Gratitude and Thanksgiving

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."  ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I thought today would be a good day to think about what I am grateful for. Usually Thanksgiving is such a social holiday, but spending some time just thinking about being grateful seems like more of a solitary activity to me. 

Things I'm grateful for: 

1) Being in college right now... it's given me the chance to feel like I can gain job skills, and market myself as a desirable employee.

2) Living in Santa Barbara, a gorgeous place where I have an ocean view from pretty much anywhere on campus.

3) Having mentors who believe in me, like my bosses, the career center, and hopefully next semester Tina Kistler via her leadership class.

4) Feeling old enough to believe in myself and not let others negative opinions of me or my actions hold much wait. Basically, I had people be critical of me for returning to school and not working full time, but it's my life, and it's working for me!

5) My friends and my boyfriend :D

Career Center

So last week on Thursday I attended a meeting at the Career Center, and it was sponsored by Project Hope. It was a special meeting intended for their Career and Life Transitions program. Even though I'm 24 and the program is supposed to be for 25+, they said it was fine. My career counselor Cami Vignoe was there, and we  set up an appointment, for today actually, to discuss my career aspirations. I am enrolled in a career planning class, PD 191, and it requires me to take an assessment. I took the Myer Briggs test and Strong Interest Inventory, and will go over the results today with Cami. The assessments, career center and class all help me to better understand myself, which career direction is right for me, and begin to move along that path. I've been me my whole life (lol), but still, sometimes its hard to be honest with yourself about what you really want to do without a little probing. I definitely recommend these tools for students in my position who have an idea of what they want to do but need it more concrete, or even students who have no idea at all. It's like the quote from the other day: "A year from now you will wish you had started today." (Karen Lamb).

"A year from now you will wish you had started today"

So after some more thought, I am planning on staying here next semester to intern and take classes. Even though I'm financially itching for full-time work, I feel that I am gaining so much from my present internship that I wish to continue. In addition, I am really excited about the three classes I want to take next semester. Here are the classes:

From SOMA, the school of media arts.

To see my interview with the Dean of SOMA...

Multimedia Department
MAT 103: Introduction To Multimedia
(3) F, S - CSU, UC
Skills Advisories: Eligibility for ENG 100 and ENG 103.

An introduction to multimedia, including production processes, tools, techniques, trends and design principles, and production requirements of interactive multimedia development for the Web, on different devices. Provides a comprehensive look at the concepts and principles of digital media, visual literacy and the influence on business, education, art, science and culture. 

SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW

OMG- you know when you have those days when everything just gels together? I cannot believe how much better my life is now that I am in school than when I was not in school working in retail. OMG. In December Kyle and I are going to Israel with Hillel, and probably spending some time in Spain too (where I studied abroad!!!). In addition, we are looking at moving into a co-op which will provide us with cheaper rent and a way to meet people. Also, Kyle has decided he's going to take some marketing/film/media classes, and I think I will be taking a leadership class with Tina Kistler from the Student's Coalition, and a basic media design class and/or film production class.

"If you have a dream, give it a chance to happen."

"If you have a dream, give it a chance to happen." - Richard Devos, from "Whatever it Takes"

This weekend, I went home to San Diego and took the CBEST. The CBEST is what allows me, a college graduate, to become a substitute teacher.  Taking the CBEST has been a goal of mine for a while, but before returning to school I was struggling with the financial commitment of $100.

Since I graduated in 2009 from San Diego State University, I dealt with a lot of obstacles. I was having trouble finding a job, began a commission-only based job which quickly fizzled, and ended up working in retail for a year.

When I was at school, though I was supporting myself financially with student loans and grants, I always felt hopeful. There were certain times I worried about paying bills, but I always saw a light at the end of the tunnel with graduation. As graduation approached, I began to feel kind of like someone getting closer and closer to the edge of the cliff. This feeling permeated my emotions and actions, and it prevented me from success in some ways.


Returning to college and going to SBCC was one of the best choices I ever made. Being around other people who work hard to achieve their goals is so important. Returning to college gave me the opportunity to get financial aid, and use that money toward buying a computer and other important financial goals. It gave me the ability to increase my skills, and find a job related to what I'm passionate about. But I think, most importantly for me, it gave me a place emotionally to feel good about taking risks like taking the CBEST. Taking the CBEST this weekend is a symbol of my ability to take a risk and achieve success, because guess what? I got my preliminary results in 2 of the 3 areas, and I have passed!


NOTE: If you are reading this and are wondering about how you can finance your education, I highly suggest you visit the SBCC Financial Aid page. The financial aid counselors work one-on-one with you to make sure that you fill out the forms you need and get everything properly submitted. If money is stopping you from going to school, don't let it- get help!