Have You Hit a Wall in Your Education?

I'm trying to stay awake in class. (Post on tips to stay awake in class coming soon) .

I am pretty sure that the professor is speaking a different language.

My teammates are gabbing it up like a bunch of old ladies at a Relief Society brunch.

I'm hungry--for something. I can't exactly figure it out.

Sometimes you can hit a wall in class, and it's pretty hard to break through.

In times where you have no idea what's going on in class/the professor is ranting/ your teammates won't stop their yakking/every time you look at the clock it seems to go backwards, remember this:

“The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.”

― T.H. White, The Once and Future King

A wonderful, beautiful quote on why you should be ever seeking for education.

25 of the Best Tech Sites to Follow

As a woman in business, it is important for you to stay up to date on the all of the current events. Because of my soft spot for technology, I compiled a list of the best tech sites to follow. Put 'em on your GoogleReader, etc. These are goodies. 

1. Mashable: My favorite news handle. 
2. CNET: Always one of the best news handles. 
3. Apple Insider: Everything about Apple. 
4. ReadWriteWeb: News on social media 
5. Bits: Technology updates. 
6. PC World: Product reviews and tech news. 
7. Search Engine Land: All the news on search engines. 
8. TechDirt: Provides information on important tech issues
9. TheNextWeb: Provides news and views from tech writers around the world
10. Venturebeat: Everything about Silicone Valley
11. Slashdot: News that focuses on Linux and Open Souce
12. Unwired View: News on wireless systems. 
13. TheRegister: What the UK has to say about tech. 
14. Technologizer: News on tech. 
15. Techcrunch: The latest technology news. 
16. Slashgear: Talks about gadgets and technology news. 
17. Silicon Alley Insider: Talks about business and tech ideas. 
18. Redmond Pie: Talks about iOS apps. 
19. Pocket-Lint: Articles on gadgets. 
20. Lifehacker: The best "how-to" articles.
21. Inside Facebook: Find out what all the social media experts are saying. 
22.  Intomobile: All news on mobile tech. 
23.  I4U: All you ever wanted to know about gadgets and other stuff. 
24.  Google Mobile Blog: If you love Android, this is the site to go to. 
25.  Gizmodo: Want to find out more about tech consumer projects? 

Beat the Boring Lectures

Let's be real here: sometimes class can just be pretty boring.

Maybe it's because it's at night, or you are just ready for the day to be over, either way...checking out of class is probably one of the worst things that can happen.

You can be in class, but are you really listening? I'll be honest, this happened to me last night. I was armed with my diet Mt. Dew and popcorn, I was taking notes, and what we were talking about was really interesting. But then, it happened, I just totally checked out of class. When I realized, 20 minutes had passed, and I had no clue what we were talking about. If you are having problems staying engaged in class, here are some tips.

1. Sit in the front. One of the reasons I have a hard time paying attention is because my group is in the back corner of the class. If you are front and center, you'll have a much harder time dozing off.

2. Participate in class. If you are invested in the lecture, you will more likely stay engaged.

3. Caffeine is key. Take a drink with caffeine to class, you will be more alert, and if you hit a low, it will most likely be after your class is over.

4. Sleep more. Get more sleep the night before. Easier said than done though, right? If you find yourself falling asleep, make sure you start going to bed earlier.

5. Keep yourself cold. If you stay cold, you will have a much harder time falling asleep--trust me--I've tried.

6. Calculate how much your class is costing. I found out that one of my classes is about $100 an hour. Yikes! This motivated me to keep paying attention--I don't want to be losing out on $100 an hour!

These are just a few ways that have helped me stay awake in class--even though I was having troubles last night. I'll be better next class though!

Life Hack: 8 Tips to Being "Unfireable"

Often, your workplace isn't ideal. But, as the saying goes, “you've got to suck it up”. Even if you think you are the most unfortunate soul working in the worst workplace, you must remember, that hundreds of others would kill to get your job. Many might even think that they could do your job better than you. Do you think you are on thin ice? Is your company facing cut backs? In this day, you might never know when your last day is, but there are some measure you can take to becoming “unfireable”. Read on:

1. Make the company money. Is there a way that you can do something and make money at the same time? Your company will think twice about letting go if they know that you can generate income.
2. Cut costs. Do you have a cheaper way of doing something? Eliminate the middle man and save the company money. Managers will see that you can cut costs, and will keep you around when the company may be looking to cut jobs.
3. Show up first, leave last. By showing that you are dedicated to your job, you show that you are not taking your job lightly. Employers will see that you are willing to put in the hard work.
4. Stay out of the drama. As tempting as it might be, stay out of the drama at work. Most importantly, don't be the reason for drama. Don't be afraid to make friends at the office, but learn when too much is enough. Be friendly with everyone, and don't give anyone any reason to dislike you.
5. Be a leader and a team player. Take the reigns when you need to, but understand when you need to place nice with the team. Employers will value someone that is more versatile.
6. Don't take advantage of sick days. While there are days you just don't feel like going to work, tough it out. You don't want to be the one that everyone doubts when you say you stayed home because you were sick.
7. Don't be afraid to do the grunt work. Often at work, there might be things that no one wants to do. Volunteer to do them, and you will be every company's dream employee. You will be a lot more valued as well.
8. Learn new skills. When someone needs to train you on something, don't shy away from learning. You will make yourself more valuable if you have more skills.

Getting a job is hard work. It's all about having the right skills, personality, and timing required for the job. Once you get your job, don't get complacent, work hard to stay valuable to your company. 

Cuteness: 1, Practicality: 0

Okay, after seeing this photo, you must immediately think, "What a cute outfit!" AmIright?

This is what I thought, when I first saw the girl in this outfit, when I passed her in my car at a crosswalk!

Then I saw her again. 

After I had parked. 

And walked about 5 minutes. 

She had only gotten about 100 ft. 

This outfit is cute, but those shoes are killer. 

She was hobbling around campus, and pretty much used her boyfriend to steady herself. 

*as he tried to drag her along to make the trek faster

Girls, be cute. 

But don't be impractical. 

3" heels to class just won't cut it. 

Wear cute flats. 

You can breeze to class, and still look fine. 

Something like these: 

Still totally girly, but your feet will thank you. 

MBA Retreat 2012

Each year, UVU hosts a "retreat" of sorts for the incoming MBA students.   It was held in the lovely Wasatch campus of UVU. Which was essentially a spacious building that overlooked all of Heber. To say that it was beautiful, was an understatement. 

It was about a 45 minute drive (from Orem), and upon arriving, we were greeted with Einstein's bagels, which brighten any early Saturday morning. 

After necessary paperwork, we were placed in teams. There are about 40 MBA students, so there were 7 teams of 5 or so. 

I thought I would probably get placed with the most awful group--I am the one that has the worst luck with things like that. 

Turns out, I had a pretty kick-a team. Throughout the day, we went through about 12 different stations set up by CEObuilder. 

There were activities where we learned to work together as a team, and apply business principles to everyday activities. 

• Rappelling (where each of us had a disability and we had to cope with it)
• Puzzles (our team rocked this)
• Dollar auction (I essentially screwed my team over on this one)
• the Swamp
• Blind frisbee golf (High score--well it was golf--so I got the lowest score!)

The Mousetrap Minefield: A Game of Trust

Then I found out (at lunch), that the teams that we had would be the ones that we would be for the rest of the program. Um, what?! Not that I didn't think our team was awesome, because we were, we got 3rd out of all the teams. I was hoping for a victory, but better than nothing. 

I realized that I can be very competative, and I would rather do things on my own. But, in a business, I won't always be able to do that. It was a good eye opener for me.   

We then worked on a case study, which is seriously what I love business school for. I can't wait for how many we will do. 

The View of the Campus

We then learned about Abilene's paradox, which I know I've used about 50 million times in my life. And once you know about it, you'll realize how much you've used it too! 

Overall, this retreat really got me psyched for my MBA. I can't wait to see what we will be working on/learning. 

Not to mention, my group jives really well together. 

But I stink as a person, and can't remember names, but, I think we will be able to go far.

Heeeeellllooo Sundial. Fav part of the Wasatch Campus.
It was accurate too, mind you.

The Dean's Dinner

The Main View of the Library

The Dean's dinner was the first kickoff event for the MBA program. Before this dinner, I didn't really know what to expect.

Was I nervous to start my MBA?
Anxious?
Excited?

I wasn't really feeling any particular way about my MBA before the dinner, maybe because I had been stressing out about marriage, actually finishing the prereqs for the program, and still managing to be engaged at work.

But the dinner changed my whole attitude. After this introductory dinner, I could not wait to take the plunge.

It was a lil' fancy-schmancy dinner where we dressed "business" like. For me, business meant, a black pencil skirt, and a white casual blazer. Cute right? I pulled my hair back in a ponytail, since I didn't have enough time to do all my hair.

Then, we got there late. Don't be late for functions like dinners, mostly because you won't get a prime spot to sit at. Not that we got placed in an area we didn't like, we just would have met more people if we were on time. But oh well, live and learn.

We enjoyed a yummy dinner of salad and chicken cordon blue (which is my favorite meal ever). But, I don't know if I like BYU's better.

Honestly, it was fun to see "who I was up against" in the program. I can be pretty competitive, when I know I have a fighting chance.

This was a look of where we dined. Though, it wasn't the same speaker.

We were advised to be prepared to spend late nights, and maybe miss family outings. (Which, I only have a small family right now, but I will work to ensure that doesn't happen).

Bottom line: Your MBA isn't going to be a walk in the park. 

Get ready for classes Tuesday!