final (asking your friends what you might have missed or cramming the day before a test). I've been there, done that and I didn't really learn, I more or less just memorized. Don't get me wrong trad schools are a great fit for a lot of people. But if I can accelerate my pace, why not?
I have also been applying for several different positions, but no luck......ugggg....it is a little frustrating. I found an internship position with a federal agency but with the sequestration I am unsure if and when they will be hiring. I have also been using craigslist and indeed but again everything wants at least 2-3 years of experience. I am thinking that if I have no luck as I get closer to graduating, I will start calling around offering myself for free work/internships. But I am not so sure how that will go. I have read articles from other military wives that have done this to help keep their skills fresh or to help them in getting into new career fields. Hopefully it will work as good for me as it did for them.
I never thought that I would have this problem. I have always been a hard worker and LOVED working, so not being able to land anything is a little discouraging but I know that if I stay positive something will come my way.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
3 classes done!
I took as passes my final assessment for BNC1! Although it was a little odd. This was the first time that I took a test via online proctoring. It was a lot quicker to get scheduled than a on site proctor, but it felt a little odd. Knowing that someone is watching you when you can't see/hear them.....just made me a little self conscious thoughout the test. I'm sure that after a couple more I will get comfortable, at least I hope so.....
Well this class in recap was ok. As the class mentor says in the beginning not everyone will be interested in it, but you gotta do it. That was me in a nutshell. I found it best to print out all 6 of the practice tests that the mentor emails you (you have to email him first and ask for it along with the other study material, but it is TOTALLY worth it) and follow along with either the pre-recorded webinars or the live ones if one is scheduled at a time convenient to you. But I used the recoreded ones. The mentor Jim Jividen was AWESOME! Although the content was not too interesting to me, he is really good at getting the message across and is a pretty good presentor/lecturer.
I took my first pre-assessment again without any reading or studying and scored a 46 (cut score is a 51). So I took it in stride. We were in Texas and all dealing with my husband's grandmother's passing. Of all of the things that our family had to deal with this was the WORST! I don't know how we did it, but we did. We leaned on one another and decided to celebrate her beautiful life. My poor babies had a hard time but with a lot of reassurance that she was ok and in heaven playing with our dog that passed away several years ago helped them deal with it a little better.
After getting back home, I was able to focus on the course and began to watch the webinars one at a time and complete the practice tests along with the webinars I watched. After all 6 were done, I took the pre-assessment again and scored a 79. I immediately scheduled my final assessment, but did so with the OLP (online proctoring) which I spoke about earlier. I was behind on my goal of completing all 3 classes by the end of the month and need to do some catch up. I passed on 03/07 with a 67. I don't know why my score was so much lower, the only thing that I can think of was that I was a little uncomfortable with the OLP and wasn't able to focus on all the questions. But I passed!!!!
So 7 days behind scheduled goal, but I am determined to make it up on my next classes. Let's see if I can do it?.......I think I can, I know I can, I have to!
Well this class in recap was ok. As the class mentor says in the beginning not everyone will be interested in it, but you gotta do it. That was me in a nutshell. I found it best to print out all 6 of the practice tests that the mentor emails you (you have to email him first and ask for it along with the other study material, but it is TOTALLY worth it) and follow along with either the pre-recorded webinars or the live ones if one is scheduled at a time convenient to you. But I used the recoreded ones. The mentor Jim Jividen was AWESOME! Although the content was not too interesting to me, he is really good at getting the message across and is a pretty good presentor/lecturer.
I took my first pre-assessment again without any reading or studying and scored a 46 (cut score is a 51). So I took it in stride. We were in Texas and all dealing with my husband's grandmother's passing. Of all of the things that our family had to deal with this was the WORST! I don't know how we did it, but we did. We leaned on one another and decided to celebrate her beautiful life. My poor babies had a hard time but with a lot of reassurance that she was ok and in heaven playing with our dog that passed away several years ago helped them deal with it a little better.
After getting back home, I was able to focus on the course and began to watch the webinars one at a time and complete the practice tests along with the webinars I watched. After all 6 were done, I took the pre-assessment again and scored a 79. I immediately scheduled my final assessment, but did so with the OLP (online proctoring) which I spoke about earlier. I was behind on my goal of completing all 3 classes by the end of the month and need to do some catch up. I passed on 03/07 with a 67. I don't know why my score was so much lower, the only thing that I can think of was that I was a little uncomfortable with the OLP and wasn't able to focus on all the questions. But I passed!!!!
So 7 days behind scheduled goal, but I am determined to make it up on my next classes. Let's see if I can do it?.......I think I can, I know I can, I have to!
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
2nd class done! Whew.....
I finish my 2nd class LWC1 (Fundamentals of Business Law and Ethics) today! This class covered a lot content. At first, I didn't think that I would be able to retain all of it. I took the pre-assessment and scored a 62 (the cut score is 60). This was without any studying. I then cracked open the book and began to study amidst all of our moving, cleaning and helping the kids to make the move smooth. I then took the pre-assessment again (WGU gives you 3 attempts at the pre-assessment before you take the final assessment) and scored a 74. I was beginning to feel more confident but I set my goal at 80 before I would schedule my final.
I studied and studied and took my last pre-assessment and did it, I got an 80. So feeling even more confident, I scheduled my final assessment. The only problem was that it took about 5 days (when done by proctor) to get it scheduled, which delayed me in my goal by 5 days. It pushed me into march by the time I had it scheduled. But I passed and scored an 86!
The final assessment had several of the same questions as the pre-assessment, but I found that the final had more situational questions rather than definition based questions. But I think that as long as a student reads, studies and comprehends the material, they should have not problem passing the final.
On to my 3rd class.....BNC1.
I studied and studied and took my last pre-assessment and did it, I got an 80. So feeling even more confident, I scheduled my final assessment. The only problem was that it took about 5 days (when done by proctor) to get it scheduled, which delayed me in my goal by 5 days. It pushed me into march by the time I had it scheduled. But I passed and scored an 86!
The final assessment had several of the same questions as the pre-assessment, but I found that the final had more situational questions rather than definition based questions. But I think that as long as a student reads, studies and comprehends the material, they should have not problem passing the final.
On to my 3rd class.....BNC1.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
My first class....LIT1...DONE!!!
My first term started with being enrolled in 3 classes at WGU, LIT1 (Legal Issues for Business Organizations), (LWC1) Fundamental of Business Law and Ethics, and BNC1 (Organizational Behavior and Leadership. The first class that I completed was LIT1. There were 2tasks which were challenging but not hard. Once the material was read and comprehended, it simply took some time to apply my new knowledge to these 2 tasks.
The 2 tasks took me roughly 2 days of about 4 hours of writing each day (including some revision time). I submitted both tasks and received "4's" on both of them on the first attempt. I was a little nervous as this was my first time to write for a class (using APA citation) in about 7 years. But I did it and was able to complete the class.
Completing the class quickly gave me more time to focus on my other 2 classes. I found that if I focus primarily on 1 class at a time, I am able to accomplish more. Now don't get me wrong, I don't neglect the other class, I simply place more focus on the one that I want to finish first. I set a goal of completing the next 2 classes (LWC1 and BNC1) by the end of February.
This was a pretty intense goal since I had A LOT of things going on in my personal life at this time. We were in the process of closing on our house and moved into military base housing and transferring our daughter to her new school all while dealing with the emotional toll of moving kids.
All in all, February was a high stress and busy month for this mom! Can't wait to see if I reached my goal? Read on...... :)
The 2 tasks took me roughly 2 days of about 4 hours of writing each day (including some revision time). I submitted both tasks and received "4's" on both of them on the first attempt. I was a little nervous as this was my first time to write for a class (using APA citation) in about 7 years. But I did it and was able to complete the class.
Completing the class quickly gave me more time to focus on my other 2 classes. I found that if I focus primarily on 1 class at a time, I am able to accomplish more. Now don't get me wrong, I don't neglect the other class, I simply place more focus on the one that I want to finish first. I set a goal of completing the next 2 classes (LWC1 and BNC1) by the end of February.
This was a pretty intense goal since I had A LOT of things going on in my personal life at this time. We were in the process of closing on our house and moved into military base housing and transferring our daughter to her new school all while dealing with the emotional toll of moving kids.
All in all, February was a high stress and busy month for this mom! Can't wait to see if I reached my goal? Read on...... :)
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Back to the beginning
So here is a quick synopsis of who I am and what I've done....I first received my A.A in Criminal Justice and began working at a Juvenile Detention Center. I then married my husband (who was in the military) and had to quit my job and relocate. I decided to continue my education, received a B.S. in Psychology and soon after graduating had to relocate again (due to the military). I became a probation officer in our new location and it seemed that my degree was paying off. 3 years later we got orders and I had to quit my job again and move. We are now at this current location and have been for the going on 4 years. All during this time, we had 2 children. Working was always in my plans however when you are forced to continuously move and resign from jobs it makes it a little more difficult to land jobs at each new place we go. We are in a city where there are jobs, but not well paying jobs. I have been looking for a job for about 3 of the 4 years we have been here. Every job I find does not pay enough to cover daycare and the ones in my previous field (law enforcement) have unofficially stated that "no one will hire you to spend thousands of dollars in their academy to only loose you 3 or 4 years later", which I can appreciate but it puts me in a difficult situation.
So in short, I have been a stay at home mom now for going on 4 years and I have greatly enjoyed it! However, it is time for mommy to get back to work.....
After a lot of thinking and soul searching, I decided to make a career change (to something more portable and military life friendly). I have decided to go into the accounting field. Now anyone that knows me knows how much I enjoy numbers, finances and saving!
I also decided to get another bachelors degree, in accounting. Since I can't afford to put my littlest one in daycare full time when not working, I looked into online schooling and found an AWESOME school called Western Governors University (WGU). www.wgu.edu I started classes on February 1st and will be logging my experiences and challenges with school, life and family in this blog. I hope that you follow along and that I can be of information or even encouragement to others on the same journey or contemplating this journey.
So in short, I have been a stay at home mom now for going on 4 years and I have greatly enjoyed it! However, it is time for mommy to get back to work.....
After a lot of thinking and soul searching, I decided to make a career change (to something more portable and military life friendly). I have decided to go into the accounting field. Now anyone that knows me knows how much I enjoy numbers, finances and saving!
I also decided to get another bachelors degree, in accounting. Since I can't afford to put my littlest one in daycare full time when not working, I looked into online schooling and found an AWESOME school called Western Governors University (WGU). www.wgu.edu I started classes on February 1st and will be logging my experiences and challenges with school, life and family in this blog. I hope that you follow along and that I can be of information or even encouragement to others on the same journey or contemplating this journey.
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