Patrick Says

You might remember awhile back, I went to college to try and get a degree in information technology. I got really close…but in the end, time and money and children got in the way and I didn’t get back and finish. Also, around the same time, the IT field kind of dried up.

But, really, those are just excuses…

If there is one thing I’ve learned as an adult and especially as a parent of two, it’s that you MAKE time for the things you want to do. When someone says they don’t have the time for something, they just don’t want to do it. If you want something bad enough, you will find a way to get it done.

But I digress.

Anyway, I never finished that degree. That’s a decision that continues to plague me today. How am I going to tell my kids about the importance of getting a degree when I didn’t even finish mine? But more than that, I always feel incomplete about not finishing. It’s like a nagging at the back of my brain when things are quiet, taunting me, telling me I’m not smart enough or too old.

Adult life is busy. Believe me, I doubt there are many people as busy as I am with two young children and a wife with health issues, and a full-time job. But again, you need to make time for the things that are important, and maybe for me that means trying to finish that degree.

On the positive side, there have never been as many options for learning as there are now. Places like American Public University (APU) offer courses that are 100% online, meaning you can dictate the schedule. That’s handy if you have kids with bedtimes. As far as cost goes, APU’s tuition is among the lowest in the country for accredited online universities. So, it can be affordable.

This isn’t a decision anyone should make lightly. I’m still weighing my options. But if you’re looking for more resources, why not check out APU’s special page for parents. There’s even going to be some chats to discuss this subject. In fact, the first chat is scheduled for Tuesday, August 17 at 8pm EST.

Two other chats are also scheduled as follows:
Helenjene Curtis: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Tuesday, August 24 at 8pm ET

Jenn Deater: Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Management
Thursday, August 26 at 12:00pm ET

So, there are some resources. Give them a try.

In the interest of disclosure, I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of American Public University. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

I think I may be getting into this band. I like their sound.

Now, who’s going to clean this place up?

…with my lightsaber, and then run out of the cave, into the snow, where I’d fall and see ghost Obi-Wan telling me to look for the Dagobah system.

(Get it? Because she’s dressed like a Wampa.)

H/T to Great White Snark.

Look, I won’t lie. I do occasionally shop at Walmart. Yes, I know they are the devil, but the devil has some incredible prices for food and household items and I’m getting poorer by the minute. But I’ll try even harder to not use them after this story I read on vegas710′s blog.

She references a Marketplace article about Walmart opening banks in Mexico. Apparently in Mexico, most people don’t make enough money to justify having a bank account. They just pay cash. But Walmart is opening banks left and right and giving people credit cards…at an annual APR of 60%. You all know how I feel about predatory lenders.

Add Walmart to that list.

It just makes my blood boil. That APR makes my 26% APR credit cards look downright thrifty. Is there nobody that Walmart won’t put over a barrel to make a dollar (or perhaps in this case, a peso)?

Number of posts I WANT to read
about what a great time you had at BlogHer: ZERO.

Number of posts in my feed-reader
about what a great time you had at BlogHer: 135+.

I hate you all.