decisions | My Life @ Riddle

Hey everybody so as you know this is my second semester at Embry Riddle Prescott and its time for my update on how everything is going 🙂

Right now I am taking Digital Circuits and the lab, Engineering Economics, Calculus 2, Physics 2, and ROTC courses. They all seem to be going really well but, I think my most favorite course is Digital Circuits Lab because here is where you get to implement what you learn in the class and it is a ton of fun. Pretty much all you do is wire circuits, program circuits with VHDL, create state diagrams, and verify circuit functions with oscilloscopes. It sounds tough but in reality it sooooo easy and you will come to love it once you get a good lab partner and a system for accomplishing the lab.

The class that I enjoy the least is Engineering Economics because it kinda seems pointless to me. I took Micro/macro economics in high school and passed the AP exam but, I had to take this course as an elective as I got credit for all the other electives except this one. All in all I have really low motivation to show up to class but, I motivate myself by thinking that its an easy A that will boost my GPA and give me a “cushion” just i case I don’t do so well in one of my other courses. Even with this logic behind my motivation it is still very difficult to make myself care about the course. This is the second time I have encountered this in my college career and I’m sure it will become a persistent problem for me and perhaps any other students who are coming into college. The best advice I can give you is to know yourself, know what courses you like and which ones you don’t but, treat them equally as you study and do your homework.

The best way to do this is to follow the tips below:

1. Do the homework you don’t enjoy before doing the homework that you do enjoy, for example, I do my economics homework before doing my digital circuits homework that way I know I will complete it and do it well.

2. Give yourself incentives. Watch a movie or go hang out when your done with homework and continually remind yourself that the work you put into your “pointless class” is really inflating your GPA all to your benefit.

3. Always show motivation in class. This will catch your professors attention and when you need help they will be more willing to help you out as they know that you are taking their course seriously. TIP: Also, they are more likely to round up your grade if you are on the border line of a higher letter grade and you consistently show motivation in class.

4. Finally, talk about it with others. Tell them you are having trouble caring about the class, they might have the same issue and maybe you both can work through the issue together.

I hope these suggestions will help you if you ever encounter this type of a situation, Thanks for reading!!!!!

When life throws you lemons…sometimes you don’t have enough time to make lemonade, but you should definitely make the best of it! This semester has thrown many curve balls my way, and somehow I am still getting through it all. The most important thing to remember is to weigh all your options when you have to make life changing decisions.

When my grandmother passed away in January, I was very close to breaking down and dropping out of school, but I knew that was not the right choice. Even though life would have been easier if I moved back with my family in California, I would not grow and be ready to start my own life by peddling backwards. I needed to continue to go to school so I can get my degree. I have already come this far, and I am more than half way through it.

I also got a newer car since my older car was having a lot of mechanical problems. Having a new car payment made it very difficult to pay all my bills and eventually I had to find a full time job. Unfortunately, there were no openings in Prescott, so I had to land a managerial job down in the valley, near Phoenix. This means I had to either drive back and forth to work, but be closer to school or I would have to move down to the valley and drive up to school. I figured, living in the valley would give me a lot more options, especially once I am out of school, so I decided to move down to the valley. Once summer hits, I won’t have to commute to school, so it will be highly worth the move. And next semester I only have Tues & Thurs classes, so it won’t be too difficult to keep up with going to classes.

Even though I have been very stressed out this semester and I have wanted to quit, I keep reminding myself that it will all be worth it in the end and everything happens for a reason. Losing my grandma has been the hardest trial in my life, but I know there is a bigger reason as to why this was her time to go. Unfortunately, I also lost my uncle recently and my spouse in now Brazil, taking care of his ill mother and spending time with family. He will be gone all summer, so I guess taking on this full time job had been my life saver. The best way to get over loneliness and a death in the family is to keep busy. Having a full time job and going to school full time has helped me to stay busy and has kept my mind straight.

I know some people would have done things differently than I, but I feel this was the best option for me. My advice to anyone going through life changing decisions and/or problems is to try to stop for a second and think about your future. Where do you want to be in your near future and how about further down the road? I realized that if I dropped out of school I would be very disappointed in myself further down the road. I also feel that the move has given me a change of scenery and there is a lot more to do down here in the valley.

Never give up on your dreams and always think through your decisions.

Tag Archives: decisions

Update on My Second Semester

Life Changing Decisions