Going Rogue

My brother, Marshall, and I went to Costco yesterday to take part in Sarah Palin’s book signing.  She’s promoting her book Going Rogue: An American Life. The news cameras happened to film us as we shook her hand. Okay, so it’s only a view of our backs, but it’s something.

Here’s a link to the news footage.

Will Work for Food

“Hello…hello…hello…is there anybody out there?”

It’s just me, friendly Douglas, coming at you through cyberspace’s nebulous communication channels. To those whose eyes fall upon these words: I need a job, preferably IT-related, but I’ll take anything that suits my family and I. I’m a good worker; honest, I am.

Anybody hiring?

A+ Certified, Again

On Friday I passed the A+ 220-602 (IT Technician) exam which completes WGU’s IT Fundamentals III course. So now I’m an A+ certified technician for the second time. The first time was in 1994, as I explained in a previous blog entry.

Sayonara Silver

It’s official. I’ve been laid off and am now unemployed. The silver refinery I’ve been with for the last 13 1/2 years has closed its doors. Actually, the whole thing was official last Friday, but I call today the official day because I just received my severance check in the mail. That check seems to carry with it a sense of finality. And so, the job hunt has begun and must soon begin in earnest.

Making Progress

Well, I’ve completed my first three courses (Education Without Boundaries, IT Fundamentals I, and IT Fundamentals II) at Western Governor’s University. Along with the last two courses, I passed two computer industry exams (CIW v5 Associate and CompTIA A+ Essentials). I hopefully will finish my fourth course (IT Fundamentals III) tomorrow by passing the CompTIA A+ Technician exam. I’m already an A+ certified computer technician, but my certification is 15 years old, so WGU said I had to redo it. Following tomorrow’s exam (assuming I pass), I’ll have one more class for this semester (a JavaScript class). Since WGU allows students to accelerate their studies, if I get through this JavaScript course in a timely fashion then I may add one more course to this semester’s load.

Spotz Has a New Home

‘Tis a great day. Our former dog, Spotz, who was returned a few weeks ago to the adoption clinic from whence he came, has found a new home. Not just any home either. From the sounds of it, it appears his new owners will be very caring indeed. He’ll be going to an active family, which is exactly what he needs. One member of his new family is a woman who runs 10 miles every morning, and she’ll be taking Spotz along with her on these excursions. Spotz’s new family tried him out for a week before deciding to keep him, so they’ve had a good amount of time to determine whether he’s a good fit for them.

My family and I are quite pleased with this news. I just hope it turns out to be great for Spotz in the long run, and it seems as though it will. We miss him, but we want what’s best for him, and he needs constant activity and attention. Such thorough care was very difficult for us to maintain. Jeanine was working her tail off with Spotz, but even her godly efforts weren’t quite enough for this particular K-9.

Really Likin' WGU

I started my Information Technology program at Western Governors University on September 1st. So far, I'm diggin' it thoroughly. Online learning is wonderful.

 

All students begin their studies at WGU by working their way through the first required course which is called Education Without Boundaries, or EWB. EWB is essentially an introduction or orientation to the way WGU works. It comprises a series of modules that one has to complete, one by one, until finished. Presently, I'm more than half way through EWB. I'm on module 6. There are a total of 8 EWB modules and then a conclusion. So far, so good.

 

Once EWB's out of the way, I'll have a telephone chat with my mentor (David Brinkerhoff). During our conversation, we will formulate my Academic Action Plan (AAP) which is a blueprint of all the courses, assessments, dates, etc., that are required for my chosen path. I'm looking forward to it.

 

With my computer background and prior experience, I believe parts of this program will be quite easy. Still, there will plenty of material which will be rigorous, I have no doubt. Also, because I transfered my Associate's degree to WGU, all of WGU's liberal arts requirements have already been met. All except for one class that is. There's a class called College-level Reasoning and Problem Solving which is apparently considered a liberal arts course that I have to take. It's my understanding that there really isn't any class that can transfer to WGU which will allow a waiver of College-level Reasoning and Problem Solving. Oh well, not a big deal.

 

Because of the course requirements that have already been met due to my A.S. degree, I'm hoping the program won't take me longer than eighteen months to two years to complete. Right now, I've declared IT as my major, but I'm thinking I want to specialize, either in Databases, or Software development. Adding one of these emphases will tack on another semester's worth of work, so to finish any sooner than two years would be tough.