And Let The Games Begin...Again!!

I am happy to report that my second term at Kaplan University has (finally) begun this past Wednesday the 26th. The last day of my first term was on August 9th. And let me tell you something. I never in this world ever thought that I would actually be happy, no make that ECSTATIC, to be back in school. This comes form a woman who, in her childhood and teen-aged years, hated everything about school. I would do anything to get out of going. And it was a little too easy to do. I went to a very large high school on Long Island in NY for my first two years, and the late and absent policies were very easy to get around. That was until I finally got caught and sent to an "alternative" school. Most parents and students alike I think will agree with me when I say that this alternative school was a vacation at the very least! Monday through Thursday from 5PM till 8PM. No labs, no P.E.. What more could any student ask for?

Then after two years of this school and getting into the usual headstrong teen-age "phases", I had tried to commit suicide. I was always really messed up. It wasn't my parents fault at all (I know they are probably reading this, so I want to make this absolutely clear - Mom, It was NOT YOUR FAULT!). After this episode Mom had moved us away from the chaos, a new town, a new life. Or so we thought. After about two months, just enough to get us settled, I made some new "friends". It was all downhill from there. I will save you all form most of the gory details, but in the end I wound up getting pregnant and dropping out.

Fast forward two years. I had moved to Florida in 1997 with my then husband and our daughter. I was pregnant again and had decided to get my GED. Probably one of the best decisions I had made at the time. The other one being separating form my abusive (now ex) husband (that is another story for another day). That was the last time I had been in school or anything school-like for 12 years.

So here I am. I finally decided to go back to school. How it happened was pretty miraculous in itself. I think that is a story for another day as well (don't worry, I will definitely write about all of that soon). I enrolled in Kaplan University's KU Campus, an online program, and it has got to be THE best decision I have made so far (well, that and moving in with my fiancee almost two years ago). I am really enjoying it. I am studying for my Associate in Science degree in Computer IT with emphasis in Web Design. I was studying programming when I started, but Visual Basic Kicked my ass, so I decided to switch this term to the Web Design program. Honestly, I think Visual Basic is a demon that must be excised.

So last term I took Academic Strategies for the IT Professional and Visual Basic (the DEVIL) and this term I am taking English Comp I and Web Development, which is basically just a class to learn Adobe Dreamweaver CS4. I must say that I am loving the web design and development aspect of things. The intro class I took, which I had won a scholarship for, was the Intro to Web Design, and I passed with a 4.0. I seem to be able to grasp HTML and the like pretty quickly and easily. VB was a nightmare and I barely passed by the skin of my teeth.

Ok, so enough of my ranting. I am really enjoying this class and the school and I can't imagine anything else I would rather do with my time and money right now. So wish me luck, and I will keep you all posted on my progress!

And like I always say in my other blog...
KEEP DREAMING!

UPDATE!! I almost forgot to mention... I met the most wonderful Admissions advisor at Kaplan, and her name is Nancy Ziv-Rothman...and she has helped me get through some things that I am not too sure I would've been able to otherwise... So Thank you Nancy, for all that you do!