Can’t decide on a field of study? How about studying a field with plentiful jobs?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks careers, salaries and trends in the workforce. The bureau can also track what fields are hiring more employees and which are cutting manpower numbers.

For students earning associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees there, surprisingly, is not one overwhelming, clear leader in employment for 2018.

Every degree field runs the gamut of health services, teachers, tech work, teachers and even clery.

Check out the lists below for where the most jobs are expected to be in 2018:

Occupations with the Most Jobs Openings: Associate's Degree or Postsecondary Vocational Award

Registered nurses

Nursing aides, orderlies and attendants

Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

Computer support specialists

Hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists

Automotive service technicians and mechanics

Preschool teachers, except special education

Insurance sales agents

Heating, air conditioning and refrigeration technicians

Real estate sales agents

Occupations with the Most Job Openings: Bachelor's Degree

Elementary school teachers, except special education

Accountants and auditors

Secondary school teachers, except special needs and vocational

Middle school teachers, except special needs and vocational

Computer systems analysts

Computer software engineers, applications

Network systems and data communications analysts

Computer software engineers, systems software

Construction managers

Market research analysts

Occupations with the Most Job Openings: Graduate Degree

Post-secondary teachers

Doctors and surgeons

Lawyers

Clery

Pharmacists

Educational, vocational and school counselors

Physical therapists

Medical scientists, except epidemiologists

Mental health and substance abuse social workers

Instructional coordinators

 Want to learn more about these individual careers, how many jobs the bureau projects will be available across the U.S. and where? Visit www.bls.gov

By Salute to Spouses Staff

Halloween is becoming one of the top celebrated holidays in the workplace. A recent survey by National Today shows that 72 percent of U.S. employers encourage their employees to wear a costume to work for the holiday.

The day of candy and fun offers many workplaces a chance to build comradery and give employees a chance to get to know each other better.

It also could offer an opportunity for well-intentioned employees to offend their co-workers and their supervisors.

Planning to wear a costume to work for Halloween? Follow these guidelines:

1. If the costume impedes your ability to work, don’t wear it. Large, cumbersome costumes, or even those that have glitter falling off, could irritate co-workers, especially if it means you spend your day showing off rather than working.
2. Want to spend the day bonding with your co-workers rather than arguing? Avoid political costumes.
3. There is a fine line between funny and offensive. If you think you are teetering on that line, don’t do it. Even if a co-worker doesn’t mention that they find your choice offensive, it could cause hard feelings and make future joint projects difficult.
4. Keep sexy out of the office. The office Halloween party is no place for sexy costumes or revealing clothing. Make sure anything you wear sticks to office dress code.
5. You don’t have to wear a costume! Choose black and orange clothing, Halloween themed t-shirts, earrings and hair accessories work well too. While it’s great to have fun at the office, it’s not the best place to show off your craziest costume.

By Amy Nielsen

I spent the weekend away from all things reality in the land of Faeries among dear, far flung friends in a land we lived in a lifetime ago.

To do so, I had to complete all of last week’s assignments for my master’s program by Thursday morning. Pushing through the early mornings and late nights afforded me the peace of mind and freedom of spirit to truly enjoy myself. This weekend away happened to coincide with my midterm exams this week.

I needed the brain break.

I love to drive. If you have followed my blog for any time at all, you know this. It is my most creative time. This trip included a long drive along a well-worn route following ancient trails laid down by our First Nations Peoples from the northern edge of the Chesapeake watershed down the tributaries in valleys bordered by greystone cliffs to its very heart in the fertile fields above the Washington basin. It is one of my most favorite drives along the eastern bones of our land.

I left the house still reeling from the massive brain dump of information I had typed in the preceding 72 hours. I had most recently completed a short supported blog post for my Principles of Complementary and Integrative Health class (CIH) covering how my background contributes to creating sustainable change in our immediate community’s health outcomes.

Talk about right up my alley! The day before I had been to the neighboring counties Healthy County Summit discussing current and planned health initiatives. I was surprised at how few truly CIH options were offered. The vast majority of options were strictly biomedical and largely hospital based. Because they had to have evidence based measurable metrics to present to the insurance company paying for the free services they are adding to the wellness plans.

As the only truly Complementary and Integrative Health practitioner in the room, I was struck by the opportunities knocking at my door. The conference, then the following assignment got my brain working and turning as the wheels under my feet crunched down the miles.

How could I create a collation of both biomedical and CIH practitioners that could address the whole sphere of our community, body, mind, and spirit.

As I drove I started to compile a list of people I would have sit down in a room together. As I imagined the scene, those mid-nineteenth-century literary lunches came to mind. I have no idea how to get them all in a room and comfortable enough to discuss the possibility of bridging the barriers to create a culture of wellness that includes CIH approaches on par with the biomedical ones. Some of the largest hospitals in the world now have truly evidence based, licensed or credentialed, complementary and integrative teams working along-side biomedical teams seeing better outcomes in a much more measured setting than we have ever had access to before. It is possible to do successfully and cost effectively.

So maybe I should do that. I mean, get them all in a room. I think first I need to cast a large net and talk to a whole whack load more people. I’m new to the area. I’m new to this soapbox. I am still a student in so many ways. So I know I need to tread lightly, listen deeply, and see where the trails have been laid before. There are other newbies to the community like me who are equally gung ho and full of vim and vinegar to build up this place we have come to love, but we need not only the support but also the grace of the spirit of this place to build anew on the deep bones already here.

So now I have a redefined purpose, thanks to a tight schedule, too little sleep, much faerie magic, and a few thousand miles. I have part of a list of people to sit down with to start spreading the intention around. Once the seeds are sewn, I’ll be able to tend them for a bit as I develop my own skill set to match the eventual task I am creating.

Tired of carrying around your husband DD214 forms to prove he is a veteran?

 Your veteran spouse can soon receive a veterans ID card. The Veterans Identification Act of 2015 ordered the VA to issue ID cards to all honorably discharged veterans for free. Recent reports say the cards will finally be available in November.

Currently a handful of states allow veterans to have their military service noted on their driver’s license. The new ID will be issued by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and is expected to include a photo, date of discharge and military branch.

The cards are expected to make it easier for former military members to receive discounts at local retailers and prove military service to potential employers.

The new ID cards do not give authorization for the veteran to access medical care, the commissary, PX or receive retired pay. The cards are nothing more than a means to identify an individual as a former military member.

The cards may also make it easier for veterans to have access to their newest benefit: shopping at the Exchange.

Earlier this year the military exchanges announced that all honorably discharged veterans would be allowed to shop at the exchange online stores. The benefit begins on Veterans Day, Nov. 11 with a test run of veterans who applied for the program through the exchange.

Officials said more than 60,000 veterans applied to be part of the test group. More veterans will be added to those ranks on a rolling basis until the program is unveiled for all eligible veterans. About 13 million veterans quality for the new benefit.

Want to know more ways to prove your veterans service?

The website, militarybenefits.com has outlined several options ranging from local ID cards to state issued letters. Browse the list below to see if your servicemember qualifies for any of these forms of ID:

State Issued Veterans Designation on Driver’s Licenses or Identification Cards – If you reside in one of the many states that currently offers a veterans designation on a driver’s license or ID card this is the easiest and best option that both government agencies and businesses universally accept.  The states require varying proof of veterans status so be sure to check with the DMV before applying.  Many will only require your DD214 but some states require additional documentation or will accept supplemental documentation to a DD214.  Costs be state range from free to about $15 although even if free there most likely is fee to re-issue a card if not already up for renewal. 

Free Veterans Identification Proof of Service Letter – Access and print a letter through the joint VA/DoD web portal, eBenefits which serves as proof of honorable service.

State Veterans ID Cards – Most states are opting to put a Veterans designation on a driver’s license or ID card.  Virginia, thus far, is one state that issues a separate Veterans ID card which can be obtained through the DMV.  This means you would have a driver’s license and a state veterans ID card.

County Court House  or Clerk Office Issued Veterans Cards  – Some Counties such as in New Jersey and New York have opted to provide county veteran ID cards until the states can begin offering.  Check with your local county courthouse or clerk office to see if they offer veterans cards.  These cards are not official but for the purposes of receiving discounts from businesses this should work.  This has been confirmed by many veterans.

Retired Veterans With 20 Years of Service Veterans ID – Retired veterans who have served honorably for more than 20 years can obtain an ID card on base by submitting a copy of their retirement paperwork and they will be issued a DD form 2 (blue colored) ID card. There are two types of ID cards issued to retirees. A DD Form 2A (Ret-Red) ID card is issued to “Gray Area” retirees (prior to retired pay eligibility), and a DD Form 2 (Ret-Blue) ID card is issued to a retiree who is actively receiving retired pay.

ID Cards for Eligible Family Members of Living and Deceased Retired Soldiers – DD Form 1172-1 (Uniformed Services Identification and Privilege Card) is issued to eligible Family members of “Gray Area” retirees. A DD Form 1173 (Uniformed Services Identification and Privilege Card) is issued to eligible Family members of a retiree. The same rules apply for the DD Form 1173 for Reduced Retirement Eligible Retiree Family members; their ID Cards will not have full medical benefits until the Sponsor is age 60.

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Identification Card (VIC) – Also known as a veterans universal Access photo ID Card, many veterans are eligible for a VA health card and may not know it.  The VA issues IDs to anybody who needs to access a VA medical center and many businesses accept these as valid proof of service.

Veterans who may qualify:

• Veterans with a service-connected disability rating
• Served in combat or in a war zone
• Medical conditions incurred while in the service
• Location of service
• Served in theater of combat operations within the past 5 years
• Received a Purple Heart Medal
• Former Prisoner of War
• Receive VA pension or disability benefits

* This is not a comprehensive list and veterans should check with the VA to see if they qualify.  Many unique circumstances lead to qualification.

Service Organization Veteran ID Cards – Many national and local veteran service organizations provide ID cards such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American Legion.  While this are not official government issued proof of id many businesses accept these cards as proof of military service.

By Amy Nielsen

October is a season of transitions. The Earth moves most noticeably into a darker time. The energy of the sun is significantly dimmer. The daily commute is now bookended with dawn and dusk, though not quite darkness yet. Vibrations move to a lower frequency after the height of summer - not so very long ago in August. A refreshing summer downpour is now a chilly fall drizzle. The smell of grass is replaced with that of leaves.

Fall has always been a special and difficult time for me. Until recently I have never been able to understand why. It was pointed out to me a few weeks ago that I don’t transition well. I like to plan and move from order to order. Transitions are messy. Things don’t quite follow the rules in transitions. It’s where the magic happens though. The magic is why I love this season. So, the following is my dedication to this most strange autumnal season we are experiencing.

“Seasons of change…”

Baring branches reveal nooks and crannies stuffed full of scavenged bounty. Blankets of leaves cover roots and twigs reaching up to snatch at pant cuffs. Houses so recently shrouded in deep shadows in the heat of the day now stand stark white against pine studded woods. After the heavy drenching humidity of summer, the crisp dryness opens the lungs to sweet wood smoke tinged with the last bit of skunk. It is not quite deep autumn but it is certainly not the thundering oscillations of September.

Or at least that’s the way it is supposed to be.

This year the expected shift is strangely murky. It feels like someone left the shower on hot and you walked in just after the steam. But it smells wrong for it to be this hot. I can’t wear my hoodie without sweating. Forget cute little boots. I want to be in shorts and a cami. I keep forgetting to make dinner until it is way too late. Dusk says it’s five o’clock and time to start dinner, but my skin says it’s more like three o’clock.

I’m waking at 4 a.m. in a full-on drive to work hard on something, anything. But once I get going I can’t concentrate. I lose it somewhere around the twinkle of the dawn star. The magic that permeates everything feels a bit out of kilter. Like somehow the universe is canted at an angle and atoms are sliding off s-rings.

I have felt this shift happening over the last few years. Most especially the year of “Sprinter” - 2015 when we had virtually no snow and exceptionally high temperatures. It was at that point that I noticed that everything was happening three months late. The march has continued along a pace slowly but surely reaching fingers into other seasons with unexpected snow storms in May and 80-degree days in mid-October.

I’m not quite sure how to process this mess we seem to find ourselves in. This sticky sweat seems to drip off every sentence along with so many beads off my water bottle. Emotions are running high and deep and so fast that it takes a lark to catch the mood. We gathered our harvest from summer yet the forsythia has started to bloom again.

This transition time is often fraught with turbulence. The cracks seem to grow as the energy of the world moves down to the roots. The reds and oranges of the newly turned leaves blaze a deep connection to the root turning the mind inward. Heart strings pluck as the light softens and mellows.

I feel the need to gather my loved ones in and have dear souls near my hearth. To make a space and place for each one. To give a piece of ground to them to hold to in the swelling chaos. This mixed up season of transition has the wild ones restless. Pulling seeds from my herb plants has become a ritual of gratitude.

It feels like someone is deliberately tuning in to static snow on an old tv. I can’t quite make out the picture on the screen and I hear three voices all speaking in tongues. Is this reality we are living in or some sort of strange, cast off screenplay from the early sixties, or maybe it was the mid-eighties. Times are universally stomach-wrenchingly, flipity-flopping.

This dissonance between the heat permeating where cold should be, storms when there would be calm, and building frequency at crosshairs with ebbing vibrations is unbearable. This tension is causing a friction like that of a tectonic plate and I feel the shift as heavily as Sisyphus and his rock. This theme of pushing against all odds, this hounding drive forward should be receding like the tide on a beach everyday a little farther away. Opening the expanse of glorious possibility before us.

As this autumn of transition rips through my reality, I wait in wonder for the time of winter, of seed, of deep cleansing whiteness shrouding spirit. Waiting and watching for the cardinal bursting in flight like a heart from a slingshot out of the evergreen shrub. He will be touch stone, the through line from these turbulent transitions in this most magical of times.

Sitting in October drenched in hot mist of decay. Holding fast for the penetrating freeze of deep abiding winter. Waiting for the first blush of springtime buds.

Have you ever noticed that spring is pink not green?

By Jenna Moede

I talked about creating a support network recently and the benefits you will reap from it, but you have a couple of must do tasks to keep your end of the bargain when it comes to the support network.  

First, you can't just expect everyone you have chosen to know what you need from them, how to support you, or when you need help.  

Communicate with your support network. While I have really close relationships with everyone I have personally chosen, they can't read my mind.  

I have asked each person that I asked to help me in different ways, and I had to talk those ideas over with those people.  

For example, I asked my husband to help keep me focused. I usually motivate myself pretty well, but sometimes tempting activities and events do come up which make me wish I could do anything but study or exam prep.  

Since my husband lives in the same house as me, I talked to him about different strategies we can use together to make sure I finish all of my work ahead of time or on time at the latest.  

My parents have a little different purpose. I have asked them to help me when I have questions. My parents really guide me when it comes to decision making or career choices. I usually talk my ideas over with them simply because they have valuable life experience that I don't.  

Lastly, I talked with my best friend. She understands the military, and she also attended school online when she studied for her undergraduate degree so I asked her to help me overcome the struggles of attending class online.  

I find it easy to feel frustrated with online learning sometimes, but having someone that can remind me of the outcome and how every college struggle really will come to an end will encourage me to stay on track.  

Second, I made sure that I could rely on these people to help me. Everyone has those friends or family members that tell you they will help with anything, anytime, but then never pick up their phones, return messages or reply to emails.  

In this situation, those people will not help you make the most out of your support network. Talk to each one about how best to get ahold of them when you need them and choose people with a reliable record of communication. 

I also recommend talking with those people to let them know that sometimes you might change your mind on field of study or long term goals.  

Maybe you have discovered a passion in your life or have a new door swing open. Those opportunities can come at any time and hopefully, if anything does arise, you will feel prepared to take on new challenges and walk through new doors.  

I really support the idea that you can change your mind when something doesn't feel right or even better, when something new does feel right.  

Make sure that your support network understands that their purpose is not to ensure that you do your exact, step for step, original plan, but to ultimately gain the outcome you hope for no matter what the path and no matter how many times you change majors, universities or plans.  

Don't force yourself (like I did with business) and don't let your support persuade you to stick with something that no longer interests you or you no longer feel passionate about.  

While their advice, encouragement and intentions may mean well, only you can decide what you really want to do in life and where you want to go. However, I do encourage you to listen carefully to those supportive people about why you decided to start your studies in the first place before making any altering decisions.  

Finally, appreciate the people that go out of their way to support you. Recognize their willingness to go out of their way to help you and try to help someone else in a similar way.  

I really believe in paying forward support and kindness however possible so make sure to take advantage of any opportunity to be a part of someone else's support network.  

By Amy Nielsen

Coddiwomple (v.) - To travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination.

The Urban Dictionary. I am beginning to believe a master’s program is designed to allow one the space to coddiwomple along in interesting topics with real world implications towards an eventual narrowing of focus upon reaching that vague destination of graduation.

Somewhere in the future on a day probably already determined, because this is higher education and they like to know where they are wandering to, is my eventual graduation date. I am now four weeks into my program and I can say for sure I am coddiwompling along.

Every day brings a new slice of knowledge, often hard fought for, especially in classes like organic chemistry. Every assignment has me focusing deeper and at the same time farther afield in my research than I have before. Each interaction with a fellow student opens a new networking opportunity.

It’s fall in upstate New York and I want to be outside hiking in these beautiful hills. As I work through my assignments, I am led in interesting new directions that have me not quite questioning my career choice, but more wondering what else I can do with it. Where else can I go? I started looking into some of the topics we were discussing in my classes with a more local focus. How do these topics effect my immediate community?

To that end and with that research, I set up several meetings in the last week, some planned and some happened by serendipity, which has given me a new wind beneath my wings.

Coddiwompling (v)

I wrote a piece for a school project that I was proud of. I posted it to my personal Facebook page. A friend read it and shared it. I was then contacted by another gal who wants to get together and talk specifics of that mini-paper and more about deep down nitty gritty sciency nutrition. She happens to be well connected with a network of fellow practitioners, has many of the same interests besides nutrition, and seems like a super neat gal. So I will make the time to go for a coffee date to talk bromides and cellular oxidation and maybe make a new friend.

“To travel in a purposeful manner”

Yesterday I took my girls to our monthly homeschool meet up. There was a new family with a girl my older daughter’s age. They got chatting as kids do and I got to know her mom a bit. It came up in conversation that I am looking for places to teach and her organization might be a good fit. Lo and behold, her supervisor sent me an email last night asking for more information about my classes and how she could incorporate them into her already planned and filled upcoming weekend-long wellness event. The organization happens to be one I am studying for my concepts in wellness class. Serendipity with a bit of a push from purpose.

“towards a vague destination”

I was beginning to feel very much like a fish out of water, rapidly losing the fight to flop back into the stream. In fact, I was drowning in the program. Until I met a fish in a gallery.

Do you believe in signs? I do. I’ve been seeing a theme of fish in my life lately. Fish are coming up in everything I do, trout specifically. I went to check out an organization about partnering with them and spent an hour taking aquaponics and which fish fit the system best. I was walking to my office and the gallery next door happened to be open – the first time I have ever seen it open. I went in and shouting at me from across the room, I saw a glorious print of the same fish we were talking about. The gallery happens to be owned by a person who could be a mutually beneficial partner for us both. Then the kicker, I saw a giant salmon in the clouds of a stunning sunset on the crest of my favorite ridge on the way home. Perhaps I’ll start fishing.

Coddiwomple (v) To wander purposefully towards a vague destination.

I spent the first few weeks of this program having flashbacks to both horrible and terrific undergraduate experiences. I had to remember how to learn in this style again. I had to screw up the courage to dig in and get serious about this. I had to have a few come to my senses moments when I received failing grades on assignments. But in every journey there are hills to climb, and if one is wandering purposefully, one does not go around the hills, one goes over them. Otherwise there is a very nice seat next to a window sill to sit at.

This past week I have found the purpose to this joyful little coddiwomple of a master’s program I am going to take. That destination will be not so vague much faster than I wish it will I fear, so I had better enjoy the journey while I am on it. Onward!

By Jenna Moede

Have you ever tried to do something on your own and totally failed or bragged about what you'd do in the future without any real plans? I have.  

I have failed all on my own and worse yet, I have failed after being so sure of an outcome that I went on and on about it to people close to me only to look flaky later when that outcome never happened.  

I've come to two conclusions. First, I have the freedom to change my mind wherever, whenever and however I want (without apology), no matter what. Second, in order to be successful, I need a support network.  

This year my classes won't start for a few more months since the school is online, but I am busy building my support network now. I don't want to tackle college on my own again. For my undergraduate degree I told everyone that I had everything under control even when I struggled, and I flat out failed on my first attempt at a master's degree.  

This time, I want to let those close to me help me succeed. I know that people have wisdom to share, and I've realized in this military life that gleaning wisdom from those that harbor it benefits me greatly.  

So I've thought long and hard about what types of people I want supporting me. While I want all of the support from anyone that wants to, I know that if I build a network of reliable people, I'll feel prepared to handle whatever comes my way. I want to have people that not only support me, but that I can express my thoughts and reliance on them and have them understand.  

It's a big request for those people.  

I have chosen a few people that I have had close relationships with for a long time like my spouse, my parents and my best friend.  

These people, in my life, know me better than anyone else. They know what makes me tick and why I want to achieve the goals I have set.  

I wanted to choose people that not only know me but know how to push me in the right direction. I wanted people who I respect and admire and whose opinion is not only valuable but wise. They might not always tell me what I want to hear, but they can help me achieve my dream of earning a master's degree.   

Lastly, I realized that my university has people meant to support me already built in. My academic advisor not only gives me advice but can also direct me to helpful resources when I feel overwhelmed, I earn a poor grade or I just feel confused in my program. They can offer clarity, and it turns out, they want to help.  

I also understand now that my professors can help me not only learn course material, but they want me to have success in their class. They can offer unique support to students if only we reach out to them.  

You might have personal support that looks different from mine. Maybe you don't want to include family or don't have friends you feel comfortable adding, but you can always find people to support you at work, in clubs or classmates you form relationships with.  

Whoever you choose, make sure you can get ahold of them when you need to and that you can rely on them for support.  

Finally, personally, I know that I can add to my support network whenever I want. I will not go through college alone this time. I will let the people close to me help and guide me when I feel lost or unsure. I'll allow them to help keep me motivated when I feel like giving up, and, as always, I will reserve the right to change my mind at any point in time.  

Only I can know what I really want to do, but I can let others in on my goals and dreams so that I don't have to find the path by myself. It's a refreshing thought to know that I am backed by the people I have in my life.  

Looking for extra money but not necessarily a commitment to a long-term job?

Fall is the season of everything pumpkin spice but it also marks the start of interviews for seasonal jobs. Even large, national retailers who need extra help stocking shelves for Christmas and managing long Black Friday shopping lines begin their employee search now.

First up, is Halloween. Haunted house industry experts, yes, they exist, estimate there are more than 2,000 haunted venues around the nation that all need employees willing to wear weird makeup, scream and run after folks with a chainsaw.

Acting is the number one requirement for haunted house employees. Both that and being willing to work late nights.

Experts say many of the seasonal haunting jobs are filled by white-collar professionals who sit in an office by day and use the late night gigs as boosts to their acting resume or an outlet for their creativity.

The bigger venues also hire makeup artists to help outfit the temporary ghouls. A search on most national job search websites, such as Indeed and Monster bring up not just locally owned houses but also national attractions such as Six Flags.

The median hourly wage for haunted amusement workers is roughly $9, though the bigger the city, the bigger the haunted venue, the bigger the pay. Experts expect the field to grow every year.

By Amy Nielsen

Week three of my master’s of science degree program and I have hit the “Oh sweet Mary Mother of all that is holy, what on Earth have I gotten myself into?” phase of freshman life.

Between the crash course in online scholarly research and APA citations, coordinating all of the class syllabi dates with my already busy life, and an organic chemistry professor who prefers the shotgun method of online instruction – I might just lose my ever-loving mind.

Week one went something like this - “Where are my classes and how do I know what to learn?”

Lucky for me my husband is also in school and his program uses the same online platform so I had

some inside help working through the technology curve. It was steep, and I almost missed a whole class

that ends mid trimester because I wasn’t familiar enough with the platform. But I succeeded and made

it through.

Week two was a total blur. We had a previously scheduled vacation in a state far from home with family

I love dearly. I pushed through to make sure I got all of my assignments in. What I lost was the

time I needed to comprehend some of the more challenging classes. I decided to take the entire weekend off to spend with my family, and it was a mistake. I should have put a little time into my studies each day. Now, I am far behind the eight ball and I will pay for it.

This past week everything ramped up. We are no longer new students to be handled with kid gloves. We

are master’s degree candidates with, in some cases, years of professional experience behind us. Step up to the plate, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to start playing ball. There was a noticeable jump in the amount of material covered, the length of assignments, the depth of research required, and the degree of professionalism expected.

The added work load coupled with the pressure cooker of my personal experiences on vacation turned

this past week into pure and unadulterated hell. Time management went out the window and

everything sat on top of me like a ton of bricks. It seemed like every task I completed for one class

generated three more. My organic chemistry professor decided that now would be a great time to

introduce naming hydrocarbon compounds. Meanwhile, another class called Perspectives in Complementary and Integrative Medicine we were introduced to our dreaded group project team members, and only one other person in my group can write intelligibly. Shoot me now.

This says nothing about the other things I am juggling in my life - homeschooling our daughters and

preparing for the classes I am offering through the business I am trying to build. Not to mention

somewhere in there I would like to see my friends and maybe have a bit of fun. Did someone say relax?

Ha!

I ran myself into a studying stupor this week. When I started in on the chemistry homework early in the

Week, and realized that I didn’t even understand the words in the question, I knew I was going to be in

trouble. I spent half a day finding a program and compiling a playlist of tutorials to cover what had

been covered in the course so far. I set myself up to binge watch organic chemistry. How’s that for a

blazingly fun Sunday? It took me three days to get caught up enough to follow the video lecture presented by my actual professor.

Did I mention my organic chemistry professor likes the shot gun approach to learning? He posts seven

different sources of materials and says, take six pages from here, these hundred pages in the text

book, this video, these two power point presentations, and these nine pages of single paced notes and

go teach yourself organic chemistry.

We are in week three and we have read 377 pages of the 900 page textbook already. We have 16 weeks of class. At this rate we will be done with the text book in the next two weeks. I wish to publically thank Sal Khan for providing me with my organic chemistry lifeboat.

My favorite class so far is of course the shortest at only one and a half credits and it only meets for seven weeks:  Perspectives in Complimentary and Integrative Health. It is is turning out to be a really interesting discussion class. We will have the team paper to present for peer review at the end of it, which means collaborative writing, but I come from the world of theater design. If I can do art by committee, I can certainly do health policy by committee.

I had a slight panic late last night when I couldn’t remember if I had even opened my physiology module

this week. I snuck down to check at 3 a.m., and lo and behold I had completed all of the assignments

on Monday. I don’t even remember doing them, but I even wrote a 300-word essay on tight

junction function which reads remarkably well if I do say so myself.

What this insane time is helping me to realize is that I am capable. I can fail at something and still be

able to move forward knowing that the understanding will come with time and practice. That in the

cracks of time between the panic of everything there is peace. With attention to detail, repetition, and

perseverance I will make it through this program.

I am sure it will get harder than this. I am sure I will actually fail an assignment. I am also very sure I will receive my degree in August of 2019 - unless organic chemistry kills me first.