Life in the Bus Lane
Having been appropriately reminded, I present to you a summary of my current school life.
Transportation
I gave up my car for the winter, for a number of reasons. First, there's only room for one in the garage. I didn't want to juggle cars at three in the morning on days it snowed. Having spent enough time up at that hour, I much prefer uninterrupted sleep. The second reason is that parking passes at Algonquin are expensive and limited; i.e, the waiting list is 700 people long. So, it's just easier to take the bus and I don't mind it. Finally, since Ottawa has been hit by a lot of snow the past few years, I felt that it was my duty to control the weather.
Since December, we've had maybe a foot of snow. Total. Since I've given up my car, the plow guy hasn't come once, and there hasn't been a single snow advisory or parking advisory. I attribute this to the fact that I gave up my car.
You're welcome, Ottawa.
Classes
There's a lot of work to do. I just completed my midterms and they went pretty well (84 on accounting, 87 on tax and I feel pretty good about my law mark). I guess it's a sign of how busy I was that I didn't realize it was midterm time, until it was over. I'm managing to keep on top of things, though my accounting homework doesn't get done as often as I'd like. I owe a big part of this to my Google Calendar, in which I list all my assignments and tests, and when they're due. It helps to see what's coming.
Tutoring
I volunteered to tutor for my taxation class. Well, volunteered is the wrong word. There was a request for tutors and I offered my services. Mostly as a means to force myself to keep on top of Taxation. I've one student who shows up on time; in fact he's my only one right now. I had sessions with two other people, but they never showed. While I still got paid, it still meant wasted time.
The Future
Now, I'm trying to decide what to do in the fall. Obviously, I'm going to go back to work, but I don't know where, yet. In addition to that, I'm trying to decide which next step do I want to take? Will I continue through the CGA program, and complete my courses via distance education or will I complete my degree through either uOttawa (pour anglais, appuyez le numero deux) or Carleton (Hello, this is a real live person, answering the phone in English).
I've really been enjoying the classroom experience, and would like to continue taking classes on a real campus. And a degree from uOttawa or Carleton would allow me to keep my options open in terms of CA, CMA or CGA. Of course, that may ultimately mean a transfer credit nightmare.
I have to balance the enjoyment and commitment of attending class two or three times a week, with the flexibilty afforded by distance education. Obviously, we're looking at some large life changes in the next couple of years, so flexibility would be key. Ultimately the question is; how much does the name of the university matter, and is it worth the time and effort?
Transportation
I gave up my car for the winter, for a number of reasons. First, there's only room for one in the garage. I didn't want to juggle cars at three in the morning on days it snowed. Having spent enough time up at that hour, I much prefer uninterrupted sleep. The second reason is that parking passes at Algonquin are expensive and limited; i.e, the waiting list is 700 people long. So, it's just easier to take the bus and I don't mind it. Finally, since Ottawa has been hit by a lot of snow the past few years, I felt that it was my duty to control the weather.
Since December, we've had maybe a foot of snow. Total. Since I've given up my car, the plow guy hasn't come once, and there hasn't been a single snow advisory or parking advisory. I attribute this to the fact that I gave up my car.
You're welcome, Ottawa.
Classes
There's a lot of work to do. I just completed my midterms and they went pretty well (84 on accounting, 87 on tax and I feel pretty good about my law mark). I guess it's a sign of how busy I was that I didn't realize it was midterm time, until it was over. I'm managing to keep on top of things, though my accounting homework doesn't get done as often as I'd like. I owe a big part of this to my Google Calendar, in which I list all my assignments and tests, and when they're due. It helps to see what's coming.
Tutoring
I volunteered to tutor for my taxation class. Well, volunteered is the wrong word. There was a request for tutors and I offered my services. Mostly as a means to force myself to keep on top of Taxation. I've one student who shows up on time; in fact he's my only one right now. I had sessions with two other people, but they never showed. While I still got paid, it still meant wasted time.
The Future
Now, I'm trying to decide what to do in the fall. Obviously, I'm going to go back to work, but I don't know where, yet. In addition to that, I'm trying to decide which next step do I want to take? Will I continue through the CGA program, and complete my courses via distance education or will I complete my degree through either uOttawa (pour anglais, appuyez le numero deux) or Carleton (Hello, this is a real live person, answering the phone in English).
I've really been enjoying the classroom experience, and would like to continue taking classes on a real campus. And a degree from uOttawa or Carleton would allow me to keep my options open in terms of CA, CMA or CGA. Of course, that may ultimately mean a transfer credit nightmare.
I have to balance the enjoyment and commitment of attending class two or three times a week, with the flexibilty afforded by distance education. Obviously, we're looking at some large life changes in the next couple of years, so flexibility would be key. Ultimately the question is; how much does the name of the university matter, and is it worth the time and effort?
posted by Serdic at 18:39
5 Comments:
Hey! Long time no talk. Congrats on the school thing, and even more on the wedding thing. I've seen the pictures on Facebook -- lovely!
I'm getting back into the blogging thing, and in the process, checking in with all my old peeps. Check me out again some day. Oh, and where is WWJD? Couldn't find his blog anymore.
Hey there! Now that I've nudged you ... I should nudge myself. :)
Sounds like life is crazy, but in a good way. I can tell you, from a US standpoint, unless you are a huge sports person (yo - my football team can beat up your football team) the school name doesn't matter. Well, as long as the school isn't detrimental to getting you a job. Also, I have to wonder, who asks what your grades were at that school? Something that jumbles around in my brain. :)
Other points:
Congrats on helping Ottawa's snow issues. I am thinking that maybe quite a few states here would like to borrow you. :)
The tutoring thing - if they don't show, and you are still getting paid ... can't you do your own school work during that time? Then it isn't wasted time, right? Or am I missing a key point.
I've always wanted to go back and finish my degree (not, however, that I actually want to go to work - something that J thinks should go hand and hand, silly of him!). While I think actually going to class is fun (I too love that), having the flexibility to sit at home in your jammies (errr wait, guy ... sweats) has huge pluses. Also ... no traffic, no transport, etc). But, yeah, the whole college experience rocks too.
Good luck with your decision, happy all is going well. Give our love to TheSinger!
Kiy
The thing about no-shows, is they must be on-campus (I'm fine with that), so I need to stay late or come early. Unfortunately, Algonquin is the noisiest campus in God's creation. There are really no quiet places to go and study; even the quiet rooms aren't that quiet.
When I first started school, I was going to treat it like a job; I'd get their in the morning, do my studying between classes and come home for dinner. That quickly changed. Now, it's more like a Special Ops mission; I'm in and out as fast as possible so that I can come home and get work done.
Anyways, the no-shows have petered off, and my one regular client is punctual, which I appreciate.
Darklight - WWJD toasted his blog. I believe his final post was, "F. This, I'm switching to Facebook".
You evil, evil man.
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