AU Blogspot

 
                    Thanks to Torley for permission to use this Photo.

Hi everyone, my name is Camilla.  I am the proud parent of one little angel named Destiny.  She is the love of my life and I love her so much.  Having a daughter has opened my eyes to the realities of this world.

I have always been a very mature and responsible person, but had somehow managed to procrastinate taking my education to the next level.  I have been employed in the travel industry since I left college, which is a very challenging and exciting profession!

I have always put off pursuing my bachelor’s degree for a later date, but after having my daughter, I decided that I needed to do it now for many reasons.

Firstly, earning my degree in management is totally vital to me in terms of self satisfaction and knowing that I did all to achieve my ultimate educational goals. Having taken the necessary steps towards my goal, I totally intend to use this as an example of hard work and dedication to my daughter. 

Some people believe that when one has kids—it’s the end of the world; but it doesn’t have to be. Raising a child is just as much an opportunity to get to know yourself better as it is a life long process of discovery.

In addition, this degree gives me a better chance of earning a better salary, which will in turn help me care for my daughter much better financially.

Although it is very challenging to study and make plans when you are a parent, it is very important to find it in your inner self to make the time. Dedicate yourself to doing this and rely on your support system no matter how small it is.  Just keep staying focused on your ultimate goal.

However; I have also learned that no matter how urgent the deadline for an assignment might be—it is always best to take care of my daughter first, instead of ignoring her, and then get back to the assignment.

So to all fellow students who are parents (male, female, single, married, or divorced)—I say congratulations for making this step to advancing your education and wish you all the best with your endeavours!

Camilla
Bachelor’s In Management Program Student
Ashworth University

The Ashworth University Career Center is a free student resource provided through our partnership with Experience.com, the nation’s largest career advancement site focusing exclusively on college students and young professionals.  You can access the Ashworth University Career Center through the Student Portal.  Simply click on the “Career Center” link on the left hand navigation bar after logging into the Student Portal.  Here’s an example of some of the very informative career enhancement articles you have access to within the Career Center:

Getting Great References 

By Tory Johnson, CEO of Women For Hire

It’s inevitable that at some point in your job search you will be asked for references, and when you are, you want to be sure you have a great group of advocates who are prepared with answers that will help rather than hinder your chances at landing the position.

References are something you should think about at the beginning of your interview process and not just at the end when you are under immediate pressure to provide them.

Start by making a list of all the possible people you can use as a reference. Be sure to think about:

• Former employers
• Former Clients
• College professors
• Deans
• Family friends who have seen you in a professional setting
• Association leaders

Copyright © 1996 - 2008 Experience, Inc. - All Rights Reserved   

To read more of Tory’s great article, login to the Ashworth University Career Center through the student portal and click here:

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University

When I received my first textbook in the mail, the first thing I did was go out and buy a planning book. I then scanned though my textbook and lessons to see about how much work was required of me and I just divided it up into smaller sections so that it wouldn’t be very overwhelming.

I just take my time and get things done when I have enough energy in me to do so. That’s the great thing about this place; you pretty much have all the time you need to complete assignments. You just have to find your pace and stick to it. It’s hard at the beginning, but once you get the momentum going it gets easier.

Shirley
Computer Information Management Student
Ashworth University

              Thanks to Toho Scope for permission to use this Photo. 

Today, make the choice to focus on your strengths. It is easy to look at oneself and see areas where you may need improvement. While it’s true that taking time for honest reflection on the areas where we’d like to see improvement is important — it’s equally  important to give yourself your due credit for all the wonderful talents you’ve already acquired — all the bits and pieces that go into making you the incredible person you are. 

Please understand that I’m not suggesting we live in “la la land”, acting as though there’s no area for improvement. Of course there are areas we can all improve in — that’s what personal growth is all about.Instead, what I am suggesting is that you and I spend at least as much time accepting and being thankful for all the positive traits we have acquired already — not just those areas we believe we need to improve. It’s all about balance. Seek ongoing to improve where you can, but be sure to celebrate all that makes up the amazing you as well!

Think about it like this — if you want to help someone improve, and in the process not have them take it as a personal attack — one way to approach the task would be to compliment them on something they are doing particularly well — acknowledging and pointing out one of their strengths (making sure it’s a genuine and sincere compliment of course) — and then bringing up ideas which might be helpful in improving in a given area. Along the same lines, give yourself the same positive boost by acknowledging the “good” things you’re doing, right along side areas that you’ve identified where improvement is needed. (more…)

 
           Thanks to David Churbuck for permission to use this Photo. 

Want to succeed in the workplace today? Success requires proficiency in three areas:

IQ: technical competence in your field of expertise

EQ: interpersonal relationships guided by sensitivity to your own, and others’, emotions; and

NQ: innovative intelligence, or openness and keen curiosity about ways of making novel ideas useful.

Click on the image above to watch my video discussion of these areas.  Enjoy.

Dr. Tom Guarrielo
CIO and Co-Founder of True Talk, Inc.
Co-Author of “Work Different: Design For The Rest Of Us” 
Ashworth University Contributing Blogger

*Dr. Tom Guarrielo is the Chief Idea Officer and Co-Founder of True Talk, Inc., a leading management development consulting company based out of New York. Through his popular and respected The True Talk Blog, Tom provides some of the best business innovation and organizational planning strategies on the web. We would like to thank Tom for openly allowing us share his perspectives with our Ashworth student community. He’s been nothing but helpful since we first contacted him. Visit the True Talk website to learn about the life and work of Dr. Tom Guarriello. Thanks Tom!

                    Thanks to Xikita for permission to use this Photo. 

At first, I did not really know how to organize myself efficiently.  Before I knew it, a year had passed and I had not finished one semester. My sister-in-law has homeschooled her 5 kids for 15 years, so she knows how to break up lessons and get things on schedule.  Last summer, she gave me some tools to help me be more organized.  

We went and got a cheap calendar/planner/address notebook at the dollar store.  At the beginning of each month, it has a full month calander on two pages and then has each day with its’ separate space on the following pages.  At the beginning of each week, I look over the lesson for that week, which is usually 2 chapters of reading, count the pages and divide it up by however many days I want to study. I usually take 2 days to finish a chapter so I would write on the calendar:

Monday: Read chapter__ pages__to___

Friday: Review of the chapters and take the test.

The daily reading is about 10-14 pages, if I want to finish a lesson a week.  You can simply print up a calendar page from the computer if you want. 

It is a very simple idea that has helped me be better organized.  I don’t feel guilty for having to spend a whole day reading because I had put it off. Breaking it up into manageable parts has helped me feel proud that I am balancing my time.  It has resulted in less stress and provided me with the motivation to keep going!

Trina
Ashworth University Psychology Student

Dear Student:

Opportunity offers you a chance to improve your life through the avenue of education.  It is for this reason I want to earn my masters degree.  Like some of you, I will be the first member of my large family to earn my post-bachelor degree.  Success comes with great rewards for those who keep their eyes on the prize of blessings. 

[Photo taken at the first Ashworth University graduation ceremony]

Happiness, wealth, and success are by-products of goal setting, they cannot be the goal themselves.” - Denis Waitle

Sincerely,
Fellow Student

Marcus Johnson
Academic Coordinator
Ashworth University

                          Image courtesy of Boards of Canada. 

The tendency to defeat our own best laid plans has puzzled writers for centuries. The challenge of understanding self-defeating behaviors, what Aristotle called akrasia, has not been met. One distinction that appears in the literature is between decisions based on desires vs. decisions based on judgment. Models based on wanting satisfaction say that “people weigh the feeling of satisfaction that follows alternatives and selectively repeat those behaviors that lead to the most satisfaction.”(George Ainsle, Breakdown of Will, Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 13.)

The “weighers” would say that people will most consistently follow those plans that offer maximum satisfaction, either subjectively in terms of psychic rewards like self pride, feelings of accomplishment, or sense of virtue; or objectively in terms of money, power or some material indices of prestige. Models based on judging (the so called “cognitive approach”) focus on how a person uses reason to relate to a hierarchy of needs or wants. If a person can find justifications and legitimations for their choices, this becomes the guiding light for conduct. (more…)

          Thanks to Photon John for permission to use this Photo.

Adult learners enroll in college and universities for many reasons. The most common reason is to obtain a credential to assist them in attaining occupational goals. The second most common reason is simply to enhance self respect.

Probably the least likely reason for enrollment is to learn something new. Because of the most likely motivation of the students, learning is incidental to the achievement of the occupational goal or the feeling of personal satisfaction. While the more common goals of occupational advancement and simple self respect are valid and important, the resulting incidental learning is the most valuable since it also helps in attaining the other goals. My experience has been an example of this concept of incidental learning.

Since I had many years of experience in criminal justice and since I taught criminal justice classes at a large traditional university, I felt I needed to earn a graduate degree to keep up with my peers. I enrolled at Ashworth with the intention of obtaining a masters degree as a credential. Ashworth seemed to be a logical choice for graduate school since the learning was asynchronous and did not require cohort participation. I wanted to proceed at my own pace while attending to work and family requirements. Both the price and the fact that the university (then a college) was nationally accredited were pluses.

I was not as concerned with the curriculum, but more with the time it would take me to finish the degree. I was concerned more with obtaining the credential than with learning anything new. After receiving the orientation course I realized that both effort and discipline would be required to complete this program. Since I am just an average computer user and also since I am not of the “computer generation”, the orientation course was a challenge. The curriculum and supporting materials were clearly written and concise. After completing the course, I realized that I had gained a new set of skills which were not only beneficial in the graduate program but which also were valuable in my work. I was now prepared to conduct internet based research and I could effectively use Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. My attitude started to change and I began to understand the concept of learning rather than merely seeking a degree.

After examining first academic course materials I realized the text and supporting material were from the same publishers of the texts I used in teaching college classes. After submitting my first written assignments and receiving feedback from the graders, I began to understand the academic rigor of the course. While the graders were very polite in their comments and were supportive, they did point out areas in which I could improve my work. After finishing the assignments I took the exam with some trepidation. After passing the exam on the first try I felt both relieved and empowered to continue with the next course. As I progressed through the curriculum, my writing and research skills began to improve. (more…)

Starting out another year of reading, I chose a book I have owned not too long, given to me by my friend Eric when it came out a few months ago.  Never Give Up is the autobiography of New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi.  Written with Boston Globe sportswriter Michael Holley, it tells the story of his life, focusing mostly on the stroke he suffered in 2005, weeks after the team won its third Super Bowl.

Bruschi’s story made national news, both the stroke itself and his return later that year to the team.  This story tells his side, “the inside” I would all the “real” side of what he encountered within the year of his stroke.  The background of his life story lays the foundation for his path through this episode of his life.

My greatest takeaway from Never Give Up is you will never truly know what is going on in “the inside.” I call “the inside” the private interactions of one or more people, including business partners or a couple married or in a committed relationship.  Whatever you or I may see or experience from someone, it is on “the outside.” This is not saying what see of people on “the outside” is not genuine.  It may well be, but it may not be as well.  What happens on “the inside” is just for those there.  We can all probably think of a case where we didn’t consider there was an “inside” or everything was or was not ok.  Friends going through a divorce and my own move from Boston to Chicago come to mind as negative and positive “inside” events respectively.  In the case of Bruschi dealing with his stroke and recovery, this book gives high-level insight with details of people and experiences.

Another takeaway is we must keep in mind we may never know the true “inside” when we react on the “outside.” Have you ever wondered why we didn’t get some business or haven’t heard from someone?  I know myself I tend to think the worst – it may not be that I am not good enough, rather it could be the project was cancelled or the client wasn’t in a hurry to tell anyone. (more…)