Graduate School (and why I'm glad I took five years off after college)

I'm going back to school. That's right. In just over two weeks, I'll be toting my three-ring binders and colored pens (or do kids use laptops these days?) to The University of Central Florida.

To be more specific: I've decided to pursue a master's degree in Instructional Systems Design.

When hearing this, most people have either given me a blank look, or have feigned enthusiasm, as opposed to admitting they have no idea what ISD is (and up until four years ago, I didn't either). Or, they've blurted out an amusing response.

"But... you're a writer, not an engineer." -Friend 1

"So... you'll be learning how to build stuff for computers?" -Friend 2

"Awesome! You can help me decorate my house, if I can ever afford one!" -Friend 3

It's something about the combination of the words "instructional", "systems", and "design" that connote engineering specifications or computer systems. It certainly doesn't sound like a career path a creative writer would take.

This is why I'm thankful for taking five years off after college to get some working experience. As it turns out, one of my natural strengths is process and procedural documentation; I avoided all business and technical writing courses that were part of my college writing track, so who knew? My days of poetry, prose, creative nonfiction, and journalism quickly faded once I started working as a professional technical writer.

Faded but not forgotten. It also turns out that pairing a creative writing skillset with technical writing experience "makes a lethal instructional designer" (according to a random YouTube video I watched a few weeks ago, but can't find now to reference). Taking a logical approach to creating a course and blending it with creativity to engage the learner will have a huge impact. And that's what's most appealing to me -- a career where I can make equal use of my left brain and right brain to connect with people.

Another benefit of taking time off after college: more and more graduate programs are being geared toward adults working full-time and needing flexibility, and online master's programs are becoming increasingly more desirable. With the exception of one of my classes this fall, I'll be able to pursue most of my degree in a completely online format.

So, I'm trading in my volleyball and part of my social life for textbooks and homework. For now, anyway. Eventually I'll strike the balance between my day job, my classes, and all of the fun stuff in between.

Farewell to a Festival of Friendship

"You only meet your once in a lifetime friends... once in a lifetime."
- The Little Rascals

Last night, Jolyon and I bid farewell to two of our dearest friends.

As I write this post, Dan is cruising up I-95 in his blue Fit with Buster, a playful if not slobbery mutt, towards a three-year stint at Cornell Law School. Kaleigh is driving "the best packed truck in the nation" (thankfully, the laughs outweighed the boxes) in pursuit of the Fit and their new life in Ithaca, NY.

I was wrestling with how to best write about this friendship; it's deserving of a public display in the finest gallery so that others can create replicas and enhance their own lives.

Or maybe it should be quietly preserved in a box, wrapped with a pretty bow, and tucked away in our private memory shelf.

Or maybe these pictures will be enough to convey how much these two crazy kids impacted our lives in a relatively short period of time (9 months; "Thanks for bearing my children." -Dan).

"Delicious."

Christmas Cookie Craziness, 2009

Fishy smell in Disneyland

Jolyon tries for a hug in Disneyland.

ShelLy and KaLeigh

The Icing Incident of 2009.

Celebrating Buster's birthday.

With Danleigh's housewarming gift.

Boys and their toys.

Celebrating for Buster.

Disneyland in California

Unforgettable

Hollywood, CA

Lovely lady legs.

Fun mirrors, or too much theme park food?

Hollywood ladies

Late night dinner in CA

Water park fun

A relaxing Sunday at the Sasse residence.

Definitely going to miss days like these.

Horseshoe show-down

Slumber party

Signing the pact.

The Pact

A goofy bunch

Epic Wii battle on their last night in Orlando; Jolyon wearing his "I Love NY" shirt in support.

Jolyon finally gets his hug.

Final moments.

An unforgettable foursome.

"The tender friendships one gives up, on parting, leave their bite on the heart, but also a curious feeling of a treasure somewhere buried."
~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Technology

Technology is amazing.

This coming from the girl who- not less than three years ago- still clung to her VCR and prized VHS tapes. I haven't jumped on the blueray bandwagon just yet (I'm not that much of a lemming), but it's only a matter of time.

I've gotten off track.

I'm writing this post from my new smart phone - a DROID X. It was released on July 15th and I still can't believe I own this fascinating miniature computer disguised as a cellular device, enabling me to be further socially connected and engaged with the world.

Two key features of note: 8 mp camera and speech-to-text functionality. I can snap a vivid picture of my chocolate gelato at lunch (did that), talk into my phone a brief caption for said photo (also did that), and click send or post. Instant connection. (Did that, too.)

I can now chuckle alongside other smart phone owners as we stand on our proverbial platform of "there's an app for that, you know."

And, damn. There really IS an app for everything.

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What Your Facebook Status Means to Others

In my previous post, I briefly commented on social media’s ability to create and maintain one’s personal brand. Have you ever stopped to think about how your social network perceives you, or if you’re having any influence over your connections?


We all want to tell our unique stories – some of us more so than others. Social media enables us to do this, whether it’s in complete novels on a blog, a video on YouTube, or in cliffhanging snippets on Twitter and Facebook status updates. We all want to be heard. To be connected. To be empathized with. And most of us enjoy listening to and reading the stories of others, particularly when we can reap the benefits. Otherwise, why participate in social media at all?

Let’s focus on Facebook for a moment. If you’re an active user (i.e. you participate in discussions via commenting and update your status message on a regular basis), you’re customizing your personal brand. Just like in face-to-face conversations, your words ultimately reflect your external perception. Are you cognizant of the brand you’re crafting for yourself?

We may or may not even be conscious of what our status updates or comments are indicating to the rest of the world. How do the following status updates make you feel? Which ones invite a real response?

Friend 1’s status: “Why do people suck so much? FML.”

Friend 2’s status: “Is bummed about this weather. Anyone have any suggestions for indoor, relatively cheap, activities in the Boston area this weekend?”

Friend 3’s status: “Could this day get any worse? So over it.”

Friend 4’s status: “Is infuriated and thinks everyone should read CNN’s recent article about the gulf oil spill. What do you think?”

As Facebook continues to grow, I’ve started adding more companies and “liking” more sites than ever before. Therefore, I don’t have time to scroll through my newsfeed and be bothered with negative status updates that offer nothing to the community, other than their harsh words and woe-as-me attitudes. I’ve divorced many Facebook connections because their status messages or comments on others’ posts were consistently negative. Frankly, I just don’t have time for those stories, especially if the poster is less than an acquaintance (e.g., Billy from my second grade class who I “friended” two years ago just to see what he’s doing for a living now.).

We’ve all posted the occasional “had a terrible day; send me happy thoughts” status because we rely on our friends and networks for the ego boost or virtual hug. It’s about connection, after all. But we all know the people who complain for the sake of complaining; they need to process their emotions outwardly and Facebook provides a great platform to do just that. I wonder if these people even realize what they’re really telling the world about themselves.

In some instances, the explosion of “here’s how much my life sucks right now” can lead to further connections and conversations (“I know exactly how you feel! That happened to me last year…”), but, overall, I grow tired of negative attitudes cluttering my Facebook newsfeed – especially if the negativity does not ask for others’ advice, inspire others to change, or cause readers to reflect.

So, my fellow Facebook users, I encourage you to think twice before projecting vague negative energy into the community. Not only does it do nothing to help your cause, but it hurts your personal brand. Instead, channel your negative thoughts into questions and ask your connections for advice.

That’s the beauty of social media, after all.

Why I'm Not Quitting Facebook (And Other Thoughts on Social Media)

Did you know that Memorial Day was also “Quit Facebook Day”? It was designed to be a huge sign of protest to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg as a result of the recent privacy exploits. I didn’t pay much attention to the news or read the related articles about the privacy issue, mainly because I realize that all great innovations tend to have bumpy starts, and this isn't the first time Facebook's protesters have raised a rucus. Besides, social media, while already incredibly powerful, is a growing breed that will continue to evolve as we experiment further with technology. Anyway, if you missed the event, you can read all about it here.

And you can read about how the event was a complete flop here.

I'll admit I'm not well-informed about the debate, but it seems to me that before people (36,000 out of 400 million, roughly .07%) create an uproar and cut off their social networks, perhaps they should try lobbying for more positive change. Help educate one another about the privacy issues and work towards creating stronger guidelines for future protection. Rallying the troops to leave a site that 400 million people and companies deem worthwhile seems counter-productive to the social media trend. Sure, Facebook could use a few bandaids, so perhaps the .07% of the site's disgruntled users should stop bickering and creating mass protests and start working together to improve the site. Afterwards, if these users still feel exposed by Facebook's actions, then by all means - leave the site.

What it really comes down to, though, is having the self-control to regulate and monitor your own Facebook (or any other social networking application) activity. If there's information you don't want people to know, then don't post it. It's really that black and white. Social networking was created for information-sharing, and social media, as a whole, allows us (as consumers) to both consume and produce content for the masses. In general,  most folks who get themselves in trouble are the ones who treat these applications like their own personal diary.

Today's internet allows for many mediums in which we can create our own personal brand, and Facebook is smart to capitalize on it with their "like" button appearing all over the web. I like the simple ability to shape my external perception, whether it’s through my blog (e.g., the post you’re reading now), the companies and pages I “like” on Facebook and the general web, or the comments and status updates on Facebook.

And lets not forget about the ability to be connected 24/7, thanks to the development of mobile applications of our favorite social sites. This makes some folks shiver, but I (extrovert) thrive on being able to quickly connect with my husband, a friend, or family member. While making a quick walk down the hall to the rest room, I can find out that Katie just had her baby, Tim's plane is delayed, and three of my friends won't make it to volleyball tonight.

So, no. I'm not quitting Facebook, despite the privacy issue. And I think the development of further social media isn't stopping anytime soon.

Owning the Roots

I subscribe to updates from the DailyOM, and today's article was particularly relevant for me. Rather than paraphrase, I'm including the text below. My quest for self-improvement continues; happy reading!

Owning the Roots: Leading by Example

Often the best way to create change is not to try to convince others to change, but to change ourselves.

We all know from experience that we can’t change other people, yet most of us have a tendency to try. This is because we naturally feel the need to do something to change situations that we find troubling. It often doesn’t occur to us that the best way to create change is not to try to convince others to change but to change ourselves. When we make adjustments from within, we become role models for others, and leading by example is much more inspiring than a lecture or an argument.

We sometimes look outside ourselves for what’s wrong with the world, but the outside world is really just a mirror reflecting us back to ourselves. When we encounter negativity—anger, depression, fear—we empower ourselves by looking for its roots inside of ourselves. For example, if you have a friend who is unreliable, observe yourself and notice if there are ways in which you are unreliable. You may be surprised to discover that you have your own struggles with this issue in ways you weren’t able to see. Once you own the issue for yourself, you can begin to work for change within yourself. This will also enable you to have more compassion for your friend. At the very least, as you strive to become more reliable, you will become more of the person you want to be. In the best-case scenario, you will be an inspiration to others.

You can apply the same method to larger issues. For example, if there is something you see in the larger world that you would like to change—let’s say, greed—try taking responsibility for changing it in yourself. Instead of being angry with those you see as greedy, seek out the roots of your own greed and come to terms with your power to transform it. This may be the best way to lead the world toward greater moderation and generosity.