Smart Classes for Fall

I'm thinking about taking a few classes in the fall. I don't plan on getting a new degree or anything like that. I'd just like to learn something new in a structured environment. I just can't decide what I want to learn.

I take classes pretty frequently. I always look at the same types of classes. Writing classes, fitness classes and art classes are the types of classes that I always look into taking. I like learning these things and the classes are fairly easy for me.

However I think I'd like to challenge myself this fall. I'd like to learn something that will be useful to me. For example, I was looking at a class that would teach me how to make better use of Dreamweaver for building web pages. I don't even really know what a dreamweaver extension is, let alone how to use one, so a class like this would really teach me a lot.

I'm hesitant to take these types of classes. I was always an A student and it worries me to think that a class might be too hard for me to get an A in it. But I'm trying to let go of this fear. If I hold on to it, I'll never learn anything new at all!

The USGBC is making a difference

The U.S. Green Building Council is one of the driving organizations in America that is pushing new building creation to be cleaner, more efficient and ultimately better for the environment. Professional architects, builders and designers are becoming LEED certified by attending Institutes like Everblue. We are seeing a transition in the lifestyles of the building's occupants and users as a result.

The USGBC is providing the guidelines necessary for these top professionals to assure their commissions will ultimately be all they can, and find LEED certifications on the structures themselves.

In the world of new construction, if your creation has a certified LEED document associated with it, not only are you going to be recognized as a leader and top professional, but the fees you'll command will virtually skyrocket.

Of course, none of this comes easy. Nor should it. In order for a building to receive its certification, extensive reviews of the design occur prior to buildings ever being erected. As the structure is going up, constant inspections are made to ensure the highest standards are being met or exceeded. Unlike traditional construction, if something is hidden from view but operates within certain parameters, it may pass muster. When it comes to LEEDs certification this is just not permitted.

Things to Do the Summer After Graduation

Thousands of students have just graduated from college. A lot of these students don't know what to do with themselves. They miss the structure of school.

Here is a list of some of the things that you should take care of the summer after graduating from college:

• Take a break. It's important to get a little break after the tough job of finishing up college. Take a week off to just relax or to take a little vacation.


• Revamp your resume. It's tough for anyone to get a job right now. New grads are having a hard time. Make sure that your resume is in top form.


• Buy a diploma frame. You should get a frame so that you can hang your brand new diploma.


• Create a budget. It's important to think about finances. They change a bit when school ends. Look at what they are now and create a reasonable budget.


• Make a plan. Setting some goals for the rest of this year will help battle that feeling of being adrift that sometimes happens after graduation.

This summer is a transition period for you. Use it to get from your school life to a more professional position.

Where School Takes Us

It's funny how the things that we end up doing in our lives are not ever quite the same as the things that we had planned on doing. Sometimes it's interesting to see how one path leads to another even though the result is one that we could not have predicted.

For example, I have a friend who was really interested in studying physical therapy and human movement science. He got a Human Movement Graduate Degree Online. Then he decided that he was more interested in teaching this type of work to others than in doing it himself so he went on to get a Master in Health Education Leadership.

Want to know what he's doing today? He's teaching improvisational therapeutic dance classes to children with special needs. He certainly didn't think that he'd be teaching dance when he started out in his college classes. However, his series of life experiences led him to this work and it's work that he loves.

The funny thing is that he probably didn't need these degrees to be able to teach these classes but he wouldn't ever have ended up learning about these classes if he hadn't pursued those degrees. The point here is that sometimes we don't do exactly what our college degrees are meant for but the path to getting them leads us to the right places.

Motherhood and Cooking

When I became a mother, I quickly learned the way I cook needed to change. Take out sushi and opening bags of spinach and adding feta cheese didn’t constitute cooking. As my children grew from babies into little people, I strived to offer them a balanced diet and home cooked meals helping them grow into healthy children and good eaters. Never before had I prepared squash and zucchini with such creativity and delight. I had to learn to incorporate new foods into our diet and plan every meal with precision and patience. I had to learn to cook instead of prepare a meal.

Feeling a little lost around the kitchen, I took classes at a cooking school to broaden my horizons and learn about basting and seasoning which brought bland recipes to life. Realizing there was more to the culinary arts than what I knew, I learned to seer, chop, sauté and blanch while studying which meats go nicely with certain vegetables. Culinary training isn’t just for people who want to be a chef but is open to anyone who wants to learn how to prepare delicious meals and work with a variety of ingredients. With the training I received, I am making healthier, more creative meals for my family and I am working with foods that I never prepared before. Now, I am a chef mom…delicious.