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Sunday, June 16

Happy Fathers Day: What did you learn from your dad and what do you want your kids to learn from you as theirs?

Happy Fathers Day.

My dad taught me the meaning of absence.

I want my kids to learn the meaning of presence.

What did you learn from your dad and what do you want your kids to learn from you as theirs?

I saw this question posted from David Gregory of Meet the Press in my Twitter feed:







I quoted and responded on twitter and shared to FB, responses:





Education and the For-Profit School

In a segment on for-profit schools reported by Dan Rather, he discussed a young mother drowning in debt she incurred obtaining an education from a for-profit school. The young mother stated going back to school was an investment in herself. She goes on to state that she was rushed into signing up and registering. She claims for-profit school counselors are not counselors in earnest, but sales associates whose goal is to enroll students and sign them up for financial aid and loans as fast as possible. Maybe that is true of some for-profit schools. Kai Wright, a Salon contributor, wrote, “Young, Black and Buried in Debt: How for-profit colleges prey on African-American ambition,” which delves into the issue directly. It’s an interesting article. However, shoddy for-profit organizations don’t just target African-Americans, they target everyone in poverty. A better title would have been “Buried in Debt: How for-profit colleges prey on the ambitions of Americans trying to escape poverty.” Therefore, yes, maybe her desires were preyed upon at that specific for-profit school. That does not relieve her of her responsibility to make an informed decision. That does not mean that all for-profit schools prey on students. Bottom line: We must make an informed decision about education.

All schools, for-profit, public, and private provide a unique opportunity to obtain an education that may or may not directly lead to opportunities. Google "issues with ITT” you’ll find a list of complaints, and warnings informing that ITT is a scam. Google "issues with +ECPI University" you'll find positive results. Your education experience depends on you, your situation, and how you plan to use the degree. Nevertheless, extra attention must be given to the cost, student means to finance, and accreditation at for-profit schools.

Cost. Consider a Criminal Justice Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree from ITT costs $40,896. In comparison, the Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) Law Enforcement/ Correctional Administration (LECA*) AAS degree program costs $5,984 (MD residents) and $14,280 (non-MD residents). The cost difference between ITT and BCCC for similar degrees: ITT is more expensive by $26,616 (non-MD residents) and $34,912 (MD residents). However, one year toward an undergraduate degree from +Yale University costs $42,300, which is more than it costs to complete ITT's Criminal Justice AAS degree program. Bottom line: ITT is arguably a good school, and so are BCCC and Yale; regardless of where you attend school, education is expensive.
- The ITT Criminal Justice AAS degree program totals 96 credit hours (see page 54 of info packet), and cost per credit hour is $426 (see page 145 of info packet).
- BCCC tuition: http://www.bccc.edu/tuition).
- The BCCC LECA AAS consists of 68 credits, at $88 per credit MD residents and $210 for out of state residents.
- LECA: BCCC partners with University of Baltimore (UB) to fast track LECA AAS degree holders to a UB Criminal Justice Bachelor's degree:http://www.bccc.edu/cms/lib05/MD11000285/Centricity/Domain/130/University_of_Baltimore_-_Correctional_Administration_to_Criminal_Justice.pdf

Student means to finance. Scholarship; obtaining a scholarship is the best option, especially a scholarship that covers tuition and living expenses. Military service or academy; an individual can sacrifice some of their time serving in the armed forces in exchange for the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill or attend a service academy and complete military service obligations after graduation. Military service and service academies are great options, and a means to avoid debt. Grants; federal and local grants will help cover a portion or all of the costs of tuition, but the individual must qualify. Apply for financial aid at fafsa.ed.gov. Lastly, there are student loans, or self-finance. Parents, do your research or get help. Students, do your research and/or get help, especially if you are an adult going back to school. Bottom line: do not turn your opportunity into misfortune, weigh your options to finance.

Accreditation. In short, accreditation could determine if your associate degree will transfer to a school that offers a bachelor's degree. Further, it's reported some employers view accreditation as a means to validate the institution from which the associate, bachelor's, or master's degree was issued.  For more info check the links: http://www.back2college.com/library/accreditfaq.htm and http://www.50states.com/college-resources/accreditation.htm.

The +The White House scorecard makes it easy to search for a college that is a good fit for your situation. You can use the college scorecard to find out more about a college’s affordability and value to make an informed decision about which college to attend. Another online tool is College Reality Check, and there are many more. The scorecard and College Reality Check are just a few of the many means to aid the decision making process.

Ultimately, an education provides the faculty to exploit opportunities as they arise. Obtaining an education is the one of the best options to escape poverty. Being educated is essential to wholly enjoying the liberty that life in the United States affords. Having an education, whether traditional or technical, does not guarantee success, but without an education the scope of what an individual can achieve, do, and experience are severely limited. While acquiring an education is an essential part of American life, one size does not fit all. We must be careful as parents and students to ensure we are evaluating our situations uniquely. To state to your child, get your education, or, to proclaim I'm going back to school is cliché. Today's environment requires planning and extreme thought.

List of for-profit schools (not all inclusive):

Academy of Art University - San Francisco, California
Allied College - Maryland Heights, Missouri and Fenton, Missouri
Allied American University - Laguna Hills, California
American Career College - Los Angeles, California
American College of Education - Illinois
American InterContinental University - multiple locations
Anthem Institute - formerly the Chubb Institute; multiple locations
Antonelli College - multiple locations
Argosy University - multiple locations
The Art Institutes - multiple locations; not to be confused with University of The Arts
Ashford University - Clinton, Iowa
Ashmead College - multiple locations
Banner College - Arlington, Virginia
Banner Institute - Chicago
Berkeley College - New York and New Jersey; not to be confused with University of California, Berkeley, Berklee School of Music or the Berkeley College at Yale University
Blair College - Colorado Springs, Colorado
Brooks Institute of Photography - multiple locations
Brown College - Mendota Heights, Minnesota; not to be confused with Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island
Brown Mackie College - multiple locations
Bryant & Stratton College - multiple locations
Bryman College - multiple locations; not to be confused with The Bryman School in Arizona
Bryman Institute - multiple location
California Miramar University - San Diego, California (formerly known as Pacific Western University)
The College of Westchester - White Plains, New York
Collins College - Phoenix, Arizona area
Colorado Technical University - multiple locations
Columbia Southern University - not to be confused with Columbia University
Daniel Webster College - Nashua, New Hampshire
Daymar College - Owensboro, Kentucky
Deaconess College of Nursing - St. Louis, Missouri
Deep Springs College - Deep Springs, California
DeVry University - multiple locations
DigiPen Institute of Technology - Redmond, Washington
ECPI University - formerly ECPI College of Technology; multiple locations; includes Medical Careers Institute multiple locations in Virginia
Engine City Technical Institute - South Plainfield, New Jersey
Everglades University - Boca Raton, Florida
Everest College - multiple locations
Everest Institute - multiple locations
Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - FIDM (four locations in California)
Five Towns College - Dix Hills, New York
Florida Metropolitan University - multiple locations
Full Sail University - Winter Park, Florida
Georgia Medical Institute - multiple locations
Gibbs College - multiple locations
Globe University/Minnesota School of Business - multile locations in Minnesota
Grand Canyon University - Phoenix, Arizona
Hamilton College (Iowa) - now part of Kaplan University; formerly operated from multiple locations in Iowa and Nebraska; not to be confused with Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, or with the unaccredited Hamilton University
Harrison College (Indiana) - multiple locations
Heald College - based in San Francisco: multiple locations in California, Portland, and Honolulu
Herzing University - multiple locations
Hesser College - multiple locations in New Hampshire
High-Tech Institute - multiple locations
International Academy of Design and Technology - multiple locations
ITT Technical Institute - multiple locations
Kaplan College - multiple locations; includes Maric Colleges and Kaplan Career Institutes
Kaplan University - multiple locations
Keiser University - multiple locations
Kee Business College - multiple locations in Virginia
Kendall College - Chicago, Illinois
Kitchen Academy - Los Angeles, California
Le Cordon Bleu - multiple locations
Lincoln Group of Schools - multiple locations
Las Vegas College - Henderson, Nevada
Los Angeles Film School - Los Angeles, California
McCann School of Business and Technology - multiple locations
McNally Smith College of Music - Saint Paul, Minnesota
Mildred Elley - multiple locations
Miller-Motte - multiple locations
Monroe College - multiple locations
Mountain West College - Salt Lake City, Utah
National American University - multiple campuses, including Mall of America
National College - multiple U.S. locations
National Institute of Technology (United States) - multiple locations; not to be confused with National Institutes of Technology in India
National Paralegal College - Phoenix, Arizona
National School of Technology - multiple locations
Neumont University - multiple locations
NewSchool of Architecture and Design - San Diego, California; not to be confused with The New School
Ohio Business College - multiple locations
Olympia Career Training Institute - multiple locations
Parks College - multiple locations
Pioneer Pacific College - multiple locations in Oregon
Pittsburgh Technical Institute - Oakdale, Pennsylvania and Cranberry Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania
Potomac College - Washington, D.C. area
Rasmussen College - multiple locations
Remington College - multiple locations
Rhodes Colleges, Inc - multiple locations; not to be confused with Rhodes College
Rochester Business Institute - Rochester, New York
Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
SAE Institute - formerly the School of Audio Engineering
Salem International University - Salem, West Virginia
San Joaquin Valley College - California, multiple locations
Sanford-Brown College - multiple locations
Schiller International University - multiple locations
School of Visual Arts - New York City
South College, Knoxville, Tennessee
South University - multiple locations; not to be confused with Southern University or the University of the South
Southern States University, California
Southwest Florida College Tampa, Fort Myers, Port Charlotte, Bonita Springs
Southwestern College - multiple locations; not to be confused with Southwestern University
Specs Howard School of Media Arts - Michigan
Spencerian College - Kentucky, multiple locations
Springfield College - Springfield, Missouri; not to be confused with Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts
Stevens-Henager College - multiple locations
Stratford University - multiple locations
Strayer University - multiple locations
Sullivan University - Kentucky, multiple locations
TCI College of Technology - New York City; in 2007 TCI also assumed responsibility for the closed Interboro Institute, owned by EVCI Career Colleges Holding Corporation[1][2]
Tooling University, Cleveland, Ohio
University of Advancing Technology - Tempe, Arizona
University of Phoenix - multiple locations
University of the Rockies - Colorado Springs, Colorado
Vet Tech Institute - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Victory University - Memphis, Tennessee
Virginia College - multiple locations
Walden University - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Waldorf College - Forrest City, Iowa
West Coast University - Los Angeles, California
Western Business College - multiple locations
Western International University - multiple locations
Western State University College of Law - Fullerton, California
Westwood College - multiple locations
Wyoming Technical Institute (WyoTech) - multiple locations
American Public University System - includes the American Military University and American Public University; distance education; offices in Charles Town, West Virginia, and Manassas, Virginia
American Sentinel University - distance education, based in Denver, Colorado
California InterContinental University - online, based in Diamond Bar, California
California Southern University - online; not to be confused with The University of Southern California)
Capella University - online
Drexel University Online
Grantham University - online
London School of Business and Finance - online
New Charter University - formerly Andrew Jackson University; distance education; based in Hoover, Alabama
Northcentral University - online
Trident University International - formerly TUI University, formerly Touro University International; online
University of Atlanta - distance education only; not to be confused with Atlanta University Center or Clark Atlanta University

Here are 20 popular career choices analyzed by Bankrate.com:

1. Advertising, Marketing, Promotions -- 5.83 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 4
Cost of degree: $52,596
Median pay: $107,950
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $10,795

2. Economist -- 7.08 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 4
Cost of degree: $52,596
Median pay: $91,860
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $9,186

3. Civil Engineer -- 8.50 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 4
Cost of degree: $52,596
Median pay: $79,340
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $7,934

4. Political Scientist -- 8.58 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 6
Cost of degree: $68,010
Median pay: $102,000
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $10,200

5. Pharmacist -- 10.83 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 7
Cost of degree: $92,421
Median pay: $116,670
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $11,667

6. Microbiologist -- 10.83 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 4
Cost of degree: $52,596
Median pay: $66,260
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $6,626

7. Physician: Family or General Practitioner -- 10.92 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 8
Cost of degree: $136,861
Median pay: $172,020
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $17,202

8. Accountant -- 11.50 years to repay
Minimum required years in higher education: 4
Cost of degree: $52,596
Median pay: $63,550
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $6,355

9. Market Research Analyst -- 12.42 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 4
Cost of degree: $52,596
Median pay: $60,300
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $6,030

10. Lawyer -- 13.33 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 7
Cost of degree: $103,677
Median pay: $113,530
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $11,353

11. Dentist -- 13.75 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 8
Cost of degree: $139,298
Median pay: $149,310
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $14,931

12. Political Science Teacher: Post-Secondary -- 14 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 6
Cost of degree: $68,010
Median pay: $72,170
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $7,217

13. Public Relations Specialist -- 14.67 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 4
Cost of degree: $52,596
Median pay: $54,170
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $5,417

14. English Language/Literature Teacher: Post-Secondary -- 19.08 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 6
Cost of degree: $68,010
Median pay: $60,040
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $6,004

15. Zoologist, Wildlife Biologist -- 20.58 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 6
Cost of degree: $68,010
Median pay: $57,710
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $5,771

16. Librarian -- 22.33 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 6
Cost of degree: $68,010
Median pay: $55,370
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $5,537

17. Teacher (full-time) -- 21.75 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 4
Cost of degree: $52,596
Median pay: $43,400
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $4,340

18. Veterinarian -- 27.92 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 8
Cost of degree: $114,268
Median pay: $84,460
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $8,446

19. News Analyst, Reporter, Correspondent -- 31.83 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 4
Cost of degree: $52,596
Median pay: $37,090
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $3,709

20. Marriage and Family Therapist -- 34.67 years to repay
Minimum required years of higher education: 6
Cost of degree: $68,010
Median pay: $46,670
Annual repayment at 10 percent of salary: $4,667


Saturday, June 8

Take the Initiative



Take the Initiative

You know what needs to be done, do it. Start the project on your own. Take the extra assignment. Put first things first (primary job, daily tasks, urgent matters etc.); then apply yourself --- take the initiative.

The +U.S. Navy is notorious for Standard Operating Procedures, Maintenance Requirement Cards, and test packages that provide step-by-step instructions. The goal is to ensure no mistakes are made, we call it Sailor proofing. Nevertheless, I’ve witnessed a shift in expectations, whereas Officers and Chiefs have always been expected to contribute based on their own initiative, now, everyone, down to the lowest ranking Seaman Recruit is expected to take the initiative. I forecast the U.S. is going to continue toward an economy --- regardless of the field, government and private --- that requires individuals to contribute and take on extra assignments based on their initiative rather than awaiting instruction.

During one of my first sea tours I volunteered to be the Mail Petty Officer (PO), it was my first extra assignment (collateral duty) onboard. The year was 2002, and in addition to care packages, many still received personal letters. Before I took the job many Sailors wouldn’t pick up their mail from the office, and the Mail PO didn’t routinely pick up mail from Supply on time. I took the job and delivered all of the old mail. I picked up the mail on time, and whenever I picked up new mail I sent an email to the recipients. I loaded the email with comments ranging from casual to extreme: 

You've got mail.
The mail Gods have blessed you with mail.
You lucky bastards have mail, pick it up.
I haven’t received shit in a month, but you fuckers have mail, get yo shit out of the office.
(Name) hasn’t picked up his/her mail, it’s about to be trashed if not picked up by X.

The Lead Petty Officer (LPO, second in charge after the Chief) was Cc on all emails and often found the emails funny and the extreme comments were intended to be. The Sailors knew when they had mail, thus no more disappointing trips to the office only find they didn’t have mail. My performance in my primary job was excellent, but it was my performance as Mail PO that influenced my Chief to select me to become the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) Coordinator. He stated my enthusiasm as Mail PO, in what he deemed my above and beyond approach to such an insignificant job, assured him I was the right person. ESWS Coordinator is a highly sought after collateral duty. I asked to continue as Mail PO only to be told bigger things were in store for me, and there were.

On shore duty at a major staff command, I had the opportunity to serve as LPO. Unlike LPO at sea this job required little beyond administration. I expanded scope and duties of the job. I wasn’t asked. I wasn’t told. I just did; I took the initiative. Rewards: Sailor of the Quarter, Sailor of the Year, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, advancement, and satisfaction. 

During my first Division Officer sea tour, a Wardroom Food Service Attendant (FSA) complained to me that the Education Services Officer (ESO) wasn’t providing him an opportunity to complete his college exam for his online class (the ESO is required to administer exams to prevent cheating). I looked into the FSA's claim and found the Officer was too busy to tend to his collateral duty; I further found that he had not started a Navy College Program for Afloat Education (NCPACE) semester in over a year. I too didn’t have the time to spare on the collateral duty, but I made time. I was enlisted and understand the value of pursuing education. I took over as the ESO and revamped the education program. My favorite moment as ESO: When we offered and had max participation in the first ever instructor led Japanese Language class onboard (the instructor lived onboard, which is extremely rare on DDGs, and the class was worth 3 semester hours). The Japanese Language course was extremely useful to the Sailors living in +Japan - 日本.  I left my ship with a fully self-sustaining NCPACE program. Rewards: influence and satisfaction.

You may or may not be rewarded with awards or trophies for starting something on your own or taking the extra assignment. I can recall numerous events and situations for which I was NOT publicly acknowledged or even privately thanked for my extra efforts, and, that’s ok because the best reward is job satisfaction; the rest will take care of itself. What are you waiting for?

Take the initiative.