Graduation!

I was so excited that I forgot to post about my upcoming graduation. I completed the database administration program and am awaiting the day I collect my degree. It’s pretty exciting let me tell you. It just goes to show that you can teach a dog new tricks. Now I am working towards a transfer to a 4-year insitution and eventually a Bachelor of Science degree. It’s going to be a long, long road but well worth it I’m sure. Luckily, I enjoy every class I take! Right now I’m taking a Data Warehousing course and brushing up on my math skills. That should keep me out of trouble until spring. After that, it’s anyone’s guess!

Winter Break

Well here we are in December. The Fall quarter ended a couple weeks ago. That Philosophy of science course turned out to be very challenging. I enjoyed it but managed only a B+ grade. My C# class final took more time than I had anticipated and between getting married the week before finals and coming down with a bad cold I found myself putting out less than 100% during finals.

 I can’t wait until Winter quarter because I will be taking some gritty courses geared towards my specialty which is database administration. I have to admit that since last job amounted to database administration without the title the technical classes have been pretty easy. I know that they won’t be forever and I have to resist the urge to plan my work assuming I can do what should be a week’s worth of work in 8 hours. I am also taking a Micrososft Server admin class which should be useful. You never know when the need to set up a server could arise. With any luck I will be able to tackle that blindfolded three months from now.

Let me gather my thoughts…

Please excuse me while I acquaint myself with this blog setup. There always has to be a first of something. This is the first post of this blog. I’ll keep it short since I have homework to do. I lost my job in March of ‘06. The state of WA is helping to retrain me so that I will find more opportunity on the job market. I’ve decided to switch gears at the ripe old age of 42 and become a database administrator. This isn’t much of a reach for me because the duties at my old job included database administration. I only lacked the title and formal training. This makes many of the technical classes quite easy for me.

The humanties courses are a bit more of a challenge. Luckily, I enjoy a challenge and have been maintaining a 4.0 grade point average. It also helps that I  enjoy learning and find each and every class interesting. Who knew that intercultural communications would be so much fun?

This quarter I am taking my first .NET course which covers old ground for me but fulfills a requirement. I’m also taking a technical writing class which I think will help me a lot. I’ve never been a great communicator and that’s what this class is all about. My third class is the science of philoshophy. That’s a bit of luck for me. This class covers an area that’s been an area of interest to me for years. I started a large skeptic website 10 years ago called the Skeptic Friends Network which promotes skepticism, critical thinking, science and logic as the best methods for evaluating all claims of fact. The syllabus for the science of philosophy is a lot like that. I’m also taking an algebra class just below the college level to bring my math skills up. Hey, it’s been a long time since I took math in high school and I’ve forgotten an awful lot. That should keep me out of trouble for a couple months!

Oh, and besides this I am getting married in November. I’m sure there will be more to talk about later. Stay tuned!