That Time of Year Again...

It's back to school time. This means that for the past week I have had a longing--a longing to be back on a college campus....as a student, as staff...as anything.

I think the longing is stronger this year, because in my original "grand plan" I hoped to be doing both by now...working on a campus, and working on a Master's. And I got close. But, as life sometimes goes, it was not meant to be.

The summer has been slow. Anyone looking for work right now knows the market is tight and there are lots of qualified people on the hunt. Makes it hard for a young professional like me, who has a lot of drive and good qualities, but not a lot of experience. A couple of interviews have been had, but I am still hunting.

It's left me thinking a lot about what my next step needs to be. There are a few options:

A) Let it ride--keep trying to get back into a higher ed. environment and worry about Master's stuff after. Probably not the best plan, as it has not worked for me to this point.

B) Give up the search for higher ed. work temporarily. Find a job doing whatever, and focus on getting into graduate school for Fall 09, preferably with an assistantship, at a location TBD.

C) Seek admission to a local program on a part time basis to start this spring. Find work either inside or outside the field. Drawback is that I would be starting at an off time and would miss the chance to go through the program in a cohort.

D) Seek admission to an online program with a cohort starting this spring. Would provide a degree of flexibility the other options would not in when/where I work while going to school. Not an option I had previously considered, but I came across a program that looks pretty strong earlier this week from a very reputable place.

There are certainly some pros and cons to each of these choices. I do know this--I need a job, and I also need to settle on a plan to continue my education. I was pretty settled on "B" but part of me itches to get back into the academic arena, knowing that many more doors will open with those extra letters behind my name, so why prolong the wait?

Decisions...

Sarah Who?

This one came from left field...

McCain Taps Palin For V.P.

The Real Deal

Quite the speech tonight!

I really don't see how McCain can match.

Obama is the real deal.

History of the Political Kind

History has been made...Barack Obama is the first ever African American candidate for President of the United States.

I haven't watched as much of the convention as one might expect. While I am interested in politics, I don't watch CNN for hours on end...except maybe on election night.

I did catch Hillary Clinton's address last night, and she seemed to do a good job of endorsing him and motivating her supporters to do the same, the message being that if they supported her because of what she stands for, then they should be on board with Obama. While McCain wants to court her supporters, the fact of the matter is very few will go for him...I know I would not vote for a polar opposite candidate out of primary bitterness.

I thought it was a good symbolic gesture that she was the one who called for an end to the roll call and his nomination by acclimation...another sign that they are trying to unify the party.

Admittedly, I don't know a ton about Joe Biden, but from what I can see he does bring a lot of experience to the ticket. And whether one agrees with him or not, after seeing his speech tonight, it's hard to argue his ability to deliver an energizing address and fire people up.

Will be interesting to see how Obama defines himself tomorrow evening.

Back to Bemidji, One Year Later

I returned yesterday from my first trip back to Bemidji since I graduated, to attend the MCPA Board meeting. While I ended up feeling icky yesterday and opted to return with my carpool instead of staying until today and taking the bus back as planned, it was still a nice return to the place I spent my college years.

We made it Thursday night in near record time, thanks to my recommendation of a shortcut well known to anyone who has done the Cities to Bemidji trip a few times...Highway 64 instead of 371. Upon arriving in town, I saw that a few things have changed, but not much....couple of new fast food places and a bank.

A few of us went out for a bit, ending up at the popular Bar 209. It was nice to get to know a few of my new board colleagues informally. We chatted about our history in student affairs and swapped a few random stories. We got to talking about finding our names on the internet/Googling ourselves, and I mentioned the time I got misquoted by the CyberIndee in Winona. To my surprise, one of them said he'd seen my blog entry...which means he must really have read my archives considering the entry was in 2005.

The meeting was good, and it was nice to be back on campus and see a couple of folks. I told one it was like being home...I love that place. I'm also looking forward to my new involvement this year. It is a good group of people, and especially nice as a way to stay engaged right now with professional discourse as I seek new employment.