By my mid-twenties I would have thought that I would be so much further in my education aspirations than I am. Life throws curve balls, knocking you off your feet; leaving you gasping for air. I am just beginning the long and arduous journey to who and where I want to be; to fully realize my dreams and my full potential. Furthering your education can be intimidating, but don’t be afraid to follow your dreams. In order to succeed in online courses you must always be prepared.
The first step, before you sit down to take an exam or complete an assignment it is very important to have all the tools you need such as pen, paper, and books required for the course. Without the necessary tools for any of the courses you are about to take, completing assignments and exams will be very difficult.
The second step is equally as important as the first. You need to have a high level of concentration, it is a big part of self study. You have to avoid distractions and complete the tasks required and in a timely manner. What I like and find liberating about self study is that I can choose to study on my own time and whenever it fits into my schedule. I am the master of my own ship. If I sink or swim it is all up to me. This can also be a daunting prospect. I have to set goals and deadlines that I want to meet in order for me to progress further in my studies. If I don't stick to these, it will take me longer to complete my degree; the only one that hurts in the end is me.
The third step in completing you Penn Foster studies is to not procrastinate. You have to be willing to jump right into an assignment and see it through until completion. That may mean having to balance your social life with your academic life. The only person who controls how fast or how slow you go in your studies is you. Currently I don't have any major obligations such as family, kids, work, pets that would stand in the way of my studying. This gives me an advantage because I can devote the majority of my time to my classes. To keep myself on track I study a couple units at a time. It is a lot of work, however it allows me to finish exams faster. I find note taking to be very valuable when I am studying. It allows me to look back and reflect on my thoughts and highlights as I study each unit.
Step four: You must have strong independant skills. Just as I work hard, I play hard as well. I take the time away from my studies to have fun. I just couldn't see the point of working so hard that I can't make heads or tails of the direction I am actually headed, to stop living and enjoying my life. Don’t ever get so caught up and stressed out with your courses that you forget to have fun.
There have been times that I have been extremely frustrated in my studies. One of the many frustrating aspects is hearing from others that because I go to school online that I don't go to a “real school” I work extremely hard on my studies and I wouldn't put this much time and effort into something that I didn't believe was going to benefit me in the end. In some ways it is much harder to go to school online than to a physical institution. There are no teachers to show you how things are done. You have to take the information given to you in your study guides and textbooks and learn it yourself, there isn't anyone there to hold your hand.
Another frustrating aspect is the speed at which I am completing my courses. I know I am ahead of schedule and still I wish that I could go faster. It has become urgent that I finish this degree as quickly as possible. I still have two full semesters to complete and I really would like to have my Associates in Interior Design by the end of the year so that I can put it to good use. It is just another stepping stone to where I want to be in life. In order to get anywhere in life you have to take one step at a time; even with coursework.
Step five is to keep an optimistic view. Keep an open mind and never give up, mistakes are inevitable; you must learn from your mistakes and keep moving forward. One of the positives, is that I am finally doing what I want to be doing with my life by pursuing my education. Everything that I am learning in school is exciting and interesting and I am learning so much! There are many people who never get to know that joy of doing what they love for a living. I am coming to appreciate what a rare thing it really is. Most people desire stability, so rather than going after a career they would like to do, they choose something more mundane just so they can pay the bills. School can get very expensive; sometimes that discourages students from going further in their education, but don’t let it.
Interior Design has been a passion of mine since I was a little girl. At a very young age I started rearranging and repainting my bedroom; I probably painted my bedroom at least six times from the age of twelve to the age of eighteen. It took quite a bit of coaxing to get me to even consider doing Interior Design as a career. My friends always encouraged me. They would ask me to come over and rearrange and decorate their homes.
One question they always asked “Why don't you do this for a living?” My answer would always be to mumble something along the lines of “I don't know, I just enjoy what I do.” The simple reason and answer to that question is that I didn't want my passion, what I enjoyed to become work. Designing was where I went when I wanted to escape the world and distress, where I could allow my creativity to run free. Mercifully, that has not come to pass. I think my interest in Interior Design has only increased as I have progressed with my coursework; not diminished as I thought it would.
I feel that I am doing exactly what I was meant to be doing all along. I think that everyone has a calling and I feel very privileged to be able to follow mine. In five years from now I would like to have completed my Bachelor's degree and hopefully have started on my Masters and living in London. These are all big goals and yet I feel that if I take it one step at a time, there should be no reason that I can't be where I want to be. If you work hard and apply yourself to your field of study and follow your dreams there shouldn’t be any reason for you not to succeed. At the end of the day it is better to have tried and failed then to have never tried at all. The key to success is to always be prepared.
