Minimum wage then (1970s) and now (2010s)

Saw an article on Reddit about a guy that used to work at McDonald's back in the 70s. A simple read but interesting to hear about the changes over the years as far as his experiences goes. One thing that caught my eye was someone asking about paychecks. This man earned minimum wage and felt like he was "rolling in money." Granted he wasn't supporting himself but he also didn't plan on flipping burgers as a life-long career choice but who does? Apparently those people protesting that minimum wage is to minimum.

I think this is what is lost on the current minimum wage debate — minimum wage is not a support-the-family wage. It's a stepping stone towards (potentially and expectantly) earning more money by either moving up within a company or moving to another company.

As defined:  Minimum wage is the lowest wage as permitted by law.

Do you minimum wage earners hear that? Do you understand it? It's the MINIMUM wage allowed by law! Employers can't pay below that rate but they sure as hell can pay just that rate.

If you want to earn more, learn a SKILL or take some college or continuing education courses specific to learning a skill or craft. Do you really, I mean REALLY expect to earn $15/hr working at a McDonald's or Wal-Mart? Those are very easily learnable duties and do not take any sort of educational training or specialized skills. Let's put employment at McDonald's and Wal-Mart into perspective:

At McDonald's you either take orders at the front or drive thru, flip burgers, deep fry things like fries or chicken and maybe occasionally clean the restrooms. At Wal-Mart you either walk the floor as a "helper" for customers or refolding/refixing things the customer messed up on shelves or hangers, "guard" the dressing room, checker, stocker or greeter. All in all the McDonald's employee seems more happy/friendly than the Wal-Mart employee even though both think they should make a lot more per hour but I feel the McDonald's worker could have a worse job because of all the grease, food smells, nasty restrooms, etc. Anyway, do any of the duties I listed require any kind of specialized training and/or education? HELL, NO! So, why in the world would you think you DESERVE ANYTHING more than minimum wage? Again, it's the MINIMUM an employer can legally pay and not a minimum LIVING wage. Hell, I'm not making too far above the latter and I AM skilled and educated! So fuck y'all!

Anyway, most minimum wage jobs were previously occupied by 15-18 yr olds or so until they went off to college. Sometimes they'd come back during holiday breaks and summers to that same job. I'd bet none of them complained about it like the minimum wage earners now.

Minimum wage is a stepping stone to learning about working hard to earn money...no matter how little that was after getting raped by the governmental taxes. A step to learning how to stretch that money over time until the next paycheck. A step to learn a sense of responsibility and build trust with employers, family and friends. A step towards life maturity. A step to learning that there's got to be a way to make more money whether it be a college education or learning a skilled profession as an apprentice or something. It sucked to earn minimum wage and sometimes it took a while to earn more but no one EVER wanted to stay making minimum wage in ANY job. The minimum wage worker at McDonald's typically stayed there for a long period of time to try and work their way up the ladder to assistant manager, then manager and then whatever is next. They didn't EXPECT to earn more than minimum (or even double as the bitchers are bitchin' for now) as a burger flipper or order taker.

Wake up people! Why should we cater to you people that want to stay in the same job doing the same duties for ever and ever and ever? Many jobs are like educational courses — you take one and then move to a new one at a higher level unless you fail or suck at it and you stay at the same level. Stop looking for free upgrades that you feel you are entitled to because you ARE NOT entitled!

Article here while it lasts.

Allegation of Cheating

The title of this post was in the subject line of an email I got today from my professor for my last final yesterday. Apparently, a couple of members of the the negotiation group I was in came forward to report that a few other team members had in there possession some information that they were not "technically" supposed to be privy to.

I don't understand why any of my classmates would feel the need to have an advantage in this class. It's not that hard and not to knock the professor, who just happens to be a close friend of mine, but the class was a cinch and one of my easiest I've ever taken! We had one test over a book that was like 80 pages long and that was just to be sure we were reading the book. The rest of the work was in-class (sometimes longer or after-class) negotiations. As long as we attended class and participated in the negotiations and general class discussions, we were golden with at minimum an A-. These kids were actually worried about the final. I was shocked and amused. I got the final case information about two hours before the final. I printed it. Read it. Highlighted some things and came to a conclusion to what I thought we should look for as part of our team and where we could concede. I actually wanted to play hard ball with the other groups because this isn't real life. This classroom negotiations and the point is not to have an agreement all the time. The class room is where you can fail in the negotiation process whereas real life is not.

So, these overachievers and worry-warts, Googled and found some 14-page 'paper' that talked about our specific case and even gave the points that the other groups would be looking for. Was this cheating? In my opinion, yes. One team member found this document and forwarded it to the rest of the group. She actually read it and mentioned the specific page where the points for each group was located. I clicked on it, saw it was fourteen pages long, and immediately closed it. There was no way in hell I was going to read fourteen pages of something that may not even benefit me. Besides the fact that I really didn't give a shit if I got an A on the final. My goal was to pass, which is a D-, and that was all I needed to complete my final class/semester. Don't ever call me an overachiever in the classroom! I was done last semester in my mind so the least I could work to achieve passing was the best I wanted to do.

The Internet is a powerful tool. You can find just about anything that references part or all of your search. The kids of this generation and the past couple are used to having this information at the touch of a button. They are spoiled...in more ways than one. They feel that an A- is worse than an A. I guess in the minute sense of the grades, yes, one is better than the other. But is there really much difference between a 3.7 and a 4.0? If you round to the nearest whole number they are equal. If you see an A for one student and an A- for another, does that mean student A is smarter than student A-? Is there much of a difference between an A- and a B+ or a 3.7 versus a 3.3? Granted rounding to the nearest whole number makes the two look different. But...an A- is the bottom of the 'A' barrel whereas a B+ is the top of the 'B' barrel.

I know. I know. We can throw in the wrench that some students need to maintain a specific GPA to continue to get their grants, awards, or scholarships. Let's just keep it simple!

So, the originator of the email came forward after the professor's email. She took full responsibility. A little while later the prof sends and email and it seems that two other students were "caught." I don't know if the prof is going to really go forward with this but we'll see. Not my problem.

I just know that once again something, anything, could happen to fuck up my graduation!

Almost there...almost there...

Today was my last official class day of my undergraduate career. Now it's finals weeks. I have one next week then one the following week and then finally graduation day! I CANNOT WAIT! As I think I've posted plenty of times, it's been a long, LONG journey!

I look forward to sleeping in because I will no longer have to go into work early to make up the time I'm in class. I look forward to not having to slightly stress about the assignment/homework that's due.

I wish I would have an entire summer off like most "normal" undergraduates but it's not going to happen for someone at my age! I do have three weeks off planned during the summer but that's based on vacation time earned from my job and not just for being done with schooling.

What does the future old for me next? I'm still going to work. I'm still going to be a husband and father. I just have a degree now. I'd like to change careers but I'm not leaving my current employment until I know what plans my children have for college. I wouldn't mind remaining working at my college job but not in the same position. I would like to move to another position on campus but it'll have to be a good opportunity for me to give up the semi-cush job I currently have. I'm just done with information technology and would like to expand my knowledge and experience as much as possible before I hit mid-century age!

How time has flown by...

In a little over a week, it'll be spring break for the undergraduate classes. I'm not for certain but I think this means that basically half the spring semester will be completed.

I briefly attended the graduation fair last week. I really don't need anything other than the cap and gown. Announcements are too damn expensive through the campus or the campus vendor. I'm not having my purchases funded by a rich mother and/or father. I don't need a year book and I don't need a class ring. If the ring wasn't ringing up to the tune of about $800 I wouldn't mind getting one but that's three car payments for me. I'd much rather be three car payments down than owe $800 more to some other business!

Anyway, I was able to go to a website and order by cap and gown. It's interesting how they ask for my height and weight to order my cap and gown. I guess they have some formula that translates to sizes of S, M, L, XL, etc. based on your height/weight combination. We'll have to see when I pick them up on May 5^th.

So, here's to two and a half months left of my long, tenuous journey.

6 Days!

That's how long I have until I start my final semester of college. In one long-feeling semester, I will be a college graduate with a BBA in Management with a minor in Photography!

That's right bitches! Read it and weep! I know I am. I started, reluctantly mind you, this journey in August 1989. Twenty-two years later, this journey will come to an end. **fingers crossed**

Now, it hasn't been 22 consecutive years. Occasionally, I only took one class but mostly I tried to take at least two since starting working full time. Before full-time employment, I would register for 12 hours and drop at least half. Then there was the five-year break I took while the wife completed a Master's and then Ph.D. So, a maximum of 17 years of school but 22 years for completion.

So, briefly, what have I learned from this journey (even though it's not completely over yet)?

Just a few things for now...in no particular order:

• If you are going to college, I recommend doing it right after high school graduation. I couldn't wait to be done with "required" school and just be "free." I knew I wasn't college bound because we were poor but my mom made me take classes because she wanted better for me and they wanted me as a tax break. LOL! Anyway, the longer you wait to return the harder it will be to do so. If there is even an inkling that you want a college degree, take classes as soon as possible after high school because life will take the control and never let go!
• If you have to attend a community college because of finances, make sure you research them well see what kind classes will transfer to whatever four-year college you anticipate attending. Tarrant County College has a very good relationship with Texas public colleges like UT Ausin, UT Arlington and UT Dallas. Maybe not all but more will transfer than going to the likes of a private school. I used the exact same government book at TCJC, now TCC, years ago that a coworker was using for a government class at UT Arlington. I paid significantly less for it and it would have transferred with no problem. I transferred to a private school with 57 hours and they took only like half. A few of the courses they didn't take, I retook and they were almost exactly the same...I never bought the book and passed the course and tests with an 'A.' The private school just thought their classes were better for some reason.
• Tuition is expensive for four-year colleges no matter if it's public or private. If you are not rich or the family isn't rich, you might look into working at a university full time. Many universities provide a free tuition benefit to make up for the lower university salary compared to what you could possible make in the 'real world.' Take advantage of it. I have. I'm going to get a $100K degree for free...the exception is for class fees and books but when tuition is like $5,000 and books are like $300, I'll take books.
• College really doesn't prepare an individual for the world. Maybe degrees in Painting, Art History, Dance, English and such but not degrees like Accounting, Marketing, or Information Technology Operations Management. Now, the latter probably does give you knowledge about those fields and some working skills to enter but the individual will learn on-the-job. Many of my young classmates who I have seen since they've graduated said such things. They actually learn their jobs when they get the job. Now, I'm sure a college degree makes the individual a well-rounded, educated person but actual job preparation...maybe not so much. Also, I work in the graduate admissions office and I see the salaries of the applicants who went straight to college and graduated in four years. These people busted their asses in school and now work and they make the same money as I do without a college degree. I'm not saying there aren't those that make a whole hell of a lot more but when 75% of the applicants are college graduates in Accounting, ITOM, Marketing and even Finance are only making $40yr-$60k/yr and are the same age as I, I don't know if that is a good return on their initial investment of college. And of course, that's excluding any outside reasons why these people are making so little like their own laziness or whatever.

  Long story short, I guess being in class with wet-behind-the-ears kids while I've been in the world gives me a perspective that they and others their age in class don't see. They haven't been jaded by management in the corporate world. They haven't really experienced ANYTHING that is discussed as examples in class. It's all theory to them and theory is almost never reality.

I'm sure there are other things I've learned but since I've been typing this while at work, I'd better get back to work.

∞
That's all I got to say about that!
 

Revisited: Is A College Degree Worth It?

I have previously written about this topic here.

A few days later I ran across this story but just now had time to write about it. I think it's got some very valid points from the horses' mouth (the actual graduates)!

∞
That's all I got to say about that!
 

Is an undergraduate college degree worth it?

I haven't consistently written about my pain and suffering of obtaining my undergraduate degree while working full-time and being a wonderful husband and great parent of two. I have a short attention span most of the time and I get misdirected to other things in the middle of ongoing things and then it's just a cluster fuck of things. Before I know it, I've lost track of anything and everything I wanted to say, write, or do and I move on until I can remember them later on. If I could stay on track and compile my thoughts in one cohesive linear direction, this blog would be much longer and each day's postings would be enormously long or many or both.

With that being expressed, I have come to the conclusion that I should (will) complete my long, tenuous journey of obtaining my undegraduate degree from a well-known school. If all goes well, May 2012 will be my graduation month/year. {fingers crossed}

I'd like to start with a little pre-journey background. I didn't grow up with parents that made enough money for us to live comfortably. At times, my parents struggled to make ends meet. I shared a roughly 20' x 20' room with my brother up until I was in 10^th or 11^the grade which is when he moved out. There were three boys in my parents 3-bedroom house since I was in elementary school because my older four siblings were already on their own by the time I was in 3^rd.

Most of my clothes, excluding underwear, came from hand-me-downs or the second-hand store (if it's still there we visited the D.A.V.- Disabled American Veteran's store in Irving, TX). The bicycle I learned to ride a bike on was my oldest sister's—yes, a girl's bike—who is fifteen years older than me. I learned to ride it at the age of five but I was unable to sit on the seat. Therefore, I had to "stand" the entire time while pedaling and the handle bars were at a height above my head where I looked like I was stretching more than I was riding a bike. Damn good thing it WAS a girl's bike!

Anyway, point is that I didn't expect to go to college. Times were tough most of my childhood and money was tight. I was (am) a smart kid but I knew my parents couldn't afford it and so I didn't ever prepare to attend or think about college. I didn't ask for brochures or any information from colleges. I conceded/expected the fact that I would work after high school and see what the future brought. Neither of my parents went to college. One or two of my siblings took a class here and there from Tarrant County Junior College (now TCC). I was not groomed for continued education.

So anyhow, I started this journey in the fall of 1989 at the ripe old age of 18. I didn't start this journey willingly. My mom told me I had to enroll in college (TCJC) in the fall after my high school graduation because they needed to keep health insurance on me and to claim me on their taxes. I didn't really have a job lined up but was actively looking while also trying to enjoy my summer of fun and freedom from no longer having to returned to "required" schooling.

I enrolled in twelve hours at TCJC for full-time status for a few semesters/years and before or on the drop date, I'd drop at least half of the classes because I was skipping them. I look bad now and regret not being more respectful of my mom's hard-earned money to pay for my classes but I was younger and dumber at the time. I looked at it as I didn't like the damn classes anyway and my mom was forcing me to take them. I particularly disliked taking the GEC classes because if it wasn't specific to what I wanted to do, like technology or whatever, I felt that classes like Human Relations and Rhetoric were total bullshit and a waste of money. I look back now and I wasted the money by not just getting a passing grade in all the classes instead of dropping them. I spent a lot of time in the game room playing fuseball, ping pong and pool. I also slept a lot in the lounge area when I should have been in class. College was not a motivator for me. It never has been and still really isn't.

I got me a full-time job making decent money (at the time it was decent). I worked 7am to 4pm and had my afternoons and evenings to just hang out, relax, and have fun. A few years of full-time work, I started taking an evening class each fall and spring semester because my company would reimburse me if I passed with a C+. I took classes I wanted to take like Pascal and C programming as well as some other techie classes. It wasn't the funnest but my wife (girlfriend at the time) was very persistent in what she thought I should do with my life. It really came down to she was slightly embarrassed around her friends and family to be dating me because I had no real college aspirations and she was going to a very expensive private college and she had goals and plans.

Longer story short, I got a job at a college and they have tuition benefits. They pay up front though unlike my previous job but they don't cover books and fees. That's okay when the tuition is like $8k-$10k for two classes, I think I'm better off paying $300 for books and fees. It still sucks but it's better than the alternative. Between work and family time, I have taken six hours a semester (FL/SP/SU) for quite a while. My work covers 18 hours and I'm not paying for more nor am I taking more than two classes a term because it's a lot for me to take on with family, work, school and personal sanity time. Focus is still hard for me because when it comes to family, fun or a 5-page paper, family first then fun rules out and then I'm pulling an all-nighter to finish the paper or study for an exam. It's not fun.

So, I've got 13 hours left. I'm taken three for the first summer term and then six in Fall 2011 and six in Spring 2012. Then finally (hopefully) graduation in May 2012 with a BBA and a minor in photography. Look at me the previous underachiever achieving a major and a minor.

Now the point of my title. I work in an MBA office and I see and process applications for our program every day. These applicants fill out their current employer and salary. All these people have already received their undergraduate degree from some institution. Many are at least 28 years of age but can range from 26 to 36 years old. If we go with those that are 30-36 and U.S. citizens, many of them have salaries that are equal to mine give or take a couple of thousand dollars.

Granted, I didn't start at what I make now but they spent minimum four years in undergraduate college and something like $60k-$80k in tuition to work at a job making the same money as I am without a completed college education. Of course, they have the education and potential to make more...blah, blah, blah...but they don't right now. Not to mention that I work for a university and I knew going in that it wasn't about the money I could make. It was about the sanity and peace of mind of not working in the crazy-ass high-pressure corporate world anymore and to get my tuition benefits for me, my wife and my kids.

My point comes down to this. Is it worth wasting four years of life (excluding the frat parties, panty raids and other extracurricular activities) and being in debt for paying the college tuition (unless your parents are rich) to obtain a job that starts out at, say, $32,000/year? Years ago I started at $26,000/yr at a previous employer working in the mail room. I progressed to a promotion in a few years making $30,000/yr which was equal to those the company was hiring straight out of college at the time. The college graduate didn't do the job any better than I did and in fact many did worse. So, who was better or worse off?

Again, society says a college education is important and for some reason people still believe that a college grad will do a better job than a high school grad. To that I say, "Bullshit." It all comes down to the capabilities of the applicant/employee...but again, the decision makers say differently. I just see that an accounting major learns theory in college and learns real life on the job. A competent non-college worker learns on the job and didn't waste time in class theory. Is one the college grad better, worth more? I think not but the higher-ups think differently. Would you trust a non-college educated real estate agent that learned on the job from a mentor and works in the actual business or a college graduate that just graduated with a major in real estate?

I guess there's an argument for both sides. I tell my kids that I will support them in whatever they want. I don't think a college degree is necessary overall but I think it is necessary for them just because of the biases that people have against non-college grads versus college grads. It isn't the end all be all but it doesn't hurt either, I guess.

Anyway, that's my random opinion of the day. You can find different opinions on whether or not a degree is worth the time and money by a Google search, as I did. In fact, I will share a couple here and here.

Oh yeah, I saw an article somewhere that said the MBA is now considered more like an undergraduate degree because everyone's got one. I think that's a remark stating that the undergraduate degree has lost its clout and the MBA is following suit. What's next, everyone needs a Ph.D.?

UPDATE 6/2/11: It's funny sometimes how when you write or talk about something that there is someone somewhere that had a similar idea but on a bigger platform. I saw an article here that has a few theories on the worth of college. It was an interesting read although I think it misses some con-college points. Still worth a read though.

This is what "dumbass" looks like

Below is a picture of a GMAT score. If you don't know what a GMAT is, you can Google it. Essentially though, it is a test to show what kind of graduate student you could/should be (typically for the MBA—Master's in Business Administration) like the SAT/ACT/GRE/LSAT/MCAT tests and etc. do for their particular field in which they apply.

The GMAT has a maximum score of 800. The GMAT score captured below is a 200. Now if you look at it in the most simplistic of terms...a 100% would be 800, 75% would be 600, 50% would be 400 and 25% would be 200. There are other scores besides these but remember this is for simplistic reasons. So, of all the percentages listed, which do you think is (obviously) passing? What's amazing is that people will ask why their 600 isn't competitive. What's doubly amazing is that people will ask why their 550, 500, 400, 300, and yes, even 200 isn't competitive. They also say that a 200 doesn't reflect the real person they are. That they don't test well. What a lame excuse!

Let me put it into perspective some more. You basically can get a 200 on the GMAT just for showing up and signing your name to the paper. I've never seen a published score below 200 and I've work with an MBA program for 10+ years. I am led to believe that's because 200 is the lowest as seen in the percentile given for the related 200, which is 0%. You know what that means? It means that you did better than 0% of other test takers. If a 200 is 0% then I'm on par with saying that a score below 200 is not given. Therefore, showing up and putting your name down gets you an automatic 200 points.

Next best question from a 200-point test taker is, can I get scholarship? Yeah buddy. We'll invest in you as a future business leader...NOT!

Case study discussion in my Leadership & Culture class (Pt 1)

I am taking a Leadership & Culture class this semester. It's a required core course for my management major. The professor is teaching this for the first time on our campus although he's taught it before. I was a little hesitant to take the class (although I have to eventually to graduate) because I did not know what to expect of the class and professor. Without going into further detail and losing the point of my post, I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed this professor and the school would do the students a disservice by not keeping him around.

Now, he sent us a case from Darden as an introduction to our discussion of ethics. The case starts like this:

You are a senior executive in the sales department of a large manufacturing company. A competitor’s technological innovation has disrupted your company’s production and has plunged profits into the red for the last three quarters. Your boss has made it very clear that if you do not make your profit projections for this quarter, you will be out of a job. One of your staff members makes a suggestion to you about investing in new equipment to better monitor and service clients. After some research you realize that this investment, if enacted quickly, could increase sales and help the overall health of the company. Each quarter that you wait to implement this equipment will reduce its positive impact, but investing now will cause you to miss your profit projections and lose your job. What do you do?

It goes on to say

Most people have one of two reactions after reading a case like the one above. Either they have a strong moral intuition toward one of the options, or they experience conflicting moral intuitions and cannot decide between the two. Moral intuitions or sentiments (as Adam Smith called them) are our gut reactions to a situation as to what is right or wrong. They are developed over time from our past experiences and social interactions. We may regret decisions that are based just on moral intuition when we find they missed the mark. It is only when we do the hard work of analyzing a case and meshing intuition with reason that we can be confident that we are making better choices. This is because our intuitions are determined by past experiences, which may be of little help in new moral dilemmas. In addition, apart from following the stronger moral intuition, we cannot decide between two conflicting intuitions without a standard or some criteria for what is better or worse. In both of these cases, we need to turn to ethics.

So, what would you do?

A few of the kids said they would invest in the new equipment and "hope" that the boss would see that you have made a good decision and keep you around. Others said they would invest in the new equipment and plead their case with the boss to keep them around. These kids are so ignorant and lost to the realities of the real business world.

My response: I do not invest in the new equipment. My efforts are only recognized if I make my numbers not if I show improvement.

My reasoning based on the given/known facts of the case: It's me, the boss, the company and my impending doom or firing from the company:

• Sometimes it's about self-preservation. I would use the last quarter I have with the company to find a job and make sure I have a plan/job to maintain my income after being let go by this company.
• Why did it take three quarters for the boss to react to a competitor? Whose fault is it really, mine, my bosses or higher? Yet, I'm the one getting the shaft. Great company to work for!
• I am getting fired no matter what if I don't hit my numbers. So, investing in the new equipment improves the numbers but does not make me reach my numbers. This benefits the company but it does nothing for extending my career with the company.
• The company didn't take into consideration the importance of performance maintenance. I've missed my numbers for three quarters and just now at the start of the fourth does the boss give a crap about my work? I don't expect to be micromanaged but if I'm liable for missing my numbers so should my boss.
• My boss not looking into performance numbers failures sooner makes me wonder what kind of boss/company I was working for to begin with. If the numbers were more important until someone complained to him, is this who I want to work under anyway?
• If the company isn't going to invest in me to help me better the company as well as better myself, why would I invest in the equipment and better the company in the long run when I will no longer be with the company?

I guess that's a long enough list.

The professor says, "Really?"

I say, "Yes, based on the minimal information we are given in the case."

He says, "What about the group that works under you? Their kids? Others in the company and their kids?"

I say, "I would still NOT invest in the equipment. I'm bitter towards the boss and the company. I would not do it out of spite. As for 'the others,' unless I worked closely with them I have no real relationship with them and therefore less concern for them. It's my ass on the line and the company will probably continue after I'm gone! As far as anyone that worked under me, I would decide who would be the best fit to replace me and lead the group. I would tell him to bring the idea of investing in the equipment to the boss. That way he'd look like a savior with a fresh idea. He'll get promoted and the team will be okay. I would not invest my time and effort knowing that my situation would finalize in my dismissal."

He says, "Hm. Interesting? Anyone else?"

The young-uns in the class stuck with their "the boss will see I tried and reward me with retaining my employment." Or "there has to be a way to talk to the boss and keep my job."

Clouded their judgment is. In the ways of corporate America, untrained they are.

There's a bit more so I'll end for now since this post is lengthy.

New semester of classes for me

Not that anyone cares but I didn't get a chance to share what grade I got in my Employee Benefits class taken last semester, Fall 2010 (mentioned in this post).

Slack-ass Jay ended up getting a C. That's right bitches...a C. Hold the applause.

Again, this class wasn't one of my core courses. It was a business elective and to get a C, Hell!, to pass is good for me! What I can take away from this is (1) I'm 3 hours closer to being done and (2) I passed!

Now, I am about a month into the Spring 2011 term. I'm taking two management courses that are the two core courses I have to take for my management major. I didn't want to double up on two business courses in one term because I know what kind of slacker I am. But I didn't have much of a choice. The classes are getting slim pickens these days and the closer I get to my graduation the harder it is to find a class that will fit my major AND fit my work/personal schedule.

This semester I am taking a Human Resource Management course as well as a Leadership & Culture (i.e. Organizational Behaviour) course. After attending a few classes, these classes overlap just a bit. I mean what is leadership and culture if you don't have good human resources management. A few terms I have heard in both classes. I wish it was so simple as paying attention on one class to pass both. LOL!

Anyway, today I have a test in my HR class. Because of the snow/ice last week, it's only over chapters 1-3. He didn't want to push back the test and mess up his syllabus schedule because of guest speakers and such. It's great that it's only three chapters but that's if we read those chapters already and slack-ass Jay sort of did. His comment to the class was, "Well, you guys already read the three chapters before the "break," right?" Ha! Foolish man how I have him fooled.

So, wish me luck on exam one today. I'll need it. I feel semi-confident but who knows what will be on the test. It's 50 multiple choice questions so maybe that will help me...maybe not.

Have I mentioned before how I hate school?

∞
That's all I got to say about that!
 

25th Anniversary of the Challenger tragedy

So, the word about town is it's the 25^th anniversary of the Challenger explosion. Click here for a good article with pics and vids over at Gizmodo.

I remember exactly where I was when it happened. I was in 3^rd period science class in 9^th grade.

I remember my teacher, Mrs. Allen, wheeling in the TV cart—there weren't laptops or video projectors available at the time. My science teacher was so excited that she wanted all 20 of us to be quiet when they weren't really saying anything on the TV that was important.

I remember the teacher in the next class came over to watch as well, bringing his students into our already crowded classroom. Now there were around 40 of us.

I remember being pretty interested in the launch. Not because I was a space fanatic but just because I always wanted to fly and space launch was pretty close and probably fantastic in itself. I also just like seeing rockets launch. I'm a boy. What else do we care about at that age but electronics, sports and planes/rockets (I liked girls too but that's another story).

I remember the count down.

I remember it starting to lift off.

I remember the flames and all the smoke coming out of the rockets.

I remember how cool it looked on the 27-inch tube TV.

I remember it getting higher and higher.

I remember seeing this quick, smokey explosion thinking this was when the booster rockets separated.

I remember seeing the two booster rockets bow away from the cloud of smoke between them and start to wiggle into their own random flight pattern.

I remember not seeing the shuttle continue its ascent.

I remember my teacher looking at the other teacher wondering what had happened. Both were confused.

I remember silence in the classroom. Then...

I remember the commentator saying something like, "Where is the Challenger?" and "They seemed to have lost contact with the Challenger" and then after a few minutes or ten, the realization happened. NASA reports that the Challenger space shuttle has exploded and all crew members have perished.

I remember Mrs. Allen crying, subtly at first and then somewhat hysterically. She bolted out the classroom door into the hall and continued to cry.

I remember Mrs. Allen composing herself and then wheeling the TV cart back out to the hall and into another room where she and a few other teachers continued to watch the drama. I think it was smart of her to do this for the students and her as well.

I remember going home later in the day and knowing what had transpired but it really not affecting me personally. I knew it was tragic. I knew it was historical. But what did a 14-yr-old boy really care about in the world?

As a mature adult, I look back and I feel for the families of the crew. I understand this now as I have a family of my own that I care for and raise. I also see that if I was a kid and my mother/father had the opportunity to go into space it would be the fucking coolest thing EVER! In fact as a parent, if my child had that opportunity, it would still be the fucking coolest thing but I would worry in the back of my mind.

So, as an old guy, I say to those young and old: Remember the events in your life directly and indirectly, big and small, because one day you will say, "That was the fucking coolest thing...EVER!"

Who should you ignore?

Whether it's a comment on a blog post or an article in the paper/on the web, how can you quickly decipher which people to ignore completely if you care to acknowledge them at all?

Today just happened to be a day where I was reading a few articles/posts with comments and I noticed something: America (and maybe somewhat abroad) is full of non-spelling idiots!

First of all, I don't profess to know how to spell every word. If I don't use them, I usually don't know how to spell them or if I use them verbally, I can always hit F7 while in MS Word or do a search for it on the WWW.

Second, these misspellings aren't hard to spell words, big words, or words with hidden consonants or vowels.

Third, I'm not saying people don't make random mistakes like typing an 'I' before an 'E' or any inadvertent swapping or omission of letters. I'm talking just a general misunderstanding of what word to correctly use and then correctly spelling it.

So, one of the most common misspelled words I have found in comments is:

• definately instead of definitely
• loose instead lose
• chose instead choose
• there instead of their

There are more but I can't remember them all at this time. The worst violators are the ones that brag about being educated and/or even a teacher of some sort and then they type definately — That's when I sarcastically think, "Yeah, I'm glad you are teaching someone's kid smarty pants."

Anyway, that's all I got to say about that...for now.

Finally nearing the end of my benefits class

I guess I should just say, "Nearing the end of the fall semester," not just this one class as I am taking two.

I guess it's because I dislike this class...well, class period. I'm like a broken record, I know.

Today was exam III. I wasn't too worried about it because as I stated in a previous post, I'm okay with the average of a 67 and 72 on the two previous tests. I just need to pass the comprehensive final and I'm golden. C- here I come! Passing is passing dammit!

Tuesday, the prof very briefly touched on the exam. The only real things of substance he said that meant anything to the class was something like this, "...after a few of you expressed concerns about my evil, very evil, exams I've made some changes..." This test is now 25 multiple choice worth 3 pts each and pick 1 of 2 essay questions worth 25 pts. The previous two tests were 20 multiple choice and pick 2 of 3 essay questions. The problem with his previous tests was that the essay questions were like 10-15 part questions. Who the hell is going to remember that much information about ANYTHING except the nerdy nerds of the world!?

Anyway, I did study a little bit. I'm not completely useless. I didn't stress out about it, though. I did mistakenly stay up typing an outline of chapters 7 & 8 until midnight last night but that was partly due to the time getting away from me and I mixed in some web (porn) surfing—I'm easily distracted, duh!

I thought about being able to briefly review my notes sometime through my work day but it didn't happen. So, again, I was conceding the first two tests as my average.

I head to my classroom and I see a few of my classmates outside studying. I've got a bottled water, pencil and a calculator. One girl says to me, "Are you braving it since you aren't carrying any notes for last minute cramming?" I said, "Yeah, I figured if I didn't know it by now, I'm not going to know it in the next few minutes." She was like, "True."

So, I get to my seat and I sit and wait. The prof passes out the tests and we are able to begin shortly after. I answer a couple of the multiple choice and I start to think that maybe I know this shit. Question 3...4...5...uh oh, don't know this one...7...8...9...10...oh shit, that's what the calculator is for but I don't know how to compute the problem...12...13...etc.

I get to the essay question and I feel confident that I can answer the first one pretty thoroughly. Two hand-written pages later and I'm done! Second person out of the class to complete the exam-not that I am keeping score.

I exited the classroom thinking this could actually be a much better grade than the 72 but most definitely way better than the 67.

I tell ya, I'm like good wine...I get better with age [time].

Not that I really care and I won't know for sure on my grade until probably next Thursday but I think I may be up to a C or C+ now

Booyah!

Cigars

I just recalled something that I learned in my B&W photography class which I never would have imagined. Actually, I guess, I actually got something I previously heard, and possibly learned, verified.

So, what I verified is cigars are not supposed to be inhaled.

Huh? What? I thought all smokes were to be inhaled for their enjoyment. Apparently not!

How I came to this question for my professor is one Saturday I was playing tennis with the regular group of guys. My long-time friend was talking about someone he knew that would smoke cigars and "he'd inhaled!"

He said this like it was a new phenomenon. I, on the other hand, said, "So, what's the big deal?" He went on about how you are not supposed to inhale a cigar because it'll burn out your throat and lungs not to mention make you cough for hours while it's doing it.

I was like, "Really?" I just assumed that smoking something meant inhaling it. We aren't all like Bill Clinton. We smoke it and we want the total effects of it so we inhale it!

Armed with this question, "How do you 'smoke' a cigar," I saw my photography professor the following Monday for class. I waited to ask him because he's been smoking cigars for about forty-five years so I figured he was an "expert" on the cigar-smoking subject.

According to Prof. Photog, "A cigar is meant to be enjoyed by puffing on it and allowing the smoke to circle the pallet and then exit, often blown threw the nose. It IS not meant to be inhaled because, yeah, [said in a humorous tone] it will kill ya. The flavor is supposed to be savored like a wine or a prime cut of steak."

So, in retrospect, I can see this explanation as very valid because I've inhaled cigars, many of them, trying to enjoy the flavor and aroma but not getting anything but a generic tobacco taste and feel. I've tried many brands thinking it was the cheap versus the somewhat expensive or the different flavors where some were stronger than others. But never have I experience an actual flavor but once, mildly.

I haven't tested the theory since learning of this interesting knowledge but I am eager to try just for science's sake...and to put my own curiosity to rest.

What do you think? Do you have a theory on cigars? What is your recommended brand (keeping in mind that I'm middle-class and a $10 cigar is way out of my budget)? I've tried Swisher Sweets and a few other "7-11-type" brands and most of them I liked licking the paper more than I did smoking the cigar.

Benefits presentation is done!

I mentioned something about my benefits class the other day here. I started this post Tuesday and am just now getting around to finishing it.

I had my presentation day on Tuesday. I was a little nervous. Not because I'm afraid of speaking in front of people. I get antsy but not so much nervous. I typically get nervous doing a presentation because I'm not extremely familiar with the information I am presenting. I am more relaxed when I can talk more from the hip than having to check cue cards or read a slide. I just don't feel like investing my precious time in learning/living a topic that I'm going to use until approximately mid-December but it definitely would have made the delivery of my presenting smoother. Actually, I think it went pretty well.

I put the full presentation together Monday night from about 6:30pm until about 10:30pm. I sort of started it a few days or so before and worked on it for about 5-10 minutes over the weekend. I tried to focus more on it Sunday night but that didn't happen. After wondering if I was going to drop the class or not, I again didn't want to put too much effort into my presentation if I was going to drop the class because of my 2nd test grade. I got my grade on Tuesday last week and ten I had to get my presentation together after a day or two trying to decide if I wanted to bail or not. I got all worked up about bailing for nothing because I still could have pulled a D+ or even C- and I'd be done with three more hours of class. Making me that much closer to finally graduating (this has been a long, strenuous effort for showing my kids that college is worth the output...we'll see).

Anyway, I already got my grade back, since it's a few days later, with the comment sheets from my "audience" aka classmates. Funny thing is that most of my classes where there were comment sheets for a presentation took out the commenter's name but not this one. So, if I had a vendetta against one of them, I know exactly who to headhunt!

My grade was a 92%. Now, I'm not sure the grading scale but there were not marks on the sheets. I really didn't care. I got it together and presented knowing that I didn't have to awe the professor as much as I had to just talk, inform and be done with it. The strength comments were good. They liked my knowledge, examples and thought I rocked the Q&A section (that's because I shot from the hip...BANG!). The weakness comments were good too. They were spot on in most cases but again, I wasn't going for anything special and the points they made are the parts that I really didn't care about. Things such as looked back at slides [on the projection screen], didn't address the entire audience as much as could/should have, and a lot of information on the slides. I think that was the gist of them.

In my defense even though I don't need any:

1. I looked back at the slides because I didn't stand behind the podium to look at the computer monitor like others did AND our professor does for every lecture. I tried to keep from turning to look at them but I'd get ahead of myself inside my mind and looking at the slide would bring me back to simplicity instead of rambling.
2. Addressing the audience was way down on my list. I tried to be aware of it a little bit but in the end didn't feel like putting that much thought into it. The way I was standing was more the issue than anything. I stood to one side of the screen and therefore I automatically only looked towards 1/2 to 2/3 of the class. I'm okay with that. Again, it wasn't for a business presentation techniques class.
3. I only had a couple of slides with wordy information on them but the truth be told, I didn't read from the slides. I put the information in there for hard copy viewing. I only verbally spoke about the important things on the wordy slides. Some of the comments mentioned this which was my point but others didn't get it.

So, with all that being said and done, I have one more exam and then a final for this class and I'll be done! I'm not sure how much effort I'm putting into the third exam because I'm okay with the average of 67 and 72—which is a 69.5 or in my eyes a 70. Add in the 92 on the presentation and the anticipated score of at least above 70 on the final and I'm okay with that.

Now, I have to come up with photos and make prints to present at my 3^rd critique in my black & white photography class. I think I have to have at least 10 prints so I have to get my ass in gear. Right now it's in neutral and needs to be at least in 2^nd by now.

Sometimes I can't wait to just be an employee, husband, and parent. Life is much easier when I don't have to prepare for being a student 4-6 days out of the week.

Good news versus bad news

I had my Benefits class today after our fall break and I got some bad news and some good news today.

The good news is, I passed my second test with a 72.

The bad news is, I passed my second test with a 72.

I decided that if I were to fail this test (below the 67 I made on the first exam70) that I was going to more than likely drop the class. The teacher's syllabus says he will have three tests and one final exam. Of the three tests, he will drop the lowest grade. If test 1 and 2 would have been below 70 but above a 60, I would have looked into dropping even though 67-69 (I didn't think I'd get below the previous exam grade) would have been a D+ average. I'm okay with that. I know I've said it before but I'm not an overachiever.

There's something visually wrong to be about a C- compared to a D+. Minus just has a negative connotation to it. Besides, the grades are very close like a 69 is a D+ but a 70 is a C-. Is there really a difference between those two...I mean really?

Anyway, now that I actually got a 72 it puts the class into a better possibility for me. It says that I might be able to pull off a C- or above. Dammit, I'm not an overachiever. Why am I thinking like that? Why do I really care!? Because C is better than D and finishing this class would mean I'd have three less hours to complete.

Do you see why this was good but bad news?

Not to mention that if I dropped, I wouldn't have to prepare my presentation for next Tuesday that I'm scheduled to give. Now, I have to complete it, practice it and practice it some more. I created a a couple of slides the other day but started thinking, "Why put out this effort if I might be dropping the class?" Now that I'm mister awesome with a 72, I have to get back to business and complete the presentation. Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!

Have I mentioned how much I hate taking classes? Well, hate IS a strong word but it's fucking perfect for what I feel!

Brookhaven Community College

I just visited Brookhaven Community College for the 3rd time (I think) in my life.

The 1st was to drop my niece's husband off for his classes so I could use their truck to haul something I needed a truck to move.

The 2nd time I very vaguely recall. I don't know why but I feel like I've been there once before this time and the 1st time.

The 3rd time, which was today, I had to attend my B&W II photography class at Brookhaven.

This is the first time I was able to walk the campus. I entered the parking lot through the front entrance off Alpha Road. This entrance led me straight to the Student Center building, Building S it is called. I parked. Entered the building and asked where my professor's exhibit was. It was in Building D near the back of the campus. I assume it is the fine arts building but I don't recall if it had a particular name like Building S. So, I was able to journey through at least part of the campus.

I must say that since I was able to do so, I found that the campus is pretty nice. It's not a huge campus. In fact, I think that Tarrant County College Northeast Campus in Hurst is bigger. I'm not sure if the buildings are bigger at TCC or more spread across the campus or what but TCC really seems bigger and I think it is.

Anyway, the campus had some nice architecture, fountains and art. The buildings seemed spacious and cozy at the same time. Some of the hallways and classrooms look like they need to be "modernized" and brought out of the late 80s/early 90s. I did find it sort of empty of a plethora of students. I don't know if it just happened I was there during class time or if it was a typical Wednesday afternoon. The campus has quite a decent-sized parking lot and it seemed fairly empty as well.

So, the reason I had class at Brookhaven is for my professor's exhibit/showing of a few (40) of his prints over five decades of taking photos. I thought his prints were pretty awesome. Some of them I thought were very cool while others I think were good, interesting, thought-provoking in the sense some made me nostalgic but others were just "normal" in the sense that it seemed anyone could have taken them and anyone could think they were awesome, like me. What's nice about him and his work is that he has his own darkroom and plenty of time to print one after the other if need be. I'm not minimizing his work and efforts. I'm just saying that it would be nice to be able to hone a craft in such a way as having the lab, workroom, or darkroom in your own backyard to practice.

Anyway, that's what my afternoon entailed.

Sent on the Super Jay Network from Super Jay's BlackBerry®

I think I'm tired of working and going to school

I'm sure I've posted about it before but I'm going to be like the 40-yr-old undergraduate graduate. I've got something like 24-28 hours left for my BBA. If I could go full time, I would be done in a year but I work full time so that means it will take me approximately another two years. I don't mind really.

What I do mind is that I do not have the "unlimited" freedom I would like. I quote unlimited because even without school I wouldn't have fully unlimited because I have responsibilities like kids, wife, car payments, rent, etc. I just would like the freedom to say, "Today, I feel like just sitting at my patio table to enjoy the wonderfully cool and refreshing weather we are having in Dallas the past few days," and not worry about having to read a chapter (which I usually push off anyway), study for an exam or take my B&W photographs for my class critique.

I'm distracted easily as it is but pushing off what I need to get done for work takes a toll on my later. My fault, yes, but still not fun.

Sometimes I think to myself how awesome it would be just to be an employee. To work from 8:30am to 5:00pm and be done with my required thinking. I want to enjoy the lazy moments with my wife and kids. I want to randomly walk around the neighborhood with my dog and not care that I am walking for an hour instead of 30 minutes.

It was so nice last week. I skipped class (except for Monday, and not totally skipping because I was the only one in the office to hold down the fort and Wednesday's class was a work day) and it felt fantastic! Of course, the worries I have now are a test next week in one class and a photo critique in the other. I have read one chapter for the test and will read the other tonight (maybe) but I am still lost on a theme for my photography class. I have some ideas but then I shelf them because it requires too much work in the sense that I have to go somewhere, I have to get people to help out, and some background setting is usually needed. Hopefully, I'll come up with something...hopefully, because I HAVE TO!

Racists, racists everywhere

I just got a chance to write about this but there was an incident at my roller hockey game a couple of weeks ago.

No, it didn't involve me.

It could have easily been avoided but there's this uncanny knack that men cannot take the high road (I'm guilty of this once in a while as well). It bears no weight that most are at least in their late 20s and above on whether they act like a jackass or not!

This though was completely ignorant and 95% one guy's fault.

So, picture my teammate: about 6'2", Caucasian, biker mustache/goatee, definitely seems to have anger issues. He's on the bench with me and my brother when a team member of the opposing team seemingly (more than likely) takes a dive to draw a penalty. One is called on our team but for slashing instead of tripping. Weird but we move on.

"Angry man" responds to the call with something like "What was that?" "Are you seriously going to call that?" "That was a Dora-like performance!"

Where that last comment came from is beyond me other than the fact that the "diving guy" was seemingly (more than likely) Hispanic or Mexican. The Dora comment was pretty ignorant but I guess if one dug deep enough the correlation could be made...maybe. The point is there was really no need to bring ethnicity into it.

So, the immature bantering goes on between my teammate and the "Diver" and a couple of others on the opposing team. There is about 20 seconds left in the game and what players just happen to be left on the rink: White guy, the Diver and a few other Hispanics (presumably), and my brother (who looks Mexican like I do).

All of a sudden we see White guy get tackled by Diver. Which is just plain stupid to begin with because we are all "adults" but I do understand the Diver's reaction to the ignorant Dora comment. White guy gets out from under Diver but is in a kind of sitting position and then Diver's brother bum rushes White guy, knocking him to his back and sucker punches the White guy on the left side of his face.

It's not my altercation so I remain on the bench as to not bend/break any of the "rules" as I really don't know what the facility's rules are to begin with. I just know it's not my issue and I'm not friends with White guy or Diver.

My brother sees it another way. He's three years older than me and a little shorter and scrawnier. But he has the same temper - we get that from our dad. Anyway, my brother sees the sucker punch and goes in to pull Diver's brother off White guy. I yell from the bench for him to stay out of it. His wife and son are in the stands watching and I hear her voice the same sentiment. I keep a close eye on my brother because if someone did involve him, I would have jumped off that bench and leaped over the wall to bust some knees! Fortunately, the facility workers were able to separate and settle things if not temporarily. They went ahead and ran the remaining 20 seconds off the clock and the game was called. Our team was victorious.

We are removing our equipment in the locker room (basically the back side of the stands without doors or really a room) when I told my brother that I'm glad he stayed out of it. His wife and son again shared the sentiment. My brother said he wasn't getting involved until he saw Diver's brother sucker punch White guy. He just wanted to make sure it didn't happen again.

After a few minutes or so, when we were done de-equipping and getting ready to leave, my brother walks down to White guy and says something. My brother starts to walk back towards me and I hear White guy say, "No disrespect," and my brother says, "That's alright. I'm not Mexican."

My brother sits back next to me and says that White guy skated by Diver and said, "Chico." This apparently is what set off Diver. This is also some portion of what White guy probably said and "apologized" to my brother because White guy thought my brother was Mexican.

So, other than the obvious immaturities, I was a little bothered by the situation. Granted, I'm not Mexican but as I've stated time and again, I look Mexican, especially to the ignorant gringos of the U.S of A. especially in the border states!

Should I feel offended by White guy's comments even though it wasn't me and I'm NOT Mexican? Yes, because that very well could have been me he asininely called, "Dora" or "Chico." Would it have pissed me off like it obviously did Diver? Fuck yeah it would have!

Should I feel awkward by my brother's oblivious statement of "It's okay, I'm Hawaiian?" Because fucking White guy thought he was Mexican to begin with. And as such, his Dora and Chico comments could have indirectly affected us. Just because we aren't Mexican, doesn't mean we haven't had to deal with the outright ignorance, stupidity, racism and dickheadedness of White guy in some form or fashion.

White guy is obviously a pigheaded dip shit that doesn't know any better. Diver is probably an asshole too but it has nothing to do with him being Mexican. My brother is just a dumb ass for encouraging White guy and thinking that whatever White guy said was funny or intelligent sounding.

So, it bothered me a bit. I'm over it but I wanted to write what I was feeling/thinking at the time. I'm just as racist as the next White guy but I've written before about how I don't think it's racism by me when I hate and make fun of every race. :-) Most of the time I'll make fun of your intelligence, your overall life skills and your wife or family in general (even though I don't know her/them). Sometimes, deep down in my mind I may have some damn good racial slurs waiting to creep out of my vocal chords but the odds are I won't bring them to the plate unless the other person brings it first. Even then, I really try to keep my arguments precise and to the point and if your race had nothing to do with it, why even bother mentioning it? It's a waste of time and effort for the argument and it just shows the ignorance of the person who flung the race card because they can't hold their own without turning it to race.

I guess that's all I have to say about that.

Failure of a supposed universal symbol

Is this a rendering of the lower area of a man...you know a penis and rectum?

Is this a rendering of a woman with a very large vagina and rectum?

Okay, that's all I got in the dirty-minded section of my brain.

There was a story the other day on the home/main page of Yahoo! Link to it here while it lasts. Apparently this is a required thing that started with 2008 models...before I got my 2010 (or is it 2009?) Honda CRV, I had/still have a 2000 (or is it 1999?) Dodge Grand Caravan...so when I saw this symbol on my CRV instrument panel my first thought was, "WTF? I just got this damn vehicle and now there is something majorly wrong with it?" It seems like a major problem because of the exclamation point! I mean that's even more scary looking than seeing the engine/emissions light come on. The engine light seemed more like a warning whereas this symbol says, "Get the hell out of the vehicle to avoid a catastrophic event!"

Okay, that's a little over the top but you get the point.

So, a quote from the article:

The issue here seems to be that the public hasn’t been properly educated on the warning symbol, which is supposed to be “idiot proof” and understandable across a wide variety of cultures and languages. Yet 46% of drivers couldn’t figure out that the icon represents a tire and 14% thought the symbol represented another problem with the vehicle entirely...

When I saw the warning, I couldn't remember where I put my vehicle manual so I had to Google for one to find out what the symbol meant. I'm sure you "smart" people, or those who can afford new cars every couple of years, figured it out or are familiar with it by now but if not, it's is the low tire pressure warning. That's right! This frightful symbol is just to warn you that your tire has gone 25% below the recommended tire pressure.

So, adding the statistics from the quote, we can proudly say that 60% (46% + 14%) of people surveyed are idiots. I like them odds!