When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother "What will I be?"

Wow...2 weeks have already flown by since my last post!  I have a very good reason for that!  School has "officially" caught up with me and I had to buckle down and study my little tushy off.

I had a test every week since my last post...and I had a research proposal to finish off.  I was one busy little grad student.  I still have 1 more test upcoming...but it's one of my "least" concerned exams, he gives us a study guide...which is pretty much the exam.

This post is sort of related to that class.  My upcoming exam on Tuesday is Career Development and Choice.  It's pretty self explanatory...it's a theories based class on career choices and how we can help our clients choose a career.  As part of the class, we take all these questionnaires that we can provide to our future/potential clients (if we decide to pursue a career in career counseling).  

The first test/questionnaire that we took is the Strong Interest Inventory.  In short, based on our interests, it will choose possible career choices for us.

Here are my results...with my my own insights on each one:

1. Mental Health Counselor
Well what do you know, this is the reason why i'm obtaining my master's degree.  I somewhat found it funny that it was my first choice.  Just an additional tidbit...I really want to work with children and families...

2.  Production Worker
I know this occupation sounds very self-explanatory, but I honestly had to look it up.  Based on my research, it looks like manual labor...um...no...Props to people who has this occupation, but definitely not for me.

3.  Financial Analyst
According to O*NET, this occupation "conduct[s] quantitative analyses of information affecting investment programs of public or private institutions."  Say what?  I guess it sounds interesting (the pay is REALLY good) but it's definitely not me.  Sounds like a lot of number crunching, economics, and accounting...which is very far from the degree that I graduated with.

4.  Social Worker
I HIGHLY respect these people.  I worked closely with them when I was a CASA volunteer and for all that they do...they need to get more.  Mind you, I know there are the good ones and the bad ones (which is found in any occupation), but honestly, these people do a lot of work and I feel that they're under appreciated most of the time.

5.  Speech Pathologist
I actually considered pursuing this after my BA at UT.  However, I looked at all the requirements and it was going to take sometime to complete it, since my degree was nowhere NEAR this field.  I eventually lost interest in pursuing it, because in the end, it was not what intentionally saw myself doing in the future.  It is a wonderful career choice though.

6.  Advertising Account Manager
I had a good idea what this occupation does, but I still looked it up on O*NET anyways.  O*NET describes this occupation as "plan, direct, or coordinate advertising policies and programs or produce collateral materials, such as posters, contests, or give-aways, to create extra interests in the purchase of a product or service for a department, an entire organization, or on an account basis."  Talk about a lot of pressure and work, right?  I mean, i'm up for it...but it's not something that I find myself doing as a career.  I find myself creative at certain times...but I don't know if I can stake my livelihood on it.

7.  Paralegal
No...just plain no.  I remembered always wanting to become a lawyer when I was younger...but it was a phase of childhood that eventually got pushed out...

8.  Artist
I'm creative...but I don't think I have the creativity to become an artist.  My dad is the artist...and unfortunately, he did not pass that artistic gene to me.

9.  Buyer
I actually started laughing at this.  If you know me...I absolutely LOVE to shop...and this is the closest occupation to fulfilling that love I have with shopping.  But the thing is...I like shopping for myself. I don't know if I can do this for a company though.  It sounds like a career from "Sex and the City". Thanks, but no thanks (it would've been an interesting idea, if I thought about it sooner).

10.  Facilities Manager
I don't even know what this is, but it sounds like i'm going to be some sort of boss.  I'm not boss material.  I don't mind being a follower (not a drone though).  Again...no to this one.


And those are my top 10 compatible career choices.  I kinda found them interesting.

Well...that is all for now.  I'm hoping I can get another post by next week.  It may be Diary of a Grad Student pt. 2...since I will have finished all my exams at that point.  

I can't believe i'm more than halfway done with my first semester as a grad student.  It seems like only yesterday that I got my acceptance letter and an hr ago that I started my first grad class.  Time sure does fly by...the next thing I know...i'll be graduating...WOOHOO!

Until next time!

Diary of a Grad Student pt. 1

I know I said I was going to update this darn thing last week...but school life has officially jumped my bones.

There's just a big part of me that wants this month to be over with.  What is even worse is that it's my birthday month!  I'm turning the "big" 2-4 next week (Yikes! Already?).  I just really want to relax on my birthday, maybe possibly make that short drive down to Austin and visit some friends.  But I have this HUGE Counseling theories and research proposal due that next week.

Every week starting next week, i'll be having some sort of test or project due.  And there just seems not enough hours in the day or days in the week for me to complete it all.  The program I'm in requires me to maintain a 3.0 GPA...which I feel is not too much to ask.  

But I feel it's such a disservice to students to smash 10 chapters into a 50 question test.  Now, if these chapters were only 10 pages long (5 pages front and back) I can understand this.  It's easier for me to learn if I can chunk my information a little at a time.  But these chapters are relatively long...not uber long...but long enough.  I feel that right now, I have a general understanding of each chapter.  Not detailed enough (that is where studying comes in handy).

I keep telling myself (and others) this, but I feel like i'm more of a student now, than when I was an undergrad at UT. When I wake up, I re-read the reading for the class that day and outline the chapter.  This is mainly because two of the textbooks that I have I will have to return and I want to make sure that I have the information I need for when I study for my comps and take my licensing exam.

I honestly shouldn't be complaining of all the crap I have to do. I know some of my classmates have full/part-time jobs, boyfriends/girlfriends, and kids on top of all this school stuff and they're somehow managing.  I'm very fortunate and lucky that I have a loving family that had the foresight to save for my college education and are not forcing me to have a job at the moment to pay for bills.  I'm single (happily) and have no kids (not anytime soon) to take care of.  My parents made sure that my sole priority as I obtain my Master's degree is ME, MYSELF, and I.

Ugh, I sound like bratty kid (which I know i'm not) complaining about how the world is against me and how life is unfair.  I swear this is not me complaining (okay, maybe it is).  I guess it's more frustration than anything else.  

Oh well, I guess we are just trying to do the best with what we've got.  Hey!  That's something that I learned in class!

I'll write on here sometime this weekend...or even next week, if I find the time to fit it into all my studying.

Have a lovely day!

Beginning of a New Chapter...

I HIGHLY apologize for not updating my blog in 2 1/2 months (if someone out there is actually reading this blog).  But I have a really great excuse!  For people that I know and follow this blog, you will know that I just started my life as a grad student.  

Between the summer of 2011 and 2012, I've been pretty much bumming off my parents and volunteering for CASA (which was a great experience by the way...).  I've always planned on going to grad school, but I never really knew what I wanted to study.  However, with volunteering with CASA (however short it was...) made me realize that I wanted to enter into a profession that helps people.  Therefore, I am now at The University of Texas at San Antonio pursuing a Master's degree in Counseling, with a focus on Community Counseling.  

I have A LONG tirade about the whole applying and accepting into the program (if you really want to know, just ask me)...but that is not why you are here.  From the end of July to now...i've been busy finding my apartment, getting things for my apartment, moving in, getting settled, program orientation, and finding a stable...err...rhythm (?) of my grad school life.  And i'm just now officially settled into my life.  

However, the semester is starting to really get going, with tests, research, papers, etc.  

That is why I decided to continue with this blog (hopefully?) to keep myself sane through these next 2 years.  This will be still be a smorgasbord of topics...but i'm planning to be a little bit more consistent with it.  

It'll be half  "Diary of a Grad Student" and "Whatever the Hell Comes to my Mind"...but expect Mon-Wed. to be more of "Diary" and Thur-Fri more of "My Mind."

To kick things off...I'm planning on starting the whole "Diary of a Grad Student" next week.  Tonight, i'm going to recap my 2 week stay in Europe this summer (which was partially AMAZING!!!).  

Stay tuned!