By Jenna Moede

I love Mondays.

Wait! Don’t quit reading just yet though. Stick with me.

I used to jump on the anti-Monday bandwagon, and I’ve seen the memes and heard my friends complain because, I know, I know, no one likes a Monday.

But, imagine enjoying a Monday, or two Mondays or EVERY Monday.

It worked for me. Let me explain.

I love Mondays now because they represent a new week. Monday feels like a do-over to me. I know Sunday really begins the next week, but honestly, Monday always feels like the first day of a new week to me.

Each new week, I know that I can’t change anything that happened the previous week so I don’t dwell on it. I let the past go and start with a clean slate.

I look at Monday as a wonderful opportunity to fix the mistakes I made the prior week, alter my routine to better fit my needs, and start fresh with the people I care about.

The feeling of starting over each week makes me feel so happy.

That leads me into another reason I love Mondays. I go into Mondays completely caught up on chores, work and school because I play catch-up on Sunday. That means that Monday brings an organized life and a stocked fridge.  

I dread grocery shopping so much that sometimes some eggs sit alone in fridge, so on the weekends, I usually, finally and desperately stock my shelves. Before I do, my meals at the end of the week look like something out of Willy Wonka. Chicken alfredo with a side of licorice anyone?  

But, I digress. At the end of the day, I know I can’t beat the feeling I have when I have organized and finished all the “to-dos.”

Lastly, I enjoy Mondays because a whole clean new week means a whole set of new opportunities. I know every week brings a new set of challenges, but I really enjoy a challenge.

Like the time I played BINGO in a college class without any chips for the O’s and had no idea until no one had BINGO for about 30 minutes.

But really I do enjoy pushing myself to achieve all that I can, try activities that scare me and go so far out of my comfort zone I can’t see it anymore.

I see Monday as the prime day to promise to do all of those things. I can forget any previous failures and start from the ground up again.

Likewise, I can continue building on success I’ve had previously too. 

Monday doesn’t always have to mean starting over. Every Monday, start thinking creatively about how to make a good project, assignment, business or routine better. Don’t hold back!

So if you want to really enjoy every Monday you wake up to, try to start with a good attitude. I know from experience that it’s awfully hard to come back from a cranky Monday attitude coupled with spilling coffee on your work clothes and forgetting it’s garbage day so don’t let it start out that way for you.

Let the bad roll of your back and embrace the good. Make someone else’s day better by your cheery mood. We all know a person who could use a laugh on a Monday or just a smile, so try to do that for someone you know. Not only will it help them, but you’ll feel happier too.

Never feel discouraged on Sunday night because you have to go back to the grindstone, push yourself to learn and accomplish all that you can, face your fears and set out confidently as the best version of yourself.

I’ve heard that if you can change your attitude, you can change your life. I think that even if you don’t dislike Monday’s, you can probably do something to make them even better. I challenge myself to that every single week, and I can honestly say my life has changed.

By Jenna Moede

Have you ever felt like a lost wanderer? Trust me, I’m waving my arms wildly over here. I totally felt that way not during the admission process but during the first overwhelming classes of my online college career. 

Finding a good groove in my online classes took a while for me, but through some trial and error, I figured out how to calm my jitters as each new semester started and feel prepared to take on my classes.

First, check your email. After you enroll in your classes check weekly, if not more often, to make sure you don’t miss any important deadlines, course material changes or tips and tricks from professors. 

I’ve had emails about each of those show up in my inbox, and after my trouble with financial check in, I learned my lesson about the importance of school email.

Once I even had a professor who sent us a list of helpful hints from prior students for mastering the class content, but a group member of mine had no idea until the end of the class because he never checked his email.

Learn from his mistake (and mine) and check for those types of little gems, and other important class information, regularly in your inbox. 

You should now have access to your class syllabus and course breakdown too. These could come via email or you may have to locate them on your class platform, but read them both.  

I barely glanced at a syllabus when I studied on campus but with classes online, the syllabus is non-optional.

You will discover so much valuable information including the expected class conduct, participation and policies like late submissions and missed deadlines.

The syllabus will likely contain the grading scale too. Your professors may use similar or university mandated scales, but starting the semester knowing the scale will help you set your goals.   

You should also locate your professor’s office hours. Knowing when he or she has time available comes in handy when you end up in a bind. It seems to happen to everyone at some point.

Next, you should take an in depth look at the course breakdown. My professors included major assignments and deadlines at the beginning of each semester along with the types of assignments to expect.

I always keep a personal planner so I copied the deadlines into my planner and wrote reminders a week early for each assignment. If I had more than one class, I typically color-coded in my planner so I could easily identify which class the assignment belonged to.

I had professors who added smaller assignments along the way but my coded planner made it a lot easier for me to recognize due dates quickly. I also could plan early for weeks that had important overlapping deadlines between classes.

After all of that, I usually put the course breakdown on the bulletin board near my desk so I could see assignments coming up at a glance.

You might think you’re set now, but don’t forget to check your equipment and materials before you barrel in. Make sure you have a strong internet connection, all the office supplies you will need, a notebook, and your required class materials.

Online classes depend completely on reliable equipment. 

I found out the first week of one semester that I had a keyboard that wouldn’t type the letter “A”, and it did not make me a happy student. I swear the keyboard had no problems the week before but I didn’t make sure. Hopefully save yourself the annoyance by checking.

As far as materials, double check on the syllabus that you have everything required, and remember the professor may add a new book or website login at the last second.

Okay now start your first week!

Complete any first week work like introduction posts and acknowledgements of the course conduct.

Check due dates carefully! The deadlines the can differ from standard weeks during the first and last weeks of a class!

If you fail to do one of the required items the first week, depending on school policy, the professor could drop you from the class. On the other hand, you could end up with a miserable grade at the end of the class too if you fail to submit a final project or exam.

I didn’t figure out the deadline issue until my second semester. At the end of my first online class, I surprisingly discovered that the last week of classes had an early deadline. I had a mess to clean up for one of my final projects.

To avoid any pitfalls or mistakes like that your first week, keep these steps in mind and start paving your way through the semester. Good luck!  

By Jenna Moede

Can you believe this!? We have finally covered everything from applying to college to starting you first classes, but we have just a few more topics to chat about.

Prepare these final steps so you can press on into your real and exciting college career.

First, make sure you take the time to submit your transcripts. Likely, your university will not allow you to start classes without doing this.

Sometimes you will have to pay a small fee for transcripts, but you can have them sent to several schools, and they usually arrive at those schools quickly.

Remember that some colleges will want high school and college transcripts if you have some postsecondary education.

High school made it easy to send my transcripts because they sent out a letter with the steps and the website, but after high school you might have to track these items down.

If you know your transcripts exist out there somewhere, but could never begin to find them, try a few phone class or emails. I recently needed a copy of my husband’s high school transcripts. I called his high school and they happily told me the website and all the information I needed. Easy and quick!

When I transferred schools, I needed to send my college transcripts to my new university. If you find yourself in the same boat look on your current university’s website and it should have a place for you to request transcripts.

If you can’t find anything online, call the registrar’s office. They will walk you through the steps.

To avoid potential problems, request your transcripts as soon as possible. Ideally, right after you’ve committed to a school.

Next topic, books. Every university handles books in a unique way but don’t wait on this either. Books may take a while to ship to you, and you will fight an uphill battle if you start classes without them.

I had a class start with the book on backorder, and the first test required me to share a friend’s book. She, luckily, had bought the book off an upperclassman. Needless to say, I’ve experienced more ideal situations.

While studying on campus, I bought all my books at the bookstore. My online university shipped my books with a prepaid return label or offered an e-book.

You can sell your books back after each semester, but don’t expect a huge return. One semester I truly made more money returning cans at the local grocery store. I couldn’t believe it!

Even though some of my books cost a lot and I didn’t sell them back for the same amount I paid, I really couldn’t have made it through college without them. I even kept a couple!

Don’t let the prices intimidate you into thinking you can skate by without them.

Lastly, to all of my Advanced Placement (AP) class takers out there and everyone else who has earned college credits through testing, I didn’t forgot about you!

I had AP credits that I needed to apply to my education too, and I bebopped around online until I figured out what to do. Let me help save you the hassle and time of searching.

First, find out if your university accepts AP credits or whatever type of credits you may have. A quick website search should turn up that information for you.

From there try to locate a place online to submit the scores for review. If you can’t find a spot, contact the admission office. They will supply the necessary information or direct you to a better suited office to help you receive the credits you have earned on those tough high school classes.

So now, congratulations! You have finally finished, but make a big bold note that your university may have additional requirements so still check your email regularly!

Now, after all your hard work applying and registering, you can finally begin. Remember to start off right so you can ace your first semester.

Despite an end to the federal hiring freeze earlier this month, services for military families may remain in limbo, and even suspended.

When the federal government placed a freeze on all federal hiring in late January, the Department of Defense was allowed to hire only new military members to send to individual service boot camps.

Military family facilities such as MWR and on-post daycares were left with staffing shortages. At least eight bases around the world cut some child care services hours as a result. AAFES officials also said they have cut hours and closed some locations.

The freeze was lifted two weeks ago but change will not be swift.

Military officials said the process of hiring an individual, especially for child care positions, normal takes about 120 days. Applicants must undergo thorough background checks and that takes time. The hiring freeze didn’t necessarily cause the shortage, but delayed the process even longer, meaning unfilled positions remained, and still remain in many places

A report from military.com says some branches were able to apply, and receive hiring exemptions. The Army, for example the website reports, had approved 5,083 hiring exemptions for civilian positions in child care centers, fire and emergency services, police, security guards and air traffic control.

And a lift to the hiring freeze does not mean all positions will be filled.  White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney announced a hiring policy change last week.

NPR reported, "this does not mean agencies will be free to hire willy-nilly," Mulvaney said. The director said hiring will be done with a strategic plan. Some agencies will hire more employees and others will lose positions.

Want to know what jobs are open at your base? Visit www.usajobs.gov

Pancake Zen. Yes, it’s a thing. Or it is now because I am going to make it a thing. I am going to teach Pancake Zen. It is going to be my intro to meditation through food class. I just came up with it this morning, while making breakfast. This blog is going to touch on two seemingly different topics but I promise that they are really speaking to the same theme. Those two are meditation practice and creating the space in your business for creative process.

I am days away from graduation from my intensive year-long programs. I have been working really hard toward this goal of completing this step. I have been so focused on this date, this end, that I sort of lost sight of the fact that this end is also a beginning. I realized this last week when someone asked when my first real class opens because she wants to sign up for it. I didn’t have an answer.

Thus began a week of bouts of frantic research into what graduate school has a program that meets my state’s online accreditation requirements, peppered with moments of sheer panic at the possible necessity self-employment, altered with deep drops into the universal Pandora’s Box of entrepreneurial possibilities. Frankly, I was a mess.

In my research for follow-on graduate studies I discovered that the program I had intended on using to get my Masters doesn’t accept students from my state for distance learning conferred degrees. In English that means, New York’s Board of Education won’t certify the online degree from the school in Maryland. Which means that I have to either find a school in New York that will accept my certificate credits, or I have to figure out how to spend one weekend a month for the next eighteen months in Maryland.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Maryland. I have lots of terrific friends in Maryland who I would love to hang out with once a month. I even have an RV I could travel and live in for the weekends away. But that doesn’t solve the ten thousand other minor details about this plan.

I had three very interesting prospective jobs come up this week, two of which are not going to pan out for me right now. The one prospect that does want me isn’t really the best option for me either and I think I am going to have to rescind my application. It was a disappointment to be on the verge of something then to realize it wasn’t the right fit.

I had more success working on my long-term options over the week. I was able to connect in person again with a few people who work for the organizations I think I want to focus my efforts on. I discovered a few new opportunities I can volunteer with that will keep me active and in front of these folks doing what I want to be doing with them professionally. These meetings, though late in the day and often after a long day, already had me more energized than any of the paying job interviews I went on.

It was a hectic and emotional week. So when the last job called to cancel yesterday I took it as a sign that it was time to hang it up for a bit and let someone else steer. I let the kids stay up late to watch a silly show while I spent a bit of time journaling about disappointments and missed opportunities.

I spent a bit of time thinking hard about what it is that I really want to do. I thought, “Self, you teach meditation and flow and how to change your stars. So, it’s time you practice what you preach.” I went to bed with the intention to listen to what came up for me today.

I took the time to set my intention for space. I set up my mind to allow creativity to flow. I allowed myself the right to see grand possibilities in mundane things.

Now my work involves food, nutrition (not the same thing as food), and meditation. When I started to cook breakfast, I found myself in a state of zen meditation, while cooking pancakes. Who says you can’t meditate about pancakes. A very wise teacher told me recently if you can’t meditate, be meditative. What the what, you ask? If you are having a hard time focusing your mind on what you want it to meditate on, try focusing on what your mind wants to meditate on. Thus was born Pancake Zen.

Pancake Zen. Watch the bubbles, listen to the sizzle, smell the burn, feel the flame, taste the success. When cooking pancakes you have the opportunity to be aware of the sight of the bubbles rising in the batter, forming perfect little circular stream vents. The smell of the caramelizing batter as it cooks becomes a soothing aromatherapy. One can be mindful of the heat of the flame as it rushes energy into the pan. And of course there is the ultimate taste of success. There are layers of meaning to delve into here. Both on a culinary, and meditative level.

Your work may involve accounts payables. So how do you find space for creative zen practice in something as exacting as actuarial accounting? I can think of a myriad of ways. Do you find a rhythm for your fingers on the keys when adding long strings of numbers? Does the computer heat up and produce a specific smell when you really get crunching those ledgers? Perhaps those senses can lead you to find those missed keystrokes leading to the missing pennies. Use your five senses to help lead you to the solution. Allow that space in your subconscious to exist for long enough that you can get out of your own way. The solutions are there, they just need space and quiet to be sensed.

So in my space of peace and quiet, after allowing the chaos to be set aside, I found my class. I know what I can offer that will be fun, teach both meditation and basic culinary skills, and be easily accessible to a wide audience. Because who doesn’t like pancakes? So I challenge you – what is your Pancake Zen?

By Amy Nielsen

I have exactly one exam left before I finish school. I have scored well, if not perfectly on each of the previous tests and quizzes. I am happy with those answers that I got wrong as many were a disagreement on philosophy rather than specifically a wrong answer. I know when I take the exam next week, I will pass it with a respectable, if not perfect, grade.

Our class message boards are alight with questions: What it will mean if you don’t take the last exam, which is expected but not required.  A passing grade is only required on two out of three exams to complete the graduation requirement. What if your case studies haven’t been accepted yet, even though they were posted within minutes of the midnight deadline? How are these case studies supposed to be entered anyway? I missed a conference call and now it shows that I didn’t complete the assignment, now what?

One of the perks of being an older student is perspective. The vast majority of students who are having these troubles fall into two categories: the certificate-gathering, young, self-starter who is determined to be the “it” of her niche market - and fast. The other, unfortunately, are those who are struggling with this online-based platform. They are struggling to complete the lectures, let alone the assignments.

The second group is comprised of two very different sub categories of individuals. This program is widely international and is well respected outside of the US. Approximately one-third of the class is international students from around the globe, representing both developing and developed countries. As internet service differs vastly around the world, some students had a hard time just getting connection for long enough to download a lesson. The second subgroup, within the tech challenged set, is not comfortable with a computer-based curriculum. The internet portion makes their struggle worse.

I really feel for the tech challenged group. They are behind the 8 ball by no fault of their own poor shooting. Some have been able to figure it out enough to at least finish. Others are just going to have to appeal to the school come graduation time when their certificates are not awarded.

I can say that it is not for lack of effort on the part of other students on the message boards. The majority of tech questions are quickly answered by more tech savvy classmates. The industry we are in is based on kindness, compassion, and helpfulness. We kind of can’t help ourselves but to find an answer when someone asks.

I know of several fantastic relationships that have started because of this program. There are a few burgeoning businesses starting up once all of the certificates clear. I also know of many peer to peer coaching and accountabilities partnerships that plan to continue after graduation day. Again, we are a compassionate and helpful group. It’s in our genes.

As for that group of go-getter, self-starters? Those are the folks who I really want to succeed. I know they can. I know they have it within them. But there were hard lessons learned, especially if they don’t graduate:

* Read all of the directions at the beginning.

*Make sure you understand exactly what is expected of you before you begin.

*Start completing assignments at the beginning of the remittance period not at the end.

*Don’t plan your wedding and honeymoon for the week of the last exam assuming that because you passed the others and skipping this exam would remain unremarked on your transcript.

*Missing the last exam entirely, even if you have passed the other two exams, means the last exam will be marked as an incomplete/fail rather than incomplete/zero since all grades are on a percentage/pass-fail basis.

These are all important lessons that some of my classmates, unfortunately, have learned the hard way.

I am pleased that I have come as far as I have with this program. I am pleased that I am tech savvy enough to be able to complete the course with only a few minor tech snafu. I am not a spring chicken who is counting eggs before they are even laid, nor am I someone who is on the verge of a new career in the third half of their busy lives. I am a somewhat, rusty, washed up, has been, career consolidating Mama who sort of remembers something about how voice over IP used to work.

What I am most pleased about is my ability to roll with this program and see what it can do for me. I am an advanced student, I have been around the block a time or two and I know what I am looking for most of the time. I like that this course delivered that. It was just enough out of my comfort zone to push my boundaries and make me see a bigger picture because of the make-up of the student body.

I expect to graduate somewhere around the middle of my class, not that rankings are important. There is a full tuition refund awarded to the top student in the class. I never had ambitions of that sort. When I do graduate and receive my certificate I will know that I did put in a solid effort. I am proud of what I have learned and accomplished by taking this chance.

Now I have to look forward to the next step, employment. Self-employment, contract work, project based events, and series classes are all in the works over the summer as I refine exactly what this new project looks like. As of this time next week, I will be done with curriculum work. There is no turning back.

PCS season is coming. Are you planning to visit your new duty station to house hunt? Why not schedule your visit the same time as a local job fair?

The Chamber of Commerce Foundation hosts job fairs around the nation every month that are open only to military members and their spouses. If you are shopping for a house ahead of your PCS move, why not shop for a job as well?

Visit the website listed below each date and be sure to register. Spots fill up quickly and many events do not take unregistered attendees at the door.

Good luck!                                                                                                                                                

May 9

El Paso, Texas

https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/event/fort-bliss-military-spouse-career-event

May 16

Dallas/ Forest Hill, Texas

https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/event/dallasforest-hill-hiring-fair

Camp Pendleton, Calif.

https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/event/camp-pendleton-military-spouse-career-event

May 18

Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico

https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/event/fort-buchanan-hiring-fair

May 23

Boston, Mass.              

https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/event/boston-hiring-expo-boston-red-sox-1

Fort Belvoir, Va.

https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/event/fort-belvoir-military-spouse-networking-reception-and-hiring-fair

May 25

Pensacola, Fla.

https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/event/pensacola-hiring-fair-1

June 2                                        

San Diego, Calif.

https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/event/san-diego-hiring-expo-san-diego-padres

To see a full list of nationwide events for all of 2017, visit https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/hiring-our-heroes/hiring-events

By Amy Nielsen

I am very proud of myself. I didn’t chicken out. I ran my first informational booth at our season opener, community vendor fair.

The monthly event allows anyone who pays $25 to host a booth. The spread included Mary Kay sales, the local insurance agent, wildlife rehabilitators and every Pinterest DIYer imaginable.

I had to work on a shoestring budget. To put it bluntly, I had literally no money to spend on this adventure. I scraped together enough to buy the second least expensive knock-off shade tent andbusiness cards that better reflect my current iteration. Everything else was what I already owned, or could find for free.

Luckily my husband works for an employer who doesn’t tally every single copy and we were able to print and copy my flyers and brochures for free. I knew I didn’t need tons of them so I bought a ream of paper and sent him to work to make copies.

I needed some sort of sign. Hey, I can do that. I’ve made how many homecoming signs in my life? I rifled through the kids’ sheets, found a suitably unstained, more or less white one. If you have kids of a certain age, you have a box of those little two ounce acrylic craft paints hanging around like I do, so those came out too. I went to town making a sign that matched my business cards as close as I could manage with my rudimentary skills. It turned out pretty well because I chose a very simple design for my cards.

Since it was Easter weekend, the event organizers asked the vendors to participate in the egg hunt. I agreed to fill one hundred eggs with – something. I found the fruit leathers we had just purchased for summer treats, added slips of paper with happy sayings on them and set the kids to stuffing. I decided to add a basket of eggs with sayings and chocolate kisses to my table to entice people to come talk to me.

The morning of the event came and insanity struck our house. The dog had gotten into the basket of eggs and eaten as many of the chocolates as he could. I still had to pack the car and get to the event site.

My husband came to the rescue. So much for his nice quiet morning. We swapped car seats, loaded my stuff up in my car, loaded the kids and puking dog in his car and headed off to opposite ends of the county.

I arrived at the event site, wrestled the shade tent into submission, set up my tables and was ready to greet the public well in advance of the opening time. Then, I remembered that my breakfast and lunch were sitting on the kitchen table, along with my water for the day.

My car was tucked way back in the outer reaches of vendor parking, and there is nothing within walking distance. This is a vendor fair, not a food fair, so there are no treats to go buy either. Whoops.

I am a new vendor so I didn’t get the front side of the row on the main strip. I am on the back side in the middle. My booth site is set between a fun pair of gals selling handmade beaded spiders and dream catchers, and a husband and wife team who seem to have gotten a great deal on a coupon match-up for shampoo and conditioner at the supermarket and is now reselling them at a profit.

Luckily, my back door neighbor never arrived, so we ended up with a little path between us, which brought me a little extra traffic.

Being the first event of the season and before most of the summer crowd arrived, the traffic was steady, but not heavy. Since I didn’t have anything to sell, my booth was more often passed by.

My little affirmation eggs were not quite interesting enough.

I have ideas to remedy my traffic flow for next month. The eggs I had on the table (the ones I was able to save from the dog) went over well once people realized they were free, so I am going to continue to have them with different things stuffed inside each month.

Cute as they are though, they are not enough.

For this kind of vendor fair, I feel like I need to have a theme. To that end I am planning to follow what I will be teaching in my monthly sessions. This month I taught about the space of being and of starting and beginnings. Next month is focused on doing and movement. I am researching hula hoops, jump ropes and ribbon wands to sell in order to foster movement.

I am also going to change what I have on my tables. Rather than the flyers for my classes, I am going to have take-aways with movement oriented activities on them, instructions for hop scotch, directions  to local short hikes and maps of local playgrounds and such.

I did have a chance to work out my language with people as they walked past. What words did I use when calling out to them that made them look twice? When someone did stop to talk to me how did I introduce myself? I tried all sorts of different ideas and those that rang true I will use again.

At the end of the day, after depositing the kids with me, the dog to home (not much worse for the chocolate), and before heading off to work, my husband’s observation was that I was the happiest he had seen me in ages. My biggest take away from this event was that it is the right place for me to start.

I have a few changes to make to get the kind of traffic I want into the booth. I need to make my space an active space not a passive space. Once I connect with a few more people on a more active level, then I think this will take off and bring in the class bookings I am looking for.

And when you are starting a business, this is what it is all about.

By Jenna Moede

Okay, we need to address the elephant in the room. Money!

No one can deny that for a college education, you’ll have to shell out some money or earn some scholarships. Now that you have finished registering for classes, you need to take this on next. 

Usually you will need to complete registration before your financial check-in because the number of credits you take will help determine the final cost for the semester.

Also, before you write that check, search all scholarship avenues.

When I started college, I had no idea that scholarships for military spouses even existed. I didn’t look for opportunities, and I don’t want you to make that mistake too. 

Scour the internet for scholarship opportunities and apply for everything you qualify for. You never know what you’ll earn. 

Also, if you plan to use federal student loans, make sure you complete your FAFSA with ample time.  That will come into play before you begin classes and before your financial check in. 

Don’t forget that you will have to fill the FAFSA out for each school year not each calendar year.  If you start, for example, in the summer of this year, you will have to fill out a FAFSA for the 2016-2017 school year, and then, come August, you will have to fill out another for the 2017-2018 school year.

I actually had friends who didn’t know that and really did miss the deadline. I saw some very unhappy parents because of it.  

Lastly, FAFSA will allow you to select several schools you’d like to send the information to so make sure you select your university when given the option.  Doing it this way will save you time in the long run. 

Now that that part is out of the way, let’s look at financial check-in. At many schools you may have to complete it every semester, but it really doesn’t take too long. 

I didn’t know about financial check-in when I first started online classes because while I was a student on campus I didn’t have to do it. I also didn’t check my email very often which kept me from finding out about it until the very last second. Huge mistake!

I found out about and completed my check-in on the last day I possibly could. I almost missed the deadline, and I would have missed my first online classes too. Not really the way I was looking to start out.

You should find your financial check-in on your school’s online platform and you may even receive an email with a link or directions to access it. I swear I never knew email could actually come in so handy until I finally checked mine!

As you check in, make sure any and all scholarships you have earned show up in the ledger. If you see a mistake, don’t continue with check-in, but reach out to a school representative who can help you straighten it out. 

After everything looks correct, you should see either a balance due, credit owed or a zero balance. You will most likely have the opportunity to deny excess loan amounts or you can choose where to send them. 

Make this decision wisely and remember that if you have a loan credit, have will still most likely have to pay them back, probably with interest. I have seen people treat this refund like free money and had to pay the piper, literally, when the loans came due.

Because of possible issues with scholarships and more, I recommend doing financial check-in as early as you possibly can. It allows excess time to correct any errors.

I had no idea what to do my first time around, but after you get the hang of it, and you will after the first semester, it really doesn’t take that much time or effort. I think you’ll find it pretty painless. 

Once you have completed your financial check-in, you will receive a confirmation and you can start preparing to ace your courses. You will only have a few final steps left before classes really begin.

The online retail giant, Amazon, is hiring 5,000 at-home workers, and have specifically targeted military spouses as the kind of employees they want. Now.

The jobs are part of a larger plan to add 30,000 workers to the company’s ranks. The at-home positions are Virtual Customer Service employees.

In a statement last week, Tom Weiland, Amazon’s vice president for worldwide customer service specifically named military spouses as a group the company is focused on hiring from.

“There are lots of people who want or need a flexible job – whether they’re a military spouse, a college student, or a parent – and we’re happy to empower these talented people no matter where they happen to live,” he said.

This is just the latest growth in what has been a hiring surge for Amazon. In 2011 Amazon had just 56,000 employees. Five years later, Amazon ranks numbered 341,000.

To find out more about the available jobs, visit https://www.amazon.jobs/en/locations/virtual-locations?base_query=&loc_query=&job_count=10&result_limit=10&sort=relevant&location%5B%5D=virtual-locations&cache