Armed with the information I just spent the past three hours looking into, and given a few calculations on what I would be getting into if I went for a nursing degree, I have decided that it would be best for me to hold off on college for a few more months. In that time, I am going to make some calls to some folks in the field of work I want to get into, and take a few courses offered by them over the next few months that would have conflicted with college stuff if I was in college. By the time it is time to apply for college in the spring, I will be far better armed as far as knowing what I actually need, and will not waste $5,000 and a dozen credits going after a degree I might not even need for what I want to do, and if I hold off, I could still get an AAS in Human Services, which I think meshes much better with my goals, by the spring of 2014 if I want to go for it. I could likely get an AA and an AAS in Human Services by 2015, since so many of the required classes overlap.

Right now, however, I have canceled the placement test I had been going to take tomorrow – which would have cost me $15 and $10 in gas to take a test that I am not going to be needing after all – at least not until the Spring semester.

I still fully intend to get into caregiving, or rather to continue working in the caregiver field, I just am not going to jump so fast into a degree program that I might not even need. No sense in dropping myself $20,000 into debt in the next two and a half years if I don’t have to to get to where I want to be, right?

As for what I want to do for a living… I still want to write, of course, and I would like to be able to do something like directing new family caregivers on what they need to know and do as they provide care for their loved ones. I’m aiming for nursing, but my end goal is a bit broader than just being a nurse, I have a bit of a specialization I want to aim for. Just need to line things up right to get there now.

I got all signed up to take a placement test on next Monday, then stepped back over to the counter to find out about what else I needed to do while I was out there. She told me I just need to take the placement test on Monday, then I will go back there and talk to a guidance counselor once my tests are all in. She then gave me a few pages of paper in response to my asking about who I could talk to about financial assistance. Apparently there is no longer anyone at the college, I need to handle my own financial assistance locating and applications at home? That does not seem right to me, but…. it’s what she said.

I left student services and headed down to locate the testing place that she said was across from the library. The building I was in was a new one since I had been to the college before, so I was sort of blindly feeling my way along looking for where I remembered the library used to be. I found it, and found the learning center. Just as I was pondering if I go in and ask the lady at the counter to be sure that was the right place a lacy in a MSCC shirt passed me in the hall and asked if I needed any help. I explained I was looking for where I take a placement test on Monday and she confirmed that was the place, then told me that I needed to go a bit further down the hall, and showed me down past the Atrium to where the place I pay for the test is located. I had assumed that I was to pay in the learning center, so good thing that lady thought to let me know there was a different place to pay for it. I jotted a few notes on my little note pad, then went back to a seating area just outside Student Services where, thank you whoever, I found maps of the new floor layout for the college. I spent a few moments sorting out what buildings were supposed to connect where on the disjointed map, then marked out my route for Monday, grabbed some degree fliers off a nearby stand and headed home.

Now I just need to check out the practice tests online and brush back up on my poor algebra skills that have not been used since the last time I went to college… over 15 years ago.

The course focuses on the craft of the short story, and explores the short story through reading short stories, writers speaking about writing, and writing exercises and workshops. I will obviously not benefit from a lot of what the original class offered, but I am hoping that I will still gain some useful information from the information that is available on the website.

AirSet lets you create a group work area that includes a calendar that can be customized with features such as event reminders and a task list.  A blog administrator could set up a calendar that allows them to designate the theme for the blog for the upcoming week or month, then assign post topics which each of the members of the group can assume the responsibility of writing.

I’m just starting to explore the site, but from what I have seen so far, this is a great tool for anyone that has a multi-blogger blog.

And, just a quick reminder for my readers, the How to Think Sideways enrollment  is only open for a couple of more days, if you might be interested you really should get in by Sunday evening (the evening of the 7th), because enrollment closes early on the morning of the 8th and you will regret it if you don’t at least give this course a try.