#113 - Graduation Day at last!

It's official. I officially graduated from the Mass Communications master's program at Murray State University today. Wow. I can't quite believe it's over. It was great to see so many of my classmates there in the row beside me, and all the professors in front of us in their caps and gowns.

I offer my sincere thanks to my readers, friends and family...everyone who supported me along the way. I wouldn't have made it without you.

Today also marks the final day of Blog-Off II, the contest I am competing in at CommunityMarketingBlog.com. Please take a few seconds to simply click on the link to my final article submission. The contest runs through midnight tonight!

http://www.communitymarketing.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/12/fight-back-dont-let-tmi-too-much-information-overload-your-life.html?cid=6a00e552893e3c88330120a747a955970b#comment-6a00e552893e3c88330120a747a955970b

Next week, a new blog, and a new adventure. Stay tuned for details on my next project. I hope you'll come along for the ride.

#110 - Blog-Off II Contest Continues Today

As mentioned in my last post, I'm blogging between December 1 - 12 at communitymarketingblog.com in a contest called Blog-Off II. I was selected to compete with 30 other bloggers internationally for $45,000 in prizes. I have no expectation of a win, of course, but I hope followers will be supportive and click on the link below to review my current post in the competition.

I am being judged there on the quality of my writing, my headlines, the number of page views (or people who visit my full text) and the number of comments received for each post. It's quite an honor to have been selected for this. The other competitors and colleagues have already provided me with invaluable feedback for this fledgling blogger.

I am giving this competition my all right now. With a little help from my friends, I hope to make a decent showing. On day four of the competition, I was ranked #10 out of 50 postings. Not too bad for a newbie!

http://www.communitymarketingblog.com/my_weblog/2009/12/how-colleges-and-universities-can-attract-more-nontraditional-students.html.html

Day 90 - Strategies for non-traditional grads

Are you willing to work part time? Many non-traditional students and new grads crave flexibility, according to a recent survey. Many of us want to spend more time doing things we enjoy -- writing, traveling, even playing with the kids or grandkids -- and sometimes, we're willing to accept part-time schedules or reduced hours. As employers nationwide increasingly cut back on hours, the willingness to be flexible can make any job seeker more attractive to more companies.

As a non-traditional student and an older job seeker, I know things are different for me than for my younger counterparts. I mean no disrespect to the next generation of up-and-coming journalism, advertising and PR superstars, but experience does pay off. A "seasoned" pro can often accomplish in 20 hours what a younger colleague would need a week to do.

Then there's telecommuting. More people are working from home! With a laptop and a PDA, you can be in business. It doesn't matter where you work, it just matters that the work gets done. Many non-traditionals also bring with them a lifetime of contacts, and they've dealt with every imaginable circumstance and work-related crisis. You can rely on your own strength and experience, and so can employers. Few traditional grads can say the same.

The key for the non-traditional or older student is to make make sure you are totally and absolutely connected and committed to new media, along with the traditional. It's a brave new business world out there compared to 20 (or even 10) years ago. You need to understand the tools and computer programs being used by today's corporations, and you need to be fluent in what I call, New Media-speak. Be familiar with terms like tweeting and wiki, and familiarize yourself with Facebook, Twitter, Bebo and Google. The archive for this blog contains many articles which can help bring you up-to-speed, esepcially if you've been away from the workforce for awhile or are entering it for the first time later in life. I hope you'll check it out.

Don't tell yourself no one is hiring
The number one mistake the over-40 set makes is complaining that companies are not hiring them. Yes, a few older candidates may have to work harder to overcome discrimination. No, it's not fair. But it doesn't mean that every employer is hell-bent on avoiding workers over 35.

The website RetirementJobs.com lists more than 30,000 full and part-time jobs available nationwide with "age-friendly employers." Other sites that cater to older workers include: Jobs 4.0, Retired Brains, Seniors4Hire and Workforce50.com. In addition, AARP offers an annual list of the best employers for workers over 50.

Many companies are open to hiring older workers. Follow this link below to a more in-depth article on how older graduates can sell themselves.

http://internsover40.blogspot.com/2009/11/20-ways-older-job-seekers-can-sell_12.html

LinkedIn Tip of the Day
Using the Search Function on your LinkedIn home page (check the upper right of the page), you can “search” People, Jobs, Companies, Answers, Inbox and Groups. If you move to the right of the search box and click on “Advanced,” you can also search on keywords, name, company (current and past), geographic location, industry, job title (current and past), school, groups, language, by the interests of those being searched, when they joined LinkedIn, those in or out of your network, and by relevance – or any combination of the above.

Find companies you want to work for or do business with and the people you need to meet at those companies by using LinkedIn search tools. With over 50,000,000 business professionals registered there, your search could pay big dividends.

Day 79 - Why you need a career blog

Check out this article by a fellow blogger. If you’re in the job market or think you might be soon, here is solid information on how to market yourself for success. Just click this link:

http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/4-tips-to-write-a-career-blog-that-gets-you-noticed/

Do we really need more online education?
Online education is winning. At 12.9%, its growth rate overshadows traditional on-campus student expansion significantly. More than 25 percent of all students nationwide took at least one online class last year, according to an article in today's Chronicle of Higher Education.

What does this mean for you or your college age children? One prominent educator has made a strong case for why we need more online educators and courses. A. Frank Mayadas, considered by many to be the Father of Online Learning, suggests the government should step in with $500-million to support traditional online courses and educators in this digital age.

The recession has created a strong need to re-educate workers who have lost their jobs. Community colleges are fast becoming ground zero for this retraining and they are a huge source of online growth. The government is proposing it spend $500-million to make “open” or free courses available online. Shouldn’t it also invest in traditional online education?

“Online education is a winner but it is not nearly as available as it could be… It needs a national push. Community colleges, four-year universities, major colleges – all need assistance to cross the threshold to big-time online availability,” according to Mayadas.

As a non-traditional grad student, exactly one of my classes was offered online. I snapped it up as my first class. It was the perfect way (for me) to make this “leap” back into higher education. What about you? If more classes were offered online, would you consider taking one?

Day 45 - Death by Social Media?

What a long, strange day it's been. Yoga was wonderful this afternoon and much needed. I aced a marketing quiz and the weather is beyond beautiful, yet I feel as though I have been in a fog all day. Perhaps it's just too many projects going through my mind at once? To top off this rather weird day, I want to share a rather disturbing story - especially for anyone who enjoys blogging or spends a lot of time on Twitter or Facebook, MySpace or any other form of social media.

Last July, Renee Wathelet, a Canadian blogger living in Mexico, was found murdered in her seaside condo. Her throat was slashed and her body stabbed more than 30 times. This 60-year-old mother and grandmother had finally realized her dream. She had blogged and tweeted friends back in Montreal a year earlier that she had become a social media consultant. She gained "featured blogger" status at the French language version of Socialmediatoday and decided she would (finally) move full-time to a favorite Mexican paradise, a small island off the coast of Cancun. IN a matter of months her blog, "Live From the Islands," which chronicled her adventures on the island of Montreal and her new Mexican home base, had taken off. She was gaining respect in the blogosphere.

In one of her final posts, Renee wrote warmly about a kind local fisherman she had met named Jose. Just 10 days after that blog entry, she was stabbed to death in her condo. Police arrested the 24-year-old boatman, Jose Garza, as he tried to flee the scene. This is another grim reminder of what is possible when social media is not maintained in the relative security of cyberspace. It's worth noting. I share this cautionary tale with you as a reminder of just how vigilant all of us - students, parents and individuals - need to be about privacy and protecting personal information.

You can never be too careful!

Day 30 - The Top 5 Challenges for Non-Traditional College Students

Non-traditional college students enjoy so many unique advantages, like having real world experience to draw upon for class assignments. Still, they also face a set of unique challenges which can be vastly different from those of traditional students who have gone from high school to college or from an undergraduate degree straight into grad school.

What makes the non-traditional student so, well, "non-traditional"? There are variations among the definitions, but any of the following qualifies a student as non-traditional. They are generally:

• Over 25
• At least eight years away from the academic environment
• Not living with or supported by their parents
• Currently raising a family or have raised one
• Working parents (single or married)
• Have served in or are serving in the military (not including ROTC)
  

Clearly, non-trads are a diverse blend of individuals, each more unique than the next. Still, they share one universal trait. They are committed to being in school, to getting an education no matter what. They are more dedicated to learning, to assignments and to the work of learning. They are not here because parents or an adviser told them to be; they genuinely want to better themselves.

Some non-trads are back in school after years, even decades, away from a classroom. Invariably, things have changed since the last time they were here.

The Top 5 Challenges Facing Today's Non-Traditional Students

1) Fitting in. For many older students, especially those 20 or 30 (or more) years older than the traditional students, there is usually trepidation about walking into the first class. Many are self-conscious about being older. Others are afraid to ask questions in class, just like the average 18-year-old. While wisdom often comes with age... age doesn't necessarily mean they can remember everything. Some have physical limitations (arthritis, failing vision or the perils of such unspeakable things as (shhhhhh) menopause) to contend with. They may not dress like the younger students. It may be awkward when a professor asks the class to choose "teams." (Anyone recall what it was like being the only kid not picked for dodgeball?) It's like that.
Some students experience anxiety or shyness. Some are afraid to reach out for help for fear they will appear less than "adult."

2) Finding time. It is a juggling act; there's no doubt about that. Most non-traditionals work. Some work full-time and/or part-time jobs just to cover the costs of school. It's not that traditional students don't have jobs, too, but they really don't compare. Many hard-working non-traditional students have families depending upon them. Where do they find the time to read, study, research, write papers and prepare presentations? They can do it all, with a little finesse and a lot of attention to time management and organizational skills.

3) Staying healthy. Too often, what "gives" when there are not enough hours in the day is attention to self... getting proper rest, exercise, relaxation, healthy meals, even a little "me" time. Consider all the working mothers and fathers who are NOT taking college classes and still find it difficult to make time for health and well being. This is magnified when mom or dad is also trying to take classes in so-called "spare time." In the end, nothing is as important as maintaining one's health. In order to do it all, make time to adequately care for body, heart and mind.

4) Maintaining contact. Traditional students have social lives. They enjoy fraternities and sororities, dorm mates, roommates, parties, clubs, teams, hundreds of events and activities specifically designed to provide that well-rounded college experience. This is truly S.O. P., but not for non-traditional students.

Rarely, if ever, do non-traditional students find programs or activities designed to meet their needs. There are no support groups, study programs, or clubs for non-traditional students. I believe the social aspects of college life are integral to any educational experience, especially for undergraduates and regardless of age.

My blogs have addressed these challenges and offered some support for non-traditional students. I'd love to hear your ideas on how we can support one another in the laudable effort to improve our minds, careers, and ourselves. Let this be a springboard to developing events, groups and services to meet the needs of more non-traditional college students.

5) Sticking with it. Staying power wanes quickly if there is no adequate support system. And, no one ever said going back to college would be a cake walk. I have often empathized with friends who started but never finished an advanced degree. Certainly, I understood the reasons why it was so hard tom stick with it. It's a slippery slope, and far too easy to put college or grad school on hold when work and family pull you in other directions. All too often, taking a semester break turns into quitting. Many motivated individuals take a grad-school class or two and then very easily decide to put their educations back "on-hold."

I found my way back to school after 30 years, and truly, it has been the best time, the most productive education, and the right thing for me. I hope to encourage others to consider going back to school. It can change your career, your life, and the world. When we stop learning, we stop living. So, I salute anyone committed to education.

Those are but a few of the unique challenges we face as non-traditional college students. Luckily, the rewards of heading back to school are plentiful and easily outweigh the challenges.

Next, we cover the benefits of pursuing a degree later in life.

Peace.

Day 17 - Tilting at windmills

What a day! Sure, I was thinking yesterday that I might be having a little bit of a slump, but that was nothing compared to the black hole that has sucked me in. My graduate research is still winning the fight. As per usual, I awoke early, worked out and jumped on the computer eager to create something fascinating. I stayed there 'til about noon just following up on requests from my ex-employer. No problem.

At 1:00 pm, I headed to campus for a meeting with my graduate advisor. No problem...That is, until I found out my research project proposal is not complete as I had believed. The horror! (Stop... take a deep breath.) OK, of course, I can handle revising that proposal. No problem.

Next, I headed to the library for some much anticipated help in navigating the university library databases. Surprise number two - the librarian was was out sick for the day. (This is when I start to backslide.) Still determined, I parked myself at a computer terminal and began the search for journal articles on my topic - for at least the 100th time. No problem. Three hours and 45 minutes later, I dragged myself out of the library with exactly one article saved on a flash drive, and the feeling that I will never, ever be able to figure this out. My butt has been sufficiently kicked.

Now, my mother didn't nickname me "Little Mary Sunshine" for nothing. I'm very much working on the whole positive thinking thing - but really! There are times when an assignment just becomes incredibly frustrating. The challenges do have a way of piling up on you. Tonight, for instance, when I went to print out the article I found - my printer ran out of toner. Now, all I can do is laugh, because clearly, it's time to stop for the day.

There is so much information out there and I want to learn it all as fast as I possibly can. As with everything in life, I know that I need to relax, take another deep breath and back the truck up. One bite at a time. I'll go back to the library tomorrow, and surely, the right person will be there. I'll take my first quiz next Thursday and I'll do just fine. And, 12 short weeks from now, I'll look back on this post and smile. I am determined. Even more important, I am happy knowing exactly how blessed to be here.

A chance to meet new friends
This evening, I attended a reception for the Murray State Women's Society at Oakhurst, the MSU President's home. This is a local group open to faculty, staff, students and all Murray residents, anyone interested in sharing interests with other women. After a day filled with frustration, it was nice to share some laughs with a group of lively, intelligent women. The society offers clubs and activities to match most interests - from crafts to cooking, books and games to a supper club. I hope to join them for a couple of the monthly gatherings. I am once again genuinely impressed with the people of MSU and the Murray community...for they are closely intertwined. The Women's Society was just what I needed tonight.

That all-important second wind
Slump be gone! No matter how tough the assignment or daunting this new technology appears, I am learning by leaps and bounds. I hate to sound cliche but going back to school later in life has given me a new lease. Being surrounded by 20-somethings and knowing that I, like them, am a "student," is wonderful. I recommend anyone who can go back to school later in life, do so, even if only to take a single class online or at a local community college. These days, you can find thousands of courses to choose from on a variety of subjects. Have you thought about it for you?

Wherever you are, whatever you feel, remember your goal and ask yourself the question: “Now what needs to be done?”

I'll answer the question for myself in the morning.

Peace out.

Day Two: Some things never change

It's all coming back to me now. It turns out, there was one thing I really disliked as an undergrad at UF. I must have blocked it out all these years, replaced by rosy memories of my fabulous roommates, keg parties, fraternity boys, and of course, Gator football. Have you guessed yet? What we all dreaded most back then was - registration day... the interminable lines and summer's heat. Oh, the waiting, the waiting! In my first drop/add experience (32 years ago) it lasted around 5 hours but felt like five days. Of course, that was back in the stone age we now call the 70s and absolutely nothing was computerized.

I suppose some things never do change. Back then, long lines were unavoidable but understandable. I'm not so sure about today.

This morning, I awoke at 5:30 energized and excited. I wanted to get so much accomplished by noon. First, I worked out, prayed, ate a healthy breakfast and then set off merrily toward campus thinking, "OK, so, I should be able to pick up that new, mandatory student ID card and a parking permit in about 30-minutes." Was I out of my mind? Totally my bad. I completely forgot that the university has just these two days before classes actually begin, and all 10,000 students must do these same two things between today and tomorrow. I waited in not one, but four very long lines - only to get to the front of the final line - and find out they didn't have a card for me and I was sent back to the beginning to do it over again. I so richly deserved this. You see, even us older and supposedly wiser non-traditional students can have a hard time following instructions. I have a new appreciation and sympathy for all the incoming freshmen.

Two hours later, I emerged victorious with both Parking Permit and Racer ID card in hand. What a relief to have that over.

Actually, waiting in line this time was way better (and cooler) than registration during my first college experience. Today, I was afforded ample time for people (student) watching. Once again, while I was the oldest student I saw amid hundreds of young adults, I was OK with it ....and so were they. After all, we were in this together....pulling toward a common goal. Isn't that what it's all about? (One sidebar: Is neon fuschia hair really still in style?) Today's younger, traditional college students look pretty much the same as we did 30 years ago to be honest - with two glaring exceptions - the piercings and tattoos. Now, I am fairly open-minded, but I hate that I feel less than "with it" because I never even had pierced ears! Hmmmmm, perhaps between now and graduation I should get a little tattoo? Kidding, just kidding. I'm fine exactly as I am!

Getting back to the morning's activity, I must give props to MSU's RacerCard office, and Parking and Public Safety staff. These guys were under the gun today, yet everyone wore a smile. They were accomodating, understanding, downright pleasant - and not just with me. Going back to school is not nearly as scary as you might think. Certainly, if I can do it, anybody can.

Following my wait at the student center, I squeezed in a workout at the Health & Wellness Center before making it - ontime - to a meeting with my graduate advisor, then I was on to the mundane - a trip to the post office, a stop by the electric company, and then on to Murray's major retailer - Super Wal-Mart, or Wally World as it is known in some parts.

All in all, it was a good day. Metamorphosis begun.

Tonight, I tackle three more chapters in the history text, make a salad for dinner, and hopefully, have time for another installment in the self-improvement course I've been taking at home. I found a set of CDs on, "Money and the Law of Attraction," by Jerry and Esther Hicks - a class I bought long ago and forgot to ever listen to. You've likely heard about "The Secret. Well, it turns out that The Secret DVD was based, in part, on this team's teachings. I've gotten a lot out of it thus far and I plan to use the blog to share all the things I'm learning about - on and off campus.

Let's talk about the big secret - the secret to happines. I now think it's simply deciding to be happy.

I've been following the CD's advice for about three weeks. Today, I do feel better, stronger, and happier. It's been a tool for helping me focus on my goals - and this education is at the heart of my long-term strategy. I'm not too proud to admit that at the time of my birthday, back in June, I was feeling a lot more 50 and frumpy than I was "50 and fabulous." But here I am only a few weeks later and I am sleeping better, exercising more and enjoying more moments in each day. Instead of thinking about being alone so much, I find myself interested in learning as much as I can all the time, and being of service to others.

I am incredibly grateful to be alive and to have an opportunity to pursue this venture. Best of all, I'm re-connecting with people in a variety of ways. I am blessed. Thank you for being a part of this, my second chance.

Of course, I realize that I am making better choices, yet something has happened to help me change the old thought patterns. I am better able to choose joy. I used to tell people: "It doesn't matter what happens to you in this life; all that matters is how you choose to deal with it."
I said this so many times, but I didn't really live it until recently. Clearly, forgiving ourselves is also a key component to happiness. Onward and upward....

Thanks for tuning in to these initial musings. I leave you with one last thought tonight. Give some thought to the law of attraction, the law of nature that says that like attracts like. What we each put out into the universe is exactly what we get back. If you focus on not having enough money, you'll never have enough money. If you say you're unlucky in love or less than successful in your career, then that is what you will be. We can all rewrite our story by simply focusing on what we want - happiness, abundance, security, peace - whatever brings us joy. Take care not to attribute any new happiness to current events, as security lies in knowing how to deal with metamorphosis, whenever it occurs.

I think we're ready for whatever comes our way.

Tomorrow: I attempt to add the last course to my fall schedule.