Excited to See my Kids

One of my favorite things about the holidays is that it is the one time of year that our family is altogether again.  With the kids being all grown up now, it seems that we are all rarely together, but thankfully they still come home for Christmas.

All three of my children are in college right now pursuing their dreams.  We saved up money for each of them so that they could go to college, and I am happy to say that they all are taking it seriously.

Jake is in his third year of Culinary school and he is showing real talent.  I never knew that food could be prepared as well as he does, and it is truly a treat to enjoy just a small sample of food he prepares.  He is doing so well that he has been offered a teaching position after he gets his culinary arts degrees – and he might just take it.

Melissa is in her second year of accounting, and she is a whiz with numbers.  She has won a number of scholarships already this year, and it looks like her education is going to be cheaper than we thought.

Levi has just entered his first year of Engineering and is doing well.  He hasn’t decided what discipline he wants to specialize in, but we know he will do great in whatever he chooses.

They should all be here at home by the weekend – I can’t wait to give each one of them a big hug and spend some time with them.  I miss them a lot.

Gifts for the December Graduates

Even though most people finish their college degrees in April, there are many students that finish college in December as well.  Most of these students have either took more classes than the typical person, or may have spent summers studying while their peers were out working summer jobs.  Whatever the reason, these graduates deserve a graduation present for their hard work, right?

But one of the challenges facing people buying gifts for graduates in December is the seeming lack of gift choices.  During the holiday shopping season, most stores are focusing on gifts for the masses and they usually put away those gifts typically bought for graduates such as diploma frames.

So what options are there?

Many people look to other types of gifts that are offered year round, such as engraved watches, plaques, briefcases when they are unable to find a college diploma frame for their graduate.  They can serve as recognition for a job well done until stores start to sell frames, at which time many parents buy one so that their child can put their diploma on the wall.

If none of those gift ideas seem to be appealing, looking for items that can be useful in the graduates career can be appropriate gifts as well.  Such things as suits, laptop bags, and pen sets can be useful and a good reminder of all the hard work that they put in during school.

No matter what choices you make for a gift for your December graduate, I am sure that they will appreciate the recognition for a job well done.

Taking a Brand New Turn with School

My best friend has just announced to me that he is going back to school. He's been "going back to school" every single semester for the past ten years so at first I didn't take his announcement too seriously. However, he's making a big change in his approach to school this time so I think that he might actually be really serious about completing a degree now.

You see, in the past he has always tried for a degree in audiology. I can't tell you how many different audiology programs he has started over the years. He's tried starting four year degrees at a couple of different universities, tried at least two different community college programs and has started several online pa programs. He's never made it past the first semester.

He finally realized that the problem isn't that audiology is too difficult for him to do. It's a fairly easy program if it's something that interests you. However, he's realizing that his interests have changed over the years. He wanted to do audiology ten years ago when he first started school but he's really only pursued it out of habit for the last six or seven years.

Acknowledging that his interests have changed, he's now starting a degree in computer forensics. This is an entirely different area of study and reflects the things that really interest him as an adult. He still finds audiology interesting but it's not what he wants to do for a career. Now that he has a better idea of what career truly appeals to him I think he's going to have a much easier time completing the program.

The MBA of Networking

Do you work in the field of computer networking? If you do then you already know that it's important to take at least one Cisco training course if you're going to have any credibility in this field. Most people go on to take multiple Cisco courses so that they can Cisco certification at higher levels. This makes it easier for them to get a job in the field.

Earlier this year, Cisco announced that it was adding a new certification. People can now do Cisco Online Training to achieve the rank of Cisco Certified Architect (CCA). This rank is basically considered to be equivalent to getting an MBA in networking. Taking this course and passing it would certainly make someone much more valuable in the job market.

But what does this mean for all of those people who had done the hard work to obtain the rank of Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) which was previously the highest rank available? Most of these people should still find that they have enough training to qualify for a good job in the networking business. Some, however, may want to go on to get this new "MBA of networking" to better their odds in the business world.

Cookbooks from Cooking Schools

What gets produced by a top cooking school? The first answer that should come to your mind is "chefs". The major thing that comes out of a good cooking school each year is a group of students who are trained in the culinary arts. However, professional chefs aren't the only thing being produced by cooking schools each year. These schools also produce a number of other products which you can buy including cookbooks and cooking utensils.

Cookbooks have been written, edited and published by chef schools since the very first cooking schools opened back in the late nineteenth century. This makes sense when you think about it. Cooking schools are places where people experiment all of the time to create new recipes. Compiling these recipes into a cookbook allows the general public to enjoy them. That's why so many top chef schools today are publishing their recipes (and why so many of us cooking fiends are buying them!)

Cooking schools are just starting to get into the business of selling other products such as advanced cooking utensils. This may have to do with the growing popularity of cooking shows. People see professional tools used on these shows and want to buy them. Cooking schools can profit by selling them. Selling items like these helps the school to make money without having to increase tuition for cooking students. That seems like a good thing for everyone.