I got some managerial experience this year running an outdoor ed program, this has led me to realize that it's much more work, despite looking like less, and that you can trust employees to be as responsible with being irresponsible as you were when you did their job. It was all I could do to keep them from burning down the woods or from breaking/losing stuff/children. Also, you get t listen to everyone's gripes and they expect you to be able to magically do something about them. 

I moved to suburbia and while it's nice to be able to get to a store without burning a gallon or two of gas, I can't just walk out into the backyard to go fishing or target shooting. I don't even have a place to practice with a bow.

I also finally got an initial teacher's license after what seemed like a maze of administrative BS, and realized there are so many unemployed teachers with experience that the job market is crap, even if you look into paraprofessional or substitute positions. You're pretty boned if you don't have 3-5 years experience and/or connections.

For my big news, I'm in the process of getting a work visa for the ROK (South Korea) so I can teach there. The pay isn't going to be great, but it's work, the benefits are solid, I'm unattached, and it will look decent on a resume if/when I come back. So expect some photos/stories from that experience. 

 

Still in school, though pretty seriously considering changing my major to Business Administration. Luckily, I spent my last 3 semesters being a lazy bum, and getting terrible grades, so changing my major at this point isn't really going to hurt me any.

 

I bought a super clean 03 Mazda Tribute a few months back, in cash. I sold my Camaro - which was on it's last legs. I still managed to get a decent price out of her. (Teenagers and their sound systems...)

 

And I suck marginally less at the guitar than I did 10 months ago, when I took it back up again. All in all, I really can't complain. Things are going pretty well right now.

 

*edit* Reb, I sure hope that's 60 miles worth of freeway. I commute 40 miles one way each day, luckily only about 2 miles of that driving is done in town.

I've not done this in a while either:

My girlfriend transferred her credits back to UCF and is working on a masters in hospitality and tourism studies. She's always been interested in it, and the communications program here didn't really interest her after a year. And she had a really awful experience teaching, as one student threatened her, and her favorite student committed suicide all in one semester. We're still doing well, even though she lives about two hours away. 

Here's hoping for some/any offers. 

I'm teaching a class next semester called "Social Media & Society" and I'm really thrilled about it. I've been given free control over building the curriculum from the ground up. I'm going to make the class centered on looking at all the problems social media has caused on society. 

Until then I still teach Introduction to Mass/Multimedia Writing, so my world is concerned with teaching people not to write like idiots. 

I'm taking the following classes right now: Social Media & Democratic Societies. Roots of Digital Culture. Methodological Social Network Analysis. 

In the spring I will take the following courses: Mass Communication & Health. Qualitative Study Design. Theory and Analysis of Video Game Design. 

I'm working on a very large-scale study on Reddit's /r/worldnews page with my girlfriend. We're submitting it to ICA, an international conference, in November. ICA is in London next, and I only get $400 for travel money, so that's going to suck. 

I'm sending off my thesis as a manuscript for my first publication in a scholarly journal. 

I got asked to sit on a panel at a national conference, which will be in Washington D.C., because of my thesis work. The panel will discuss technology laggards in journalism education.  

I joined to graduate/teaching/research assistant labor union, which is currently working taking the university to court to challenge the lack of inclusion of GA/TA/RA positions into sick leave policy. 

I applied for and won the position of vice chair for the Graduate Student Interest Group for the AEJMC, the national conference for a lot of communications stuff. I help propose panel and speaker ideas that fit our group's direction. 

You're on the same path. Just when you think you're going to quit school, instead, stay in school forever. 

Pursuing a BS in Radiologic Sciences and Healthcare administration. After earning that I'll likely apply for and begin medical school (eek). 

 

I'm also now potentially just a couple more months away from getting into the RCMP, our federal police force. The money's bloody excellent (we treat our cops well here), and the career paths have all kinds of possibilities. I'll definitely get good chances to travel a bit farther down the road. It's been close to a two year process in recruitment, and they're finally doing my last background investigation and giving me appointments for medical exams, second language testing, etc. It's close.

I'm happily in a relationship for the psat year- ironically she's trying to get into the army full time as a clerk. Again, our military is paid considerably better than the U.S., so it's not a bad career option for someone with a two year diploma in business admin / accounting.

That's about it, really...

DER DERKER JERRRRBS!

Now I am back in Tokyo, planning my business for the next year. I have been working as a financial consultant with bankers and investors here, but I hate office work. I started a small export company a couple of years ago, and business has grown steadily. If the dollar hadn't fallen to the equivalent value of toilet paper, I might have been able to quit my job. 

I've been working on a book for the last couple of years, it's a simple guide for regular people to understand the credit system in America, and to help them understand how to use responsibly, and to their advantage. Hopefully I'll have it done by the end of the year.