I am a student at University College at Sanford, where I'm in the Library & Information Technology associate degree program through UMA. I've been working at Louis B. Goodall Memorial Library in Sanford as a library clerk since March of this year, and after this computer course, I only have one more course to complete (my internship this fall) before I graduate in December. I started going to school after I was laid off from my job as a production worker at Vishay-Sprague in April of 2001, and although I've enjoyed being back in school, I'll be glad to take a break for a while. Eventually, I'd like to continue my schooling until I complete a bachelor's degree in English Lit.
In my spare time (ha,ha) I love to read, anything from sci-fi to children's books (I'm on Book 6 in "The Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket) to backs of cereal boxes. I also volunteer at Cocheco Valley Humane Society (where I work two mornings a week, cleaning and feeding in the cat room); when I volunteer I get to choose what I want to do, and I mostly spend my time brushing the cats and kittens, and giving them some massage therapy to help ward off the upper respiratory infections that seem to be running rampant through the shelter lately. I encourage anyone who loves animals to volunteer at their local shelter; not only will you meet people who can teach you more about taking care of your own pets, but you'll be helping unwanted animals find loving homes, and I can tell you from my own experience that that's a VERY rewarding feeling!
When I first started this computer course, I was excited about learning how to design a web page, as the library I work at doesn't have a homepage, yet. Then, as I realized just how little I knew about computers, I became more and more frustrated with trying to learn everything all at once. Fortunately for me (and my fellow classmates at Sanford), we were able to find a tutor who works (and takes college courses) at our center. Betsy has been a godsend, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that without her help, I would have flunked this course already. I firmly believe every center should have free computer tutoring, as computer knowledge is necessary for most careers, and learning how to use a computer doesn't always come naturally. Although I continue to struggle with some of my homework, it's becoming less stressful and sometimes it's even fun.
"We often find out what will do, by finding out what will NOT do." I have no idea who came up with this; I got it off a Salada tea bag years ago, and it's just stuck in my mind. Sometimes I think it sums up my life so far fairly well, at least as far as my job opportunities are concerned.