There is nothing like the feeling that comes when you see the fruits of your labor.  This year I added iPhone application developer to my expanding list of Information Technology skills.  It has been a journey of frustration and elation.  I have spent many long hours acquiring the skills and learning complex concepts that only come with practical experience.  One of the rewards as a software developer is demonstrating the product for the first time.  When the customer sees their idea, captured on a piece of paper, has become a reality it is a truly magical...

Last week I was in Yosemite with our Venture Crew.  We were hiking from Bridleveil falls back to our campsite and somewhere along the way ended up on the wrong side of the Merced river.  There definitely was no place to cross.  While we were hiking along the road the thought came to mind that we could give up because it seemed impossible.  However, I remembered a quote from Alice in Wonderland.  Alice was talking to the Doorknob about getting to the other side.  The Doorknob in his wisdom could see beyond what seemed impossible and used a different term impassible to describe the...

A few days ago I wrote a post about “College names and reputations” the main goal of this article was to point out all the things you should consider when choosing a post-secondary school.  One of the words I’ve been hearing  alot lately is articulation or articulation agreement.. An Articulation Agreement is a written agreement between one educational institution and another institution that lists courses and their equivelant at the other college.  The purpose of this agreement is to help students easily transfer credits between educational systems; this is especially...

I recently started looking into updating my education.  It seems that a high school diploma and job experience will only get you so far in life.  An Associate Degree plus experience might get you a little further.  But if you want any kind of technical or professional job you probably need at least a Bachelor’s Degree.  For some employers even that isn’t enough. They want you to have a Master’s Degree or even better a PhD. The other day I visited a college fair.  You get to talk with representatives of different colleges about their college or university and how...

A few days ago, I had to take my car to the dealer to fix a faulty window switch.  For me, the nearest car dealership is located over 20 miles away by freeway in any direction.  In an attempt to reduce my carbon footprint, I planned the repairs around transportation from friends and family who would be in the area when I needed to be there. The car was supposed to be in the shop for one day; I figured 24 hours without my car wouldn’t be a major problem.  I live within walking distance of some places I had to go.  However, just an hour before I was to pick up the car, I was...