Chase Your Dreams

Some people follow their dreams; others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission. ~Neil Kendall


My husband and I were talking about dreams yesterday.  He has a friend who is a musician with some local success who apparently is not getting as far as he hoped in his musical career.  He described his time with the band as "a waste of time."

I have to say, I disagree wholeheartedly.  I don't think that chasing your dreams, even if you never reach them, is a waste of time.

I would say that there is a very good chance that I will never make it to the Ironman Triathlon.  But does that mean having that as an ultimate goal is a waste of time?  NO.  I'm working on getting in better shape, which is better for my health, whether I get into a certain race or not.  I'm learning things about myself, better understanding how healthy food and exercise benefit us, and am coming to appreciate a host of athletes who are an inspiration.  That is not a waste of time.

Sure, there are times when we come to realize that it's time to give up on some things.  Maybe we need to move on to something more attainable, or healthier, or whatever.  And only you can make that decision of if and when it's time to move on.  But in the meantime, you are learning, growing, trying, and persevering.  So keep at it.  Chase those dreams.  Be better and stronger.  

Here's a video about dreams featuring the amazing Blue Angels.  Hope you enjoy.

Protect Your Dreams

If you have a college degree you can be absolutely sure of one thing... you have a college degree. ~Author Unknown

Mid-life brings many things: empty nests, achy knees, gray hair, wrinkles. Often it brings the desire to change careers, as well. Maybe you always dreamed of opening a bakery, but you didn't quite feel competent enough. Or perhaps you'd like to work part-time at the computer place since it's your hobby, but you feel you need some training to do so. What better way to make that change than to take a few courses and earn a degree in a short amount of time from a career college?

But hold on there. Not so fast. Many people are finding some problems with these types of schools.

While there is a huge debate going on in our country right now about whether these schools (which tend to be for-profit) are ethical, regulated enough, filling a needed niche, a great idea, or the worst idea ever (see these articles for examples: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/business/14schools.html?_r=1 and http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203946904574299992289841598.html), like any choice of school, you need to be informed before you make a decision.

The major objections to these types of schools seem to be four-fold. First, their recruiters can be quite aggressive, pushing you into signing up now because classes "just started."

Secondly, the cost can be quite high. I've read about costs of $40,000+ for a 2-year degree. Much of this money comes from student loans, and while those can often be a very good deal interest- and payment-wise, one can only pay those back if gainfully employed, which leads me to the third issue.

Since these colleges are often career focused, they lure in students with a promise of being able to get a job with the degree. Some schools boast of 90% placement rates when their rates are actually much lower. Now I'll grant that public schools don't have any kind of employment guarantee, but some of the career schools are making promises they can't keep. As a result, many students find themselves with a useless degree and huge student loan debt.

Fourth, in some cases, students will need to take a state qualifying exam after graduation to be certified in a field. However, some certifying agencies will not allow graduates of certain schools to sit for the exam since they do not recognize the program as legitimate. Imagine spending all that time and money on a degree that won't even allow you to take the state exam!

Just like any other business, there are good and bad examples of these career colleges. For every former student who says she was ripped off, you'll find another who raves about how quickly she found a dream job. I'm not about to lump them all in one camp or the other. There just is no way that they are all good or all bad.

What I would like you to do is this. If you or someone you know is considering going to one of these schools, please consider these steps. 1. Check out the school with the US Department of Education (http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/). 2. If you will need to transfer to a 4-year college to complete your degree, check with that university to see if they will accept the credits of the career school. 3. Do some research on the career college itself. Don't just believe what you see in their commercials or hear from their recruiters. 4. If you will need to take a certifying exam, check with the certifying body to see if the school you are considering will give you what you need to proceed with the test.

Don't let anyone steal your dream just because they have a slick commercial!

Chasing Your Dreams

"A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams." - John Barrymore

It's 1986, a Saturday, and my college roommate and I had run out of funds and ideas of how to spend our afternoon. We were sitting in the dormitory lounge flipping through channels when we came across the Ironman Triathlon. We watched the race with interest and I remember thinking, "Man, I wish I was strong enough for that."

Fast forward 22 years. On the boards of my favorite trivia site someone asked, "What's on your bucket list?" I wrote out my list and there it was, staring me in the face. "Finish a triathlon." "Well, J.R.," I said to myself, "considering you're 41 years old, you might want to get started on that."

So I bought some good running shoes and started running. Okay, that's an exaggeration. I began sprinkling walks with short bouts of jogging. But it wasn't too long until I could run for a solid 15 minutes. I stretched out my times longer and longer and eventually, I was able to run 3 miles. I remember the first time I was able to do that. I was at the gym with my daughter and I ran 3 miles in a very slow 45 minutes, but I had done it. My daughter was proud of me. I was proud of me. And in April of 2009, I ran my first half marathon, a small step on the way to achieving a long-held and long-deferred dream.

So let me ask you this. What's on your bucket list? What are you doing about it?