And here we are again. I’m returning to the scene of the crime, but this time with a steadfast promise to complete my objective this time….going to get my Bachelors degree. Finally. Thirty-some years after I should have gotten it, but better late than never, right?
For the past three weeks, I’ve been attending an orientation class. I learned several beneficial things during the orientation, and things that will be used in the future. I’m attending an online university, you see, and I had to learn all about Blackboard and other nifty things that they’ve put in place for us long-distance learners.
All was going well until they threw the bunch of us into small groups and gave us a project to do. We were supposedly stranded on some island and had to find a way off the island, taking only 25 pounds of items with us. We had to explain how we got off the island, the items we took with us and how we survived along the way. I’ve done this particular exercise before, but, of course, not with this particular group of people. And boy, was that fun!
Fortunately, there was another Type A personality in the group and we both logged in right away to get started with the project. We had 1-1/2 weeks to work on it. Four days later, the other two people in our group stumbled into the discussion room. By then, Type A and I had already divvied up the tasks and started doling them out to the latecomers.
By the time they showed up, we had a week left for the project. Needless to say, they didn’t care for the way we were running the show and one of them made snide remarks in the general discussion forum to the rest of the class. They actually posted that they felt others in the group should be understanding while they stood back and just observed for a few days, to get a feel for how the group was working together. What the…..I had flashbacks of being back in not highschool, but grade school. The other latecomer was a bit more professional about it and ended up pulling their weight, but both of them were extremely tardy with their responses in the group discussion, sometimes not logging in for 1-2 days.
Yeah, I could’ve done without the group project. I learned nothing there, except to be reminded, once again, how many people don’t take responsibility for their own actions. They’d rather fault someone else for their own shortcomings. That’s what I deal with at work every day. That’s life. I don’t like it, nor do I want to be graded on it. Fortunately, neither of the two latecomers are in my first two real classes.
I have no doubt that I’ll succeed in college, but I do have doubts about how difficult it will be, and how will I get everything done that needs to be done while still maintaining my sanity. The last time I attended college (in classroom, not online), I was working a full-time job and a part-time job as well as taking care of a house on my own. I lasted 1-1/2 years before nearly having a nervous breakdown and having to withdraw from school. That was nearly 20 years ago. My circumstances are much different now – I’m only holding down one full-time job and I have someone to help me with running the house. (Thanks, honey! This is what being married is all about!)
And so, follow along as I begin this journey to obtaining my Bachelors degree in Accounting. I promise you, it won’t be as dry and boring as some perceive the subject of accounting to be.