StupidTester.com says I'm 8% Stupid! How stupid are you? Click Here!">Some days I really do feel like the last nearly 8 years of being pregnant and/or nursing has really sucked a lot of brain cells out of me. All that effort to grow a new person (times 3) and then nourish them - they were exclusively breastfed for the first 5-6 months of life - and let's not even mention the whole life-sapping sleep deprivation that goes along with it. But, of course, they are worth it. And I truly hope that whatever life/brains/smarts they drained out of me went directly into their own "smart bank" so they can become brilliant in whatever they choose to be in this life. But, according to that scientific test that I took online I still have a few functional brain cells left and they actually work pretty well for me. Good to know.
Now, I just hope they are still there and still working when I take that big leap back into the workforce. After such a long hiatus it's a scary proposition to think about.
And speaking of work, I need to embark in some serious home study edumacation so I can keep my standing as a licensed professional. The whole PDP (professional development points) and CEU (continuing education units) thing has me completely annoyed, but at the same time I do understand the value of the requirement. There does need to be continued learning and education at all levels of one's profession - but my main gripe is the cost. Here I am not working for the time being, but needing to maintain certification - and the cost can be quite prohibitive! Luckily, there are plenty of home study courses available because if I had to travel to take all my courses I'd have to also factor in travel, food and lodging expenses (not to mention figuring out the child care situation). But, even the home study courses can be expensive. If I am lucky I can find courses that run about $15/unit but most of the courses that I'd actually be really interested in taking end up costing way more than I can afford (up to as much as $50/unit). So, a typical course that is about 6 units would cost as much as $300 and I need at least 10 units/year for my state licensure (and let's not even talk about the hundreds I spend to maintain my level of licensure and certification while I'm on hiatus...ugh). My certifications require even more that that (but they can overlap with the licensing requirements). Due to insane prices, I end up not doing the ones that I really would like to take and instead opt for something more affordable, yet not really all that interesting. Sad, isn't it?
Right now, I have a book staring me in the face. I need to read it and then go online and take a test. The book is about ADHD and associated disorders. Something I really do need to learn more about but something not hugely a 'passion' for me so I am finding it hard to get motivated to start the book (which is essentially a moderately thick text book - read: dry and unappealing to snuggle up in bed with at night). I'm tempted to go online and take the test to see how well I do without even reading the book, but then I'd feel guilty for not reading the book. So, I just need to buckle down and do it. Oh, and this particular book/test was a pretty decent dealio as far as cost per unit goes. The company that is offering this home study course allows you to buy the book and test from them or just the test. I found a copy of the book used online and paid about $6 for it instead of the retail price of about $60. The test itself costs $59 and so for a total of $65 I'll be getting eight home study credits out of the ten that I need for the year. That works out to be approximately $8 per unit - by far the cheapest I've ever seen. But, still, having to fork out $65 (and eventually more get the additional credits for the year) is not helping the budget right about now.
I have to keep my eye on the prize, though, and realize that I will reap the rewards later when I do go back to work. It's just hard to see the forest for the trees sometimes and to think of it as an investment in the future when the checkbook is currently on the lean side.
Now, I just hope they are still there and still working when I take that big leap back into the workforce. After such a long hiatus it's a scary proposition to think about.
And speaking of work, I need to embark in some serious home study edumacation so I can keep my standing as a licensed professional. The whole PDP (professional development points) and CEU (continuing education units) thing has me completely annoyed, but at the same time I do understand the value of the requirement. There does need to be continued learning and education at all levels of one's profession - but my main gripe is the cost. Here I am not working for the time being, but needing to maintain certification - and the cost can be quite prohibitive! Luckily, there are plenty of home study courses available because if I had to travel to take all my courses I'd have to also factor in travel, food and lodging expenses (not to mention figuring out the child care situation). But, even the home study courses can be expensive. If I am lucky I can find courses that run about $15/unit but most of the courses that I'd actually be really interested in taking end up costing way more than I can afford (up to as much as $50/unit). So, a typical course that is about 6 units would cost as much as $300 and I need at least 10 units/year for my state licensure (and let's not even talk about the hundreds I spend to maintain my level of licensure and certification while I'm on hiatus...ugh). My certifications require even more that that (but they can overlap with the licensing requirements). Due to insane prices, I end up not doing the ones that I really would like to take and instead opt for something more affordable, yet not really all that interesting. Sad, isn't it?
Right now, I have a book staring me in the face. I need to read it and then go online and take a test. The book is about ADHD and associated disorders. Something I really do need to learn more about but something not hugely a 'passion' for me so I am finding it hard to get motivated to start the book (which is essentially a moderately thick text book - read: dry and unappealing to snuggle up in bed with at night). I'm tempted to go online and take the test to see how well I do without even reading the book, but then I'd feel guilty for not reading the book. So, I just need to buckle down and do it. Oh, and this particular book/test was a pretty decent dealio as far as cost per unit goes. The company that is offering this home study course allows you to buy the book and test from them or just the test. I found a copy of the book used online and paid about $6 for it instead of the retail price of about $60. The test itself costs $59 and so for a total of $65 I'll be getting eight home study credits out of the ten that I need for the year. That works out to be approximately $8 per unit - by far the cheapest I've ever seen. But, still, having to fork out $65 (and eventually more get the additional credits for the year) is not helping the budget right about now.
I have to keep my eye on the prize, though, and realize that I will reap the rewards later when I do go back to work. It's just hard to see the forest for the trees sometimes and to think of it as an investment in the future when the checkbook is currently on the lean side.
3 comments:
Well silly, I could've told you that you were as clever as ever!
Please do learn about ADD and ASDs... the world is in dire need of people who know what the hell they're talking about in this regard.
School. Classes. Courses. Blehh. Breaking out in hives. YIKES!
One more thing for which I admire you...
I totally understand, woman! I have to keep up with my CEs for maintaining my RN license, too. And sometimes it gets VERY costly when I can't arrange any classes through work who might pay for it all! Which reminds me... I haven't logged in ANY for 2007 yet, so I better start looking around.
And of COURSE you're a brainy-brain! I haven't tried the test yet, but I bet it was fun in that geeky-brainy way! ;-)
~TuxB
Damn it.
I'm 17% stupid, and while that is still supposed to be a complimentary score, it's twice yours, and there's no way in HELL I'm posting it on my blog! LOL!
Der...stupid is as stupid does, I guess... der...
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