Paperback Writer

SO when i enrolled in school and declared a major i went with (takes a deep breath) "Computer Information Systems - Networking Maintenance, Construction, and Administration". Ya, thats a mouthful.

Well, after my first semester, I am indeed enjoying my computer courses and having minimal problems in them. Aside from one bad day, I am excelling at both of them at the moment. I have a very solid A in both classes, one of them Intro to Computers and the other Computer Programming (C++). However, I am getting a bit worried. I knew there would me some math involved in writing programs which at first was fine with me. I figured I could take some brush up courses and then be able to take the one math class I needed which was College Algebra. Surprisingly that's it, no other math class is needed in my degree plan. I am having major issues in my intro to Algebra class and its quite bothersome. I don't know if it's me or the instructor, but none of it is sinking in. I will take at least partial blame as obviously I can't just pawn off responsibility out of convenience. I do admit though that this teach is just bad. He is always late and I am not talking every now and then. I mean every single week, he is minimum 15 minutes late. This past Saturday he was 45 minutes late. All this and he has the nerve to constantly rush us cause he says he "Doesn't have time" to really explain how things work.

I am a firm believer in it's one thing to know how something works, but it's an entirely different story to know why it works that way. He never takes the time to show us why certain formulas work, he just tells us to read the book if we want further explanation. Sadly, as is the case with several other classmates, reading the book is like trying to read a foreign language. Either that or trying to take a Babelfish translation and make complete sense out of it. Yes, sometimes things will click, but often times something is lost in translation. Given these obstacles, our class which started with 28 people has dwindled down to just 7 of us. That's right, there are all of 7 people left in the class so 75% of the class either dropped, withdrew, or swapped to another professor. (Hey look!, i did math!)

After taking both our first and second exam, I know for a fact I am not going to pass the class, not by a long shot. My grade on exam 1 was a 24 and on exam 2 a 17...those aren't typos.

It's been a number of years since I have even done algebra in high school, let alone the real world. Although my past jobs have included what some would consider to be algebra, again, I do not understand why a formula works a certain way because he refuses to teach us the method to the madness. Even with our Math Tutors on campus, it's virtually the same thing. They tend to make people feel stupid which leads most of us to just pack up and leave and hope we will eventually get it. I've been in the math lab and seen a tutor laugh in someone's face because they didn't understand how a math problem was solved. I felt so bad for that poor woman as she was a bit older, late 40s perhaps. I watched as she packed up her belongings and left with tears in her eyes. It is remarkably sad that the school pushes math so much (there are signs all over campus stating "Math is Fun!") yet their staff seems to be speaking another language and not realizing just how much of a negative impact this is having toward the student body.

I honestly believe I am smarter than most people, my 130 IQ proving that my level of understanding "should" be better than most. However, I believe my strength lies in words and not numbers. I have swallowed my pride and asked for help from others, but unfortunately I seem to be hitting that same brick wall each time. If we ask a question to what they believe should be common knowledge, we get looked upon as morons who have no place in college. I do find it funny though that I can write a 6 page paper in less than an hour and still make an A on it while that same person who thinks I am a moron at math can barely squeeze out 3 pages and get a D. I have never found that difficult to believe as obviously each of us are gifted in different areas. I can write vividly crafted and intriguing stories, and communicate effectively in front of large groups of people, but since I can figure out algebra in 2 seconds, I guess I am a moron.

That being said, I am seriously considering changing my major from Computers to English. I have seriously been thinking about it for just under a month now. I plan on trying to get some one on one time with my English 1301 professor to get her feelings on the subject and the major. I have looked into the jobs available for people graduating with English degrees and they aren't half bad. The first one was as a teacher. While I am not exactly jazzed at the thought of teaching children, I do look upon my English professor and feel a slight sense of jealousy. She is incredibly well spoken, and the class seems to really respect her. She is kind and never makes anyone feel like they are idiots. On top of all that, she teaches effectively and always loves to read out papers. She is a self professed "writing nerd", admitting to feeling overjoyed when she reads a terrific paper. Even those that aren't so great she still takes seriously and offers proper feedback. I have heard that some community colleges will take an English Major and allow them to teach which is appealing to me, although I am sure I would be making significantly less than I would if I continued with computers.

Other jobs listed were reporters for local and national level newspapers, working for publishing companies, and even solo writing which is indeed where I would like to go. I love the idea of being able to do what I already do in my spare time as a professional. However I doubt I would be satisfied with minimal notoriety. If I decide to go into that field, I want to go all the way. I truly feel that I have the talent to write something so beautiful that it will move people to tears or rapture. I will admit I don't really try too hard when I blog, usually just writing what I think mostly on a whim and not really giving much thought to things like sentence completion, correct spelling or in some cases making any kind of real sense.

Writing my "Anna dream" into a book has rekindled the fire I had just 5 years ago as I wrote my first serious story, complete with character development and details that painted a picture like a piece of art hanging in a gallery. I sincerely hope I can figure this out by the time spring registration starts as I plan on taking the new courses right away, not wanting to waste another moment.