A Bachelor's Degree...What is it Worth?

There are many responses, beliefs, and opinions when it comes to this question. Some vehemently argue that a college degree is an absolute in order to provide for a family. Others easily disagree that a degree is not needed, and go even farther by saying that it doesn't really mean much at all. There are also many in between the two extremes and this is where I find myself. One of the best Christmas presents I received was this on my student account. Check it out and see if you can tell what has just happened...




After looking at my online account at least 300 times and always seeing it say "incomplete." It now reads "complete" and though it feels great, overall it is quite anti climatic. After hours and hours of lectures, homework, papers, and group work this simple change--incomplete to complete--is what I am left with.

Yeah a paper declaring the same thing will come in the mail in a couple of weeks but I doubt it will do much to change my present attitude. For a long time I wondered what it would feel like to be a college graduate and as I cleaned the floors of a retail store I thought...is this really what it means to be a college grad. Though my current job is far from permanent ( tomorrow is my last day) it was still an eerie thought: How much is my degree really worth?

My retail store manager has a master's degree in graphic design, another one a degree in electrical engineering, and even another in biology. All these college educated people working the day after Christmas in a retail store is a bit bewildering to me. How bout you?

Yet I know that a college degree really does mean so much more than cleaning floors, a piece of paper, and the proud feelings I will have every time I mention, "Yeah, I have my degree." To me a college degree primarily means a lot of intangible skills and qualities that only a formal education can give. It also means more money. Though there are numerous exceptions, the numbers just do not lie. Take a look at this:




The bottom line is that on average a degree means a lot of things including more money in the bank, at least if you are intelligent enough to save some of it. Consequently, I am proud of this accomplishment and I know it is just the beginning of much more to come. Around the corner is law school, the professional degree which I will pursue, along with all the future professional opportunities that await me. There are numerous ways to make a living, and for me a formal education is a superb avenue to take.

I AM Legend

My brother in law, a big Samoan brotha, and I went and saw one of the most thrilling movies, from start to finish, that I have ever seen. Not only was my mind entrenched in the storyline but my body clinched over and over during the fantastic action packed scenes. The movie was thought provoking and also emotionally compelling. At a time when I really haven't been highly impressed by too many movies, this one was a perfect way to start a holiday vacation.

As we left the theater we discussed how we would have enjoyed learning more of the background of how the world got to be the way it was when it started with Will Smith all alone with his dog hunting some deer in a Mustang. There were also times during the movie when I thought to myself that I am watching one of the greatest actors that my generation will know and not only that but he is African American. I think about a time not long ago when there were no colored people on the big screen and how men of previous years through their courage have opened the doors for Smith, Gooding Jr, and Denzel. I am grateful that I didn't live in the era of extreme racism and misunderstanding due to a lack of knowledge and ignorance. Although we still see, feel, and are reminded of the cruelty which was once as common as a minor cold. Hopefully it will never be as bad as it was for the first slaves of our country.

Consequently, this movie not only entertained me but it reminded me of how far our country has come and how much farther we still need to go. No fence will help the progress of this country much more is needed: more people, more kindness, more forgiveness, more tolerance, and more love. I recommend this movie which impressed me with flying colors.

Join the Cause--Money for Law School

Take a second to donate a couple dollars to the Law School Tuition fund. Every single donated penny will go towards the paying of law school tuition. The cost of graduate school has risen 40% over the last 5 years. Many students have to take on thousands of dollars of debt in order to receive a quality education.

SUPPORT the cause. Help a fellow blogger PAY for law school tuition. Again every penny will go towards the cost of tuition.

There are 2 ways you can help out...The FIRST is through simply DONATING to the fund. Click here to do that. There is no minimum amount that you can donate. Just a little bit will go a long way! Law School Tuition Fund

The SECOND way is through MY TOP SPOTS...By a small donation of $3 not only will you help pay for law school, you will have a LINK to your website or blog. Such a small amount can HELP out SO MUCH! ScratchBack

HELP EDUCATE the Rising GENERATION. DONATE TODAY!

Win an iPhone

Sara on her blog, i make money on facebook, is having a contest and giving to one lucky blogger their very own iphone. It really is quite the deal. There are a couple of ways you can get added into the drawing and none of them require any money and to make it even better you can be entered into the drawing through a combination of ways. Just go check out her blog by clicking here to read all about it. Happy Holidays and good luck with the drawing. Let me know when you have entered so we can place our bets.

Help Me with RSS Feed and Get 50 E.C.

As you know I am new at the whole blogging world and consequently, there is a very steep learning curve. I found that I really need your help because I can't seem to figure it out and this is the first time that I am asking. Most bloggers seem to know that having a growing number of suscribers to their RSS Feed is an important tool for measuring the improvements of your blog. The problem is that I can't seem to figure out how to add that button, widget, tool...whatever you wanna call it to my blog. I am hoping to be able to add it to every post. Please help. Thanks. I will send you 50 E.C. if your comment ends up being the most valuable!

Tulsa, Oklahoma...A Real Possibility

For those of you who were naively unaware, I am in the process of applying to law school. Just saying, writing, or thinking about the phrase causes me to fear a bit...law school...kinda scary. Well I have already heard back from the University of Tulsa and they offered me quite the acceptance package so they suddenly went up the list of possible places we will move. The problem is that they are not a very highly ranked school and I will most likely have to work regionally upon graduation. There are so many decisions that will have to be made. In the meantime I am still waiting to hear back from a bunch of other schools and I have begun my online ventures as well. I found this picture online of Tulsa. He is a pretty big guy dont you
think. I wonder what he is for. Anybody have any ideas?

The Digital Era

I'll first call attention to the fact of James being the biggest blog fanatic in the world. All he ever wants to do is talk about blogging and how people make money off their blogs. He's quite the character. I came home from work one day and he came to greet me. I asked what he was doing and he said, "Something bad." Apparently he was signing himself up for AdSense and putting it on our blog. He knew I wouldn't like it much. Instead he writes about pull ups for push ups or whatever that was. Whatever makes him happy I say.

Carly introduced me to digital scrap booking and I was instantly interested. Tonight, since James is working 3pm-11pm, I started downloading a bunch of freebies. I need to subscribe to service because I am running out of options. Anyway, I did one layout. That's it. I need practice.

PushUps for Presents

My title doesn't necessarily tell the story but I like it nonetheless. So I found this website entrecards.com that lets you make an ebusiness card and connects you to alll the other bloggers out there that also have the card. When you go to their sites you can drop off your card and they can drop off their card. People can also "pay" you to advertise on your site. Down on the bottom of the right column you will see someone's blog that gave me so many "credits" to advertise their blog. With these credits I can "advertise" our blog on other people's blogs. It is fun and a great way to find other bloggers. The traffic to our blog has already increased 10 fold in about a day.

One blogger has the "1000's PushUps" blog and I found this intriguing and so I want to go for it. Here is one way to get there:

"The schedule is 10 days long, and looks like this:Days 1, 3, 5, 7, 9: 200 push-ups each day in as few sets as possible, resting 2 minutes between each set.Days 2, 4, 6, 8, 10: 200 push-ups each day however you'd like to do them; the number of sets and rest time doesn't matter."

I am going to try it and see how consistent I can stay. It's only 10 days...I guess a lot can happen in 10 days though...maybe like...losing a guy...lol

Yay for December!

It's already December and I am LOVING it! Only three weeks until vacation starts and four until I'm done working. Absolutely crazy. I can't believe how fast five months has gone by. Well, only four have gone by, but I know this last one is going to go by quickly.

The best part about it being December is that I get to see these three little chickens!


One of my biggest wishes ever is that my kids get know their aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents! (I guess I could have worded that sentence better.) I didn't grow up knowing my extended family (I STILL don't really know my extended family), but I really hope that my kids get the chance to know theirs. My parents, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephew and in-laws are all so important to me and I would be SO sad if my kids didn't get to know them too!