My general education requirements are pretty much behind me, so I’ll be taking mostly Japanese/Economics classes from here on out.

Advanced Japanese – I know this one is gonna be tough, going to get a head start and study a bit over the next couple months. Regardless of how good or bad I do, I still want to continue studying Japanese in a classroom environment, barring immersion, this keeps me on track.

Japanese Culture: Meiji to Present – I’ve heard that there’s a lot of reading that needs to be done for this course. R.E.A.D.I.N.G, ugh, lol. Some may have noticed actually, that I’ve read a few books over the past year, hmm. Ha. I don’t think this class will be too bad and Japanese culture holds great interest to me, so I’m sure I’ll put in extra effort on this one.

History: Japan at War – A special class being offered this semester. I’m really looking forward to this. My history class last spring briefly touched on the things that are to be talked about in this class, will be nice to go into more depth. Meiji Restoration, Sino-Japanese, Russo-Japanese and Asia-Pacific wars will be covered. Interesting stuff.

Economics and Business Statistics – I did well in the statistics class I took last year, tho it’s been a while. Not sure how math heavy this will be, hmm. I’m good at math, but as I mention sometimes, it’s not “fun.”

Two years left. It’ll be a challenge, but I’m up for it.

Work wise, I continue with self-employment. I’ve been working on one project in particular that’s gotten streams of good reviews. I think I’ve mentioned to those involved already, I’m really thankful for all the opportunities Kentucky has offered me, past and present.

I’ve been a contributor over at International Wota since May. Or well, what started off as some consistent contributions has since dropped off significantly. I’m trying to get back into things without forcing myself, you know? Will see how that goes. Even with my inactivity and what not, I’m appreciative of the fact that I was accepted to the team.

Went to Japan twice; once in the summer and once in the fall. This is where the more than great parts of the year come into the picture. The highlight of the trips being the Hello! Project concert experiences, but even beyond that, it’s the whole history of the place, being immersed in the language and culture that I really enjoy.

School has been moving right along; I’m on track to get my AA degree this May and will be full time at the University of Kentucky in August to finish up my last two years. One thing I’ll need to be thinking about is what lies beyond that, what happens when school is done. As right now, I’m not completely sure, but I am confident that something good will come of it, if nothing more than a great learning experience.

Looking forward to the future!

History of Asia, 1800 – Present

I needed a Humanities course to fill my general education requirements and this class fit not only that, but will fit my major as well. Unfortunately BCTC didn’t offer the class and the class offered at UK didn’t fit my schedule, so I ended up taking this one online. I’ve got a little bit of experience with online classes actually, having completed a two year Graphic/Web Design program as well as taking some courses related to site design and e-commerce. I was a bit hesitant to go into online classes, but I wanted to finish up my Associate’s Degree this semester, so I fit it in. In addition to being online, it was also an 8-week course, so yeah, as of now it’s over and done with.

There were tests, readings, movies to watch, research and participation assignments, a lot packed in. The online nature is probably what made it feel less like a half semester course, as I could work at my own pace (waiting until the last minute for most of the things, but hey I got it done). The course was flexible enough also that I could somewhat focus the items I wanted write and learn about. Japan’s economy, Sensoji, Japanese curry, the Tokugawa Shogunate… and as I’ve done the past few semesters, I had to slip in a presentation about “wota” in there. The presentation conjured up a bit of discussion with other students, the teacher as well, which is always interesting to see peoples’ reactions to a subculture they may not be aware of.

Anyway, I ended up with an A in the class. History has always been a favorite subject of mine and I’m looking forward to taking a few more classes with regards to that.

First, my microeconomics class was an interesting one. The teacher I had was a bit, hmm, preachy. Anti-government, free-market kind of guy, who didn’t hesitate to point out the flaws of all of the current political and economic issues going on. Because of his teaching style however, I would say that I learned a lot. He really opened my eyes to a variety of different views and changed my ways of thinking a bit (or rather, got me thinking where I was mostly apathetic before). And that perhaps, was his goal.

Now, I say I may have learned a lot, but I’m a bit worried that I might not have learned the things I needed to learn as far as continuing my studies in economics is concerned. He taught practical, real world economics, and not say, academic economics. That’s my feeling anyway.

Though I never received higher than a 65% on any of my tests or quizzes, I managed to get an A in the class. Attendance and class participation was a big factor in that. An enjoyable class, I’m looking forward to continuing with economics.

I’m going to miss Patton-sensei, my Japanese teacher of the past year and a half, tho I’m sure I’ll see her around sometimes. Patton and Slaymaker did a great job with presenting the material and I really enjoyed the class this year. I also learned a lot of new stuff, some of which I got to use during my trip to Japan this past Thanksgiving. While in Tokyo, I had to ask for directions, something we had just gone into detail about days before. Using what I’ve been taught in class, speaking listening and understanding while actually in Japan, it’s a great feeling.

The class, I do not feel was significantly harder than JPN 101 and 102, but I didn’t do as well as I had hoped. I managed to be consistent however, and squeezed out a B for the semester. I’m not going to make any excuses, but I definitely need to push myself harder, study more &c. I feel I need to take this more seriously. As with economics, I’m looking forward to continuing learning not only the Japanese language, but also more about its culture, history and beyond.

Fall 2009 (6)

A – ECO 201 – Principals of Microeconomics
B – JPN 201 – Intermediate Japanese I

Summer I 2008 (3)

A – MA 109 – Algebra

Summer II 2008 (3)

A – MA 123 – Calculus

Fall 2008 (19)

A – ENG 101 – Writing I
A – JPN 101 – Intro Japanese I
P – CIS 105 – Intro Computing
P – CIS 130 – Micro Applications
A – GEO 130 – Earth Science
A – STA 291 – Statistics

Spring 2009 (14)

A – PSY 100 – Intro Psychology
A – ENG 102 – Writing II
A – JPN 102 – Intro Japanese II
A – COM 181 – Public Speaking

Psychology certainly was a good class. I ‘d perhaps like to minor in it, to get more into detail about some of the topics that were only briefly covered in the intro class. I’m a people watcher of sorts,  so a better understanding of the mind’s processes, peoples’ behavior and all other sorts of stuff has always been kinda interesting to me I think.

English and Reading were my worst classes in elementary, middle and high school, so when I scored 100% on my entrance exams last year I was a bit surprised. Then with English 101, I totally nailed that as well, averaging about a 95%. English 102 was even better, finishing at 97%. I did do some technical writing/editing for Macromedia (Adobe) years ago, but really I’m not sure where the ability came from. I guess as I’ve grown older, I’ve become less lazy with how I tackle things. I was able to put together some good stuff in high school, tho that was generally too sporadic to notice.

Japanese 102 was a little bit more rocky than 101, but I did well anyway. I’m definitely going to have to step it up for 201 though, I don’t think things will be as forgiving at the University of Kentucky as they have been here at BCTC. In any case, I’ll be spending a good chunk of my free time during the summer practicing this stuff to make sure I’ve got it all covered before the fall. Plus I want to make sure I’m in a more able state for my trip to Japan this July.

Public Speaking was a class I wasn’t looking forward to, but I guess it was a good experience. I’m not much of and impromptu, or face to face speaker, but if given ample time to prepare, I can pull it off it seems. I got a D on my first major speech, was not prepared at all. Being the first, and combined with the fact that it was on a topic that I didn’t really care about, plus putting things off to the last minute… yeah, I set myself up for that one. The first speech wasn’t weighted too much in the overall grade however, so it didn’t affect things too much. Second speech was on the types of clarinets and a demonstration on how to put one together. Pulled in a B on that one, a good improvement and the clarinet is an instrument I played for a while, so I kinda knew what I was doing. My best speech was my third, an informative speech, “What is a Wota?” Got an A on that one. Japanese music and culture is one of the few if only things I’m really passionate about, so it’s no wonder I found that to be a topic that I could easily talk about. The last speech wasn’t as good as the previous but I did alright. I was totally expecting to get a B in this class, but I pulled it off, even tho I feel as if I didn’t put in enough effort.

Spring 2009 (14)

A – PSY 100 – Intro Psychology
A – ENG 102 – Writing II
A – JPN 102 – Intro Japanese II
A – COM 181 – Public Speaking

Summer I 2008 (3)

A – MA 109 – Algebra

Summer II 2008 (3)

A – MA 123 – Calculus

Fall 2008 (19)

A – ENG 101 – Writing I
A – JPN 101 – Intro Japanese I
P – CIS 105 – Intro Computing
P – CIS 130 – Micro Applications
A – GEO 130 – Earth Science
A – STA 291 – Statistics

Will be at UK this fall, kind of. The BCTC Blue+ program allows me to be dual enrolled at the University of Kentucky. It offers an awesome discount on tuition and sets me up for some great scholarships.

Fall schedule, while it’s a ways off, is all setup. I’ll be continuing Japanese with JPN 201 and will start on my economics path with Microeconomics, which I’m looking forward to. Astronomy should be interesting. I wanted to take that in high school, but I couldn’t fit it in. Last up is a course in logic, not too sure how I feel about that one.

JPN 201 – Intermediate Japanese I
ECO 201 – Principles of Microeconomics
AST 191 – The Solar System
AST 195 – Introductory Astronomy Lab
PHI 120 – Introductory Logic

Everyone goes through a bout of self discovery in their lives; an attempt to find their true selves, what they want to do and where they want to end up in their lives. One could argue that this stretch of self discovery, rather, the most influential stretch in an ongoing period of off again and on again awakening, occurs during one’s college years. Then what of those who do not end up going to college, whether delayed by necessity, circumstance or by personal choice? Well, of course they may be missing out on a great opportunity, but sometimes it’s just too much of a hardship to take the next step. On the other hand, delaying college can be a great catalyst for self discovery. Certainly this would not be true for all, but for me personally, I feel that this was a great way to go.

As the end of the high school career nears, a student’s primary focus in life shifts to independence and rebellion. Gail Sheehy mentions in her essay “The Predictable Crises of Adulthood,” that this is a defiant phase where one breaks off from the umbrella of family support and clings to even the slightest nuance to distance themselves from what was routine; jumping on fads and into cliques of like-minded individuals to further empower their revolt. Sheehy goes on to describe this stage of life to be potentially filled with identity crisis and irrational decision. A state of mind that I was in at the time, although perhaps it wasn’t as chaotic as described, but it’s something that I’m sure many eighteen to twenty-two year olds can also relate to. In reflecting on Sheehy’s words, I’m thinking to myself, is this really a good time to be setting off alone and deciding on an education that will supposedly guide a career and future endeavors? Finding one’s self, one’s passion, it would best be carried out with a fundamental desire to do so, rather than from a collection of irrational drives and intentions.

Indeed, it is still possible to vent off that sedition without stepping right into college. Perhaps at that age, as my own brand of rebellion, I had decided that I was going to skip college for a few years. Out of high school, I dove straight into the workforce. Working in a sales/marketing position, I was able to connect with many new and interesting people and glean a bit of insight into their ways of thinking. There was an air of maturity that developed as I experienced the real world, a sense of focus and responsibility. Not to say that I was really the unruly type in the first place, but as time passed on, I could see the change within myself, as could my coworkers, into a more rounded and willing character. I had grown up during this turbulent age, detached from the troubles that college life can pile up on a new student. This period was filled with experienced guides and consolers; from them, I was able to pick up a great work ethic and an ability to openly understand differing points of view.

Free of the inner turmoil of adolescence, now at the age of twenty-five, I feel better equipped to learn, to find a mentor in professionals and peers who may have similar, clear aspirations. Sheehy describes this time in our lives as the time for inward thinking and self discovery, another phase in life that I can completely relate to. It wasn’t too long ago that I had begun seriously thinking about the future, and where I wanted to be in the coming years. While I have been working in areas of computers and technology that greatly interest me, things have overall become stale and I’ve been looking for a way out. It was during this period of questioning myself, that I decided it was time to make the transition to college, to pursue various interests and open up some other doors in my career. So far I have not been disappointed. Attending college, even just the planning for college, has triggered some new ideas and caused me to rethink some of my career goals. From CIS to Japanese, economics, psychology and more, I feel that this experience has opened up, or at least presented me with a lot of new doors to look into.

To touch briefly on differing experience, in his essay “The Men We Carry in Our Minds,” Scott Russell Sanders discusses an eye opening episode that gives a hint that this discovery process can be adequately triggered by circumstance. Sanders, a boy from a modest life in the suburbs and military areas, recalls his familiarity with a certain class of man and their position in society. He contrasts his viewpoint on the factory workers and military men he had known growing up, with women he meets as he attends a prestigious college. These women viewed men, doctors, corporate big wigs and the like, in a completely different light, causing Sanders great curiosity and a longing to relate. On this point, I can see where migrating from a limited view on things and into a significantly diverse environment can be a jolt into the real world in its own right. In the end however, it seems as if Sanders’ experience only acknowledges the shared ignorance of the two parties, but doesn’t seem stimulate the topic to the surface. Though the means for Sanders to experience more facets of the real world outside of the college arena may not have been readily available, I can only think that if he had the chance, he would have had more time to look inward on himself rather than to be distracted, albeit slight, by the confusion and misunderstandings. That is a message that perhaps more people should look into, not only for self discovery, but also for a better ability to learn.

Summer I 2008 (3)

A – MA 109 – Algebra

Summer II 2008 (3)

A – MA 123 – Calculus

Fall 2008 (19)

A – ENG 101 – Writing I
A – JPN 101 – Intro Japanese I
P – CIS 105 – Intro Computing
P – CIS 130 – Micro Applications
A – GEO 130 – Earth Science
A – STA 291 – Statistics

What’s next?

Before the Fall semester, there are about 4 exams for credit that I’m going to try. A bunch of computer/programming related stuff. I feel that even if I don’t fully know the material, I’m clever enough to wing it and at least pass.

I’m halfway looking forward to the Fall semester, and halfway not. I’ve never really did well in English before, so I am not looking forward to ENG 101. I think I can do well in the class tho, as long as I keep my procrastination in check. Statistical Method, of winch the Calculus class is a prerequisite, might be interesting. It’ll be a math-ish class, but more applied mathematics which could be fun.

On the other part of the Fall semester are Science and Japanese. Earth’s Physical Environment is a general science class that can lead up to Weather and Climate. I’ve always liked Metrology, weather watching &c, so I’m looking forward to this. And unlike math, science is a subject that I usually do well in and actually like. Japanese is of course what I’m most looking forward to. I’m not too confident that I’ll do well in the class, but I am confident that I’ll try and get the most out of it. I’ll be studying a bit for the next few weeks so that I can get a leg up for when classes start.

If my exams and Fall semester go well, I’m going to consider transferring to EKU earlier than the two years I had originally planned. I just need 24 credits and a 3.0 GPA to qualify for a couple of scholarships they have setup. I’m still considering UofL, but I think EKU is offering more of what I’m looking for. We’ll see. Hopefully with working part time and being in school full time, I won’t be overwhelmed. I’m going to try my best!

Enhancing my Business and Management Skills

I’ve been fairly successful wherever I’ve worked as far as job performance and income are concerned. Self taught, a quick learner and an ability to sell my skills to potential employers; even tho my resume isn’t too extraordinary, I do have 7+ years of professional experience. (geez, narcissistic much…). Anyway, with that experience, although I feel that I could move up into more supervisory roles without a formal education or degree, I have concluded that education should be the next step for me.

Ultimately I’d like to become more of a people manager and application / software architect. While my skills as a web developer have and would help me better communicate and understand the inner workings of the development process, I believe that an education in business would allow me to branch off into the higher level areas of development. What I mean by higher level is things like specification and programming guideline development. That’s in contrast to what I’m doing now (programming from start to finish, application maintenance, bug fixes, &c). I’d like to develop these documents per se, and then let a group of professionals have at the actual implementation, with me mentoring and supporting the team where necessary.

Learning and Sharing the Japanese Language and Culture

On to my second main point on getting an education, studying / teaching abroad. It’s not specifically studying abroad as much as it is learning [and teaching?] in and about topics that interest me. I’ve always been interested in a wide variety of social studies (history, culture and other social sciences), and study abroad programs offer a great deal of immersion and otherwise great hands on learning that you probably wouldn’t get just by going to college here in the States. A particular area of interest is Japanese culture and entertainment.

I was once asked something along the lines of, “Why Japanese”. My confused response boiled down to how I seem to relate more to [my perception of] their reserved culture when compared to the outspoken American culture. Learning about that relationship and finding more commonalities was a motivation. Really, I hadn’t thought about it too much before; and with that said, I still don’t know what it is exactly, but I am engrossed.

So the study abroad aspirations come from a desire for immersion, the teaching comes from my wanting to help people. I enjoy being a mentor of sorts, helping people solve problems and such. I’ve joined a few online communities in the past in which I use my knowledge and work experience to help others or point them in the right direction. I think that being able to share my knowledge as a teacher would be a very gratifying experience. As a fairly introverted person, communication isn’t my strong suit, bit I think it’s something I would like to give a try. Going to school to learn new things and share what I’ve learned with others would be nice.

Class is in Session

College placement tests were taken about three weeks ago. I did surprisingly well on the Reading and Writing portions of the test (97/100 and 100/100). This was a surprise as I had never done well in English classes in middle / high school. I got a 56/100 on my Algebra placement test; apparently tho, all that was needed to take college level math tests was a 48 or higher. Wit the tests out of the way I’m all set up for Summer and Fall semesters.

College Algebra class started last week. It’s been so long that I’ve forgot a lot of the things that were reviewed the first few days, but overall I think I can hang. I’ll probably take Calculus the next half of the Summer just to get them out of the way. I’ve always been fairly adept with math but never really enjoyed it. As I said tho, it’s been so long (8+ years), I hope I’m not too rusty.

The Fall semester is one I’m deficiently looking forward to, outside of English 101 that is. Earths Physical Environment is a general Science class, but a topic I’ve always been interested in. Sociology should be good, I like learning about these types of things. Last up is Japanese 101, this is what I’m looking forward to the most. JPN 101 will be followed up by JPN 102 in the Spring and then hopefully study abroad next summer.

Here’s hoping it all pans out.