I made my first posting on the discussion board of the Finance and Accounting club this morning, and one of the things I posted about had to do with helping an individual stay current and inexpendable in today's waning job market. I posted to this individual that he or she should keep up with today's technology, possibly re-enrolling in college to do so if necessary. I also pointed out that a willing, cooperative spirit would make an employer more willing to hold on to an employee than would tenure (provided the employer is not asking the employee to do something unreasonable or illegal).

There was also a post regarding ideas for the fall quarter. One of our members suggested two good ideas: having a representative from Citigroup visit the campus to discuss finance with us; and another idea was to have our club compete against another club in a kickball game. I consider myself pretty good at kickball, so it would be a lot of fun. I would just have to keep my eyes open on Blackboard, as this is how I miss a lot of information.

I also recently got an email from Career Services about meeting times at the Garret Mountain Campus. I'm so disappointed that I didn't check my emails earlier; I would've taken the time needed to go down to West Paterson for the day. Again, I'll have to pay more attention to these things, but I would really be interested in meeting with the staff in Career Services.

So we're going over probability and counting in Statistics this week, and it's actually easier to understand than I would've thought. It's interesting to note, also, how much Statistics actually relates to algebra, with one minor difference: statistics applies to real-life situations moreso than algebra (at least, that's what I feel). But the probabilities were interesting to note, particularly with regard to permutations and combinations. Permutations suggest that the same three factors, switched in different orders, will produce different results; while combinations of the same three numbers done in like manner will still produce the same results.

Probabilities also suggest a likelihood of something happening, not being definite by any means, but having a strong likelihood that it will happen. For instance, the study material talked about how children raised by single mothers are more likely to engage in deviant behavior (poor performance in school, drug use, permissive sexual attitudes, etc). But knowing my own situation, I would say that that is not always the case. It depends on how the child is raised, as well as the circumstances under which he or she is raised (single-parent vs. married parents).

I really will enjoy statistics, this I am sure of.

GAAAAH!!!! I've just read the Berkeley Blackboard announcements section, and once again, I won't be able to participate in one of the class trips that they have scheduled for this term. It's for a play entitled "In The Heights: Summer in the City". It would be a perfect opportunity for me to go, but I'll be on vacation, while attempting to keep up with my school work at the same time. Besides, the time doesn't work for me; I have to travel by public transportation, and the show starts at 8:00 p.m. I'll just have to keep my eyes opened in the future for more opportunities to finally meet some of my fellow students face-to-face. In a way, I've already met and become acquainted with Vanessa and Aleksandra via their pictures and their blog postings, but what a treat it would be to finally meet up with them at some Berkeley event. That would be awesome.

On the plus side, I've finally signed up with the Finance and Accounting club, and I look forward to being an active participant, making my educational experience at Berkeley a well-rounded one. This is the sort of thing that catches the eye of prospective employers. And again, it would really enhance my learning of the material in Finance 205, and vice versa.

I also noticed in the Career Services section that they have some full and part-time openings for criminal justice students. So if this is your field of interest and you haven't had a chance to peruse the blackboard or Career Services section, you just might want to take a look. Earn credits and a paycheck at the same time; what could be better than that?

So I'm really learning a lot in my Human Resource Management course. The information is very pertinent to today's working climate, particularly in the area of workplace diversity. Here, you have a company filled with people of all different walks of life who come together to perform one specific function: to help an organization function smoothly. But what happens when that organization is filled with strife, strife due to racial, religious, gender, and sexual differences? What happens when individuals fight with each other based on said differences? Then diversity management comes in to play. To be an effective diversity manager, one must understand the differences and work on playing up the positives of those differences rather than highlighting them in a negative fashion. For instance, a person of Hispanic descent would be an asset to a company if they are looking to fill a position which requires an individual to be bi-lingual, particularly if the company serves a large Hispanic population (such as the one I work for).

One other issue discussed with regard to workplace diversity that I had never considered was nepotism, which deals with the hiring of someone's family member or friend of the family looking for a job, instead of hiring a more qualified candidate. One way to be fair in this regard would be to have all prospective candidates (including the family member or friend) interview for the position, and if it is determined that this individual is the best person for the job, then they would be hired. However, if a more suitable candidate is found, then this is the person that should be chosen for the job.

I am also looking to join the Finance Club, as I hope it will enhance what I'm learning in Finance 205.

So, week 1 of the summer session is finally finished, and boy do I have a lot of studying to do. Statistics looks like one of the courses I will really have to buckle down on. Treasury management seems to be the second course that I'll have to give major consideration to, and Human Resources Management seems like the third one I will have to give major consideration to. This is not to rank classes from hardest to easiest, just the order in which the classes are more challenging. Math, as many of you may know from previous blogs, is not really my strong point; ironically, however, I find that I like numbers and am good in many ways with numbers. So a former classmate suggested to me that I take accounting and statistics if I liked numbers a lot. And as with accounting, statistics will present its challenges, but if I just study hard and contact the professor for help should I need it, I'll do fine in this course.

Another thing I want to get more involved in is more online clubs. I am enjoying the Healthy Cafe, but I want to be more well-rounded. And since I mentioned that I enjoy numbers, what would be a better way to show my interest in finance and numbers than in the Finance Club? Yes, soon I will be a member of the Finance Club, once I looked at the requirements and the features. And as usual, I will also be giving the Career Services section a look-see. Perhaps while still earning my Bachelor's degree, I can find a position with another company that allows me the flexibility of schedule and the work-life balance that my current position affords me (I can actually do my schoolwork right there at work before it gets extremely busy during the day).

So, Berkeley, we're back in the swing of things. A new quarter has started, and while a little grateful for the two-week break, I was anxious about getting back into it. I'm not one who likes to sit around for a long time and do nothing, at least as far as school and work are concerned. Perhaps my biggest fear is that I don't want to wait too long to re-register for classes like I did with Union County College and miss out on a whole semester because I became totally unmotivated. And when you come up with enough excuses like, "Oh, I work" or "I have a family", you can see how school can easily become an afterthought. So then I realized that I have to have a balance--and a schedule. I'm still tweaking and adjusting said schedule, but it seems that I'm finally on the right track.

As far as the trip to Great Adventure that Berkeley College is hosting, it turns out that I'll have to wait yet AGAIN for another opportunity to meet with my fellow students. :( I am disappointed, but as Berkeley hosts many wonderful trips and events, I'm sure I will be able to find something to attend that will put me in the mix of a wonderful student body. So my chin is up, and I look forward to a wonderful quarter.