Early Resolutions

While not all bad, 2013 was kind of a discouraging year for me. In fact, I've been in kind of a rut. So, I've decided to get a proactive jump on 2014 by carrying out my annual New Year's resolutions before Christmas.

The first resolution I've begun pursuing is my pledge to learn how to play guitar. I've taken several casual stabs of taking up the instrument in the past But this time, I have a certain fire in my belly. After going nearly three decades without plucking a string, I, along with my wife, decided to buy brand new acoustic guitars as sort of a Christmas present to ourselves. So far, I'm really delighted that I have.

I've also begun putting the needed pieces in place that will enable me to act on another resolution, putting together a podcast file I can send to broadcasters as an audition for on-air employment. I've downloaded an audio editing software program called Audacity, and have settled on buying a 'Yeti' USB microphone online. It comes highly recommended from some trusted broadcasting acquaintances.

I'm at a point in my life where I want to work at jobs that I'll really enjoy, and fortunately, I believe that I'm financially secure enough where I can be really picky. Broadcasting is where I want to be. I just need to learn the mixing and editing techniques needed for a decent audition podcast. It will take some resolve, but again, I think I have that fire in my belly.

Academia and Forklifts

I’ve found, in some unlikely situations, hands-on value in some of the abstract concepts and critical thinking skills I learned from my earlier scholarly pursuits in college.

About 20 years ago, I earned a Bachelor's degree in journalism with a minor in political science from the University of Missouri. Courses in literature, English and the social sciences made up the core of my curriculum. I sidestepped taking any math and science classes.

Yes, my lack of technical expertise did put some constraints on what kind of jobs I could get after graduation. However, I was able to apply language and critical thinking skills to understanding the meanings of words and concepts, and thereby understand new concepts and instructions in the workplace more easily and quickly.

Perhaps, it's not surprising that I used this advantage in landing many of the jobs I landed immediately after graduating, which were in radio broadcasting. However, as the years passed, my career path took many twists and turns. I’ve used this proficiency to my advantage in some of my more recent jobs in the most unlikely of settings, such as driving a fork truck on a shipping and receiving dock. Because of my indirect and veiled educational benefit, I can remember numerous times defending my schooling as a worthwhile undertaking to my factory co-workers.

I’m hoping, however, to remove some of the constraints I've faced in many of my workplaces by making up some of the technical deficiencies I have with my technical management education I'm presently getting from DeVry University. This is especially true for me in information technology.