Updating Writing Resume and Social Network: Introduction

With the exception of a few "i's" to dot and "t's" to cross, I have earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology. I need to pay my last term of tuition, fees, finish my thesis project and presentation. My goal is to have this done before the end of 2015. All of this means it is time for me to get out there and make some money!

Credentials, degrees, and writing workshops are all wonderful but mean nothing if I don't follow-up and make the most of it all. The next year will be a transition for me. Balancing my personal life, and maximizing my education and experience is about to pay off, or not.

Where better to start than right here on my Writing and Networking blog. I'm not sure how long ago I started this blog, but clearly this is the perfect place to build my foundation, keep track of everything, and monitor my progress. I have a few blogs, a few places I have been published, and constantly work on building my "network". It should be expected since I was one of the first "paid" bloggers on the internet--a claim to fame--I have fun thinking about when I struggle. All of my blogs are still on the Families.com website in some form or another. They have become more difficult to find as the past ten years have passed.

I am also working on my resume, and will be looking for a "day job" after the first of the year. We will see if it was worth it for a 52-year-old woman with 32 years of "mothering" experience, 15 years insurance experience, and two divorces to work hard and complete a degree?

I am excited about the next transition in my life and looking forward to having all my study time back. When I am tempted to think everything I have done so far is out-of-date, I consider the value of longevity my mark has made. What is needed now is an update and reconnecting with networks I have worked so hard to develop.

What better place to start then the place I built sometime in the past before I focused the past two years on completing my degree. I am starting here--again! Even, if this is only my little place on the internet, I am happy to have this foundation to build on during this transition.

First things first, working on my resume. Stay tuned for updates!

Earning a University Degree

When I turned 50 years old, I found myself in a position to--finally--complete my four-year college degree. The first two years finished and paid for, I decided to do what I should have done when I was nineteen. That was two years ago and here I am 52 years old and graduating for Portland State University, Urban Honors College with my BS in Sociology. Some would wonder, why a research degree in Sociology?

The truth is that I looked at Journalism and the current lack of professionalism today and decided Journalism was not the kind of writing I wanted to do in my future. For some reason reporting facts has become pleasing shareholders, advertisers and catering to sensationalized stories of extremes. I am too old and to be honest want to write with more depth, insight and wisdom. Journalism and reporting have been excellent backgrounds for me. Becoming one of the first paid bloggers was exciting and interesting for me. In fact, my whole life experiences have led me to this place in life and now I would like to write what I want to write about.

I have two classes left to take and my Honors Thesis to write and present. I will take part in the only actual graduation ceremony in my whole life this Thursday. I will have my degree by September and I am excited about what this means for my future writing projects.

A Sociology degree is actually a very logical progression for a person with a journalism background. I have been educated in more in-depth interviewing techniques and have the academic authority to analyze the content of the interviews I conduct. My education and skills give me license to write ethnographically and to share my experience, insight and participation in life with qualitative research skills. My social connections and academic capital offer me access to professors and peers with abilities in areas I might be weak. I can actually write something that is legitimate, important and possibly worth the time and effort.

I am excited about the future of my writing and I am looking forward to spending more time on "MY" writing.