“No great thing is created suddenly.”

Taking notes is often an effective way to ensure your daily work gets completed. When I am taking notes I use the technique found here. The main elements mentioned in the article that I routinely use are these:

Use symbols so you can quickly scan your notes later. I indent my notes from the left edge of the paper about half an inch. This allows me to put my symbols in the left margin. I use four:

1. If an item is particularly important or insightful, I put a star next to it.
2. If an item requires further research or resolution, I put a question mark next to it.
3. If an item requires follow-up, I put a ballot box (open square) next to it. When the item is completed, I check it off.
4. If I have assigned a follow-up item to someone, I put an open circle next to it (similar to the ballot box but a circle rather than a square). In the notes, I indicate who is responsible. When the item is completed, I check it off.

These four allow me to quickly scan my notes and find where I still need to take action.

Did some browsing today, trying to find a few new sites to add to my daily browsing list. I ended up at the OpinionJournal, the Wall Street Journal’s online editorial section. While browsing the site, I found a page of their favorite links and added pages like the Washington Times and InstaPundit to my favorite folders.

After visiting the same sites over and over, you need new and fresh content to keep from going crazy seeing if your favorite site has a new article. I primarily use the internet as my main media input, so today I essentially began flicking through the channels. Fark has been and remains my favorite site for oddball news while Worldnetdaily and Google have become my primary reading for staying up to date on the news.

I realized that my Blogger account was still active so I decided to give it another go round.

Very recently I applied for a presidential transfer scholarship to attend a 4 year college and was required to write an essay on Why Seek an Education. I ended up getting the scholarship and they liked the essay so I’ve decided to post it here.

Why Seek an Education

Often times we hear people discussing the difficulties of their various classes, sometimes questioning what they hope to achieve with the time they spend at school. It is the qualities of these classes that will provide a foundation for our choice of careers. We could all be trained for a specific job and live our entire lives doing just that one thing. However, an education empowers us to go beyond just a job. It allows us to understand more of the world around us and to become a larger part of it. Education provides a means for reaching the goal each and every person seeks after: happiness in life. An education can provide this in three ways: by establishing a background for success in a career, by bettering ourselves as individuals in our society, and by fostering an appreciation of life itself.

An education provides the necessary skills for success in any career. It gives us the chance to seek a profession fitting to our desires. A young woman has the opportunity to develop her painting skills and become an artist. A young man who has been fascinated by computers since his youth has the opportunity to develop a career in computers. Without an education, what kind of job are these individuals qualified for: a minimum wage job at a local store, barely getting past the monthly bills? Their education provides a chance for them to follow their dreams, aspirations and a chance for happiness. An education also provides opportunities for higher paying jobs. The 2000 U.S. Census clearly shows a rise of median income at each level of education completed. Between a high school graduate and a four year college degree, the median income increased by approximately $15,000 from $27,351 to $42,877.

An education helps us to better ourselves as individuals in a civilized society. Proverbs 29:18 states, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” An education is a necessary part of life to maintain a civil society. We can have a better life as a benefit of an education and, therefore, pass on a better life to our children. Samuel Adams, one of our Founding Fathers, had this to say about an education, “If Virtue and Knowledge are diffused among the People, they will never be enslav’d. This will be their great Security.” An education also allows us to seek status and recognition amongst our friends. The respect of our friends can provide us with a deep sense of satisfaction.

Through our new understanding that an education provides, we are better able to appreciate the little things in life. A botany class can develop an appreciation of the marvelous complexity that is a part of every flower. I have enjoyed this class, particularly the field trips that provide an opportunity to see some of the flowers in this area. Botany has helped me to understand the marvelous complexity that grows in every single flower and tree. To see what makes every plant grow adds an even greater enjoyment of the beauty of a single flower. In addition, an education can develop a love of learning itself. This is one of the least appreciated aspects of an education. The thrill of expanding one’s horizons, to understand a part of history, to solve that final algebra problem can provide a sense of satisfaction that cannot be matched. Though we may rarely use some of the knowledge that we acquire, it helps to develop our minds into new ways of thinking. An education gives us an opportunity to be a well-rounded individual. The learning process never has to stop throughout our lifetime.

In conclusion, an education can provide many benefits that last a lifetime: a successful career, an improved standing in our society, and better appreciation of life and learning. While the initial cost of an education may be high, the ultimate benefits we derive cannot be matched. For these reasons, an education is a prize to be sought whose value cannot be measured.

Copyright 2004 by John Peterson

intended purpose….unknown…
destination….wherever life takes me….

I am a college student, 18 years old and employee of Wal-Mart Stores. These are my thoughts and ramblings on the things that come my way in life. The main goal in my life is never to worry about what is coming next, life all works in the end and there is only so much we can do to affect it, so why worry.

As a cashier at a large store, I see a lot of people of all different ages come by me. There is one thing never ceases to amaze me. Parents let the children behave so poorly sometimes one must wonder what the next generation of humanity is going to turn out like. I understand that giving your child the things they want and need is one of the joys of parenting, but I see so many spoiled children come through demanding anything and everything that they want.

I just wish that parents would take some responsibility and say no to their child every now and then.

I am currently taking a one month college course in Sociology, one of the subjects that never has interested me that much. It’s going better than I thought but I’d be learning anything else like Math, Science, or a Computer course. I’ve always enjoyed the PC since I was eight years old and it never ceases to amaze me how fast technology changes.