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2 years ago
A quick journal just to reach out to some people. If I seem whiny, then you were probably not in the intended audience. Move along.
My spouse and I have had a pretty bumpy road this year with both expenses and health. The badger's medical issues became extremely serious; if you've watched or are a fan of
BruceBadger's artwork, send him a word if you'd like. I don't know if he'll see it in the near future, or if he'll respond. Like I said...things are serious. But positive thoughts do matter.
The medical bills are not huge as he has great insurance. The expenses for important repairs to our home honestly dwarf the hospital charges. I was able to swing a great deal on a low interest rate loan but only if the amount is paid off in full by a deadline. I can do it but it means cutting a lot of corners. I may have to reevaluate some commissioning habits of mine, and subscriptions of all kinds.
Changes are coming to work due to generational attitude shifts that may be good for society as a whole but maybe not so beneficial to me personally. I just have to ride it out.
This won't be a year I look back on fondly. And it's not even over yet.
My spouse and I have had a pretty bumpy road this year with both expenses and health. The badger's medical issues became extremely serious; if you've watched or are a fan of
BruceBadger's artwork, send him a word if you'd like. I don't know if he'll see it in the near future, or if he'll respond. Like I said...things are serious. But positive thoughts do matter.The medical bills are not huge as he has great insurance. The expenses for important repairs to our home honestly dwarf the hospital charges. I was able to swing a great deal on a low interest rate loan but only if the amount is paid off in full by a deadline. I can do it but it means cutting a lot of corners. I may have to reevaluate some commissioning habits of mine, and subscriptions of all kinds.
Changes are coming to work due to generational attitude shifts that may be good for society as a whole but maybe not so beneficial to me personally. I just have to ride it out.
This won't be a year I look back on fondly. And it's not even over yet.
Vix
Vix
Positive energy for the two of you.
Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.
A lot of them found jobs; a lot of them are wary of getting stuck with debt. Even taking into account a "Pandemic Effect", it's surprising that enrollments have fallen to about half of what they were in 2016.
One benefit of that is that the students who remain are often much more serious and committed, they know why they're there and have goals. One difficulty is that without a certain number of students, the college won't allow the class to run: if there are three sections of the same class meeting at 10AM and each one has only about 12 or 13 in them...one of them is going to get cut and the students split into one of the other two sections. The institution as a whole must start to contract.
My school did not treat non-traditional students ("...not the inevitable next step") well. I was fortunate to attract the attention of the Assistant Dean of Continuing Education. She got my butt out the door with a BGS (General Studies, Concentrating in Computer Science) and I can't thank her enough for her help.
I haven't been back to the school since I graduated in '95, but I can guarantee they have had some shrinkage. People are realizing the paper a Liberal Arts degree is printed on is a little too coarse to put to practical use.
I feel like I'm close to a tipping point, though--on a perilous high wire where another complication (car trouble, one of the dogs getting sick) will just be too much. Crossing my fingers...
And let the badger know I've been keeping him in my thoughts and wishing him better health.