A question for all the students (or wanna be students)
#157583 - 03/06/05 07:56 PM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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There seems to be many people who are either in school or returning to school to pursue a career.
I was just wondering if you all could share what you are studying and what you want to do with your degree once you finish your couses.
It would be nice to get to know you all better.  I know what some of you are studying already. But would love to hear from all of you. I'm really interested in learning what interests people have. Feel free to share if you care to! 
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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I'm in a Bachelor of Health Administration program, it's pretty cool, it's a business degree with a signifigant health focus. It's a four year program with internships in the 3rd and 4th year. I'm just doing it part-time to try and make it more affordable, and I currently work for a major bank doing telephone banking. It's pretty cool, because I've got 2 potential career prospects. I could stay where I am and try and move up into management once I have my degree, or try and get a position as an administrator in a hospital or something. I don't really know what I want to do yet 
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Hey there-
I am working on my PhD in Performance as Public Practice (which is a complicated hybrid between theatre history, theory, performance studies, and public intellectualism).
This semester I am taking Reception Theories, Transatlantic feminisms, and 3 hours credit for directing a show as part of the Co-Op Cohen New Works Festival (www.coopnwf.org).
When I finish I really want to teach at a small liberal arts college. Lately I've also been pondering looking for a job as a literary manager at a theatre. I've got a good while before I graduate though.
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I worked in hospital for 8 years and often miss the health care environement. That's where I worked in Human Resources as I posted in Stephie's post. That was one of three jobs I did at the hospital.
Thanks for sharing! 
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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are brave enough to go for the ultimate PhD! Yikes! The disertation is intimidating.
You must be a really busy lady.
When I graduated from college my intention was also to get a PhD and teach at a small liberal arts college (like the one I attended). I love the academic environment so much and thought it would be better to teach at a college than to pay the outrageous tuition and remain a perpetual student.  I do work at a small liberal arts college now, but just a menial job. Or what feels like one. I am so jealous of the professors and often beat myself up for not pursuing that route.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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You know what? The dissertation is not as intimidating to me as the qualifying exams. Five picky professors reading and judging two 10 page exams you have to write in a weekend. Yuck. When does that ever really happen in real life anyway??  I think it's one of those things you build up to. 100 page masters thesis, three years of writing multiple 30 page papers a semester, suddenly the dissertation seems totally do-able.
Anyway, thanks! I spend all of my time around other PhD peeps that it's nice every once in awhile to be reminded that it's hard and worth respecting.
I have no doubt you would make a great prof if you choose to- it's never too late to get that degree. And, if it makes you feel better, on the bad days, I've often pondered quitting and getting a job as an admissions officer or academic advisor at a university. Or, I suppose, teaching at a community college, which I could do with my masters.
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...was allowing myself to be talked into a "practical" college major, rather than pursuing what I wanted to at the time. Granted, if I had gone to FIT for fashion design, it's hard to say if I'd be employed right now anyway or not. LOL But I was "guided" (read: brainwashed) into thinking that accounting would be a good field to get into. After a year as an accounting major, I switched to business management. Then computer science. Then back to accounting out of desperation. I still couldn't do it - all of it bored me to tears. I couldn't even bring myself to go to class most days, and I eventually dropped out.
Ten years later, I'm not thinking FIT would be a very good fit for me anymore - I still love fashion, but I don't live and breathe it like I did when I was 16. If I could just go back to school right now, I'd be an English major. Because I want to be, and because I find it interesting, not because I have ANY idea what I'd do with a degree in English.
But it's a moot point, because I'm an hour away from the nearest college, I don't have a car, and I refuse to get student loans. LOL
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Ah yes, the dreaded "practical major." Having gotten a double major in philosophy and theatre I heard the question, "but what are you going to DO with that?" quite a bit. That always annoys the snot out of me. I have plenty of friends who are very successful (from both majors). Some went to grad school, some work in the arts, some are in their third year of law school. It's the weird shift between the idea of a university as the place to get an education (in general, the specifics of which are not important- learn to think) and the idea of a university as a vocational school (I'm buying this degree because I need it to make money). I see a HUGE split between my students who believe in the former and who believe in the latter. And, frankly, the ones who are taking classes in things they love, or want to learn about, DO better than those who just want a degree and a lot of money. They care, so the better grades just easily follow.
Sorry to get all soap boxy about it! You just hit a sensitive spot for me!
I say, study what you love, a college education should teach you how to think, and once you have the degree you can figure out where to go from there.
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I would LOVE to go back to college full time! I got cajoled into doing a course in Business Administration - which I did with my eyes closed, I REALLY wanted to do graphic design, but took the easy option. At the time I'd just left 3 years of bullying behind me, so wasn't feeling that confident! Although I've done numerous part time and Open University courses in Web design I still hanker for more! I have recently seen a course online in Nutrician, which I would absolutely love to do right now....! We'll see and I'll keep you posted on it!! xx
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Casey
#157632 - 03/07/05 02:20 AM
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Just thought I'd share... One of my best friends went to school for fashion design. She spent a ridiculous amount of money on tuition but she is working in her field! She is designing clothes for a large company and loving it. She is very talented and is so glad that she followed her dream.
I think I'll end up going back to school some day and will change careers. I really like the idea of becoming a nutritionist or something along those lines.
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I am doing a BA(HONS) Degree in Interior Design and a Higher education Diploma in Spanish! I LOVE it.....even though I am having major stress today for not having done enough work! I always wanted to do either languages or design and so decided the best thing would be to keep up the language whilst doing design! I never thought I was good enough at designing, even though I always got top grades...but it was my sixth form design teacher who was just amazing and was such an inspiration to me, she was young, cool, trendy....and had a real passion for design. She always encouraged me to do what I WANTED and was always telling me how capable I was of being a successful designer! She really was the one who gave me the confidence to think I could do it. She was only 34, and at the end of the first year in 6th form she died very suddenly and out of the blue with liver cancer. Last time I saw her was the January and by the May she was gone. I dont think Ive even still accepted the fact that shes not around, it never ever really sunk in....but after that happened I always knew I had to keep following my dream and every now and then when I think I cant cope with work anymore I remember what she told me! Im now in 2nd year of Interior design, one more year to go and then hopefully Im applying for an internship in either America(New York would be fab) or Spain(probably Barcelona) and that will be be for about a year to a year and a half. After that who knows what will happen....Id just love to travel and work for international design companies....I havent decided what area of the design I want to go with but I think that'll just depend on what opportunities come my way!! Im excited by the future....cant wait to get out there and do what Ive always wanted!!
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Natalie
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I have BAs in psychology and sociology with a concentration in social services. But I graduated college in 2003. While I was there I changed my major a million times.. I went in as psych.. but changed to education, english, and political science before returning to psychology. I threw in sociology cause I'm on overacheiver and had extra time to kill before graduation. haha.
Anyways.. now i'm in school getting my Masters and C.A.G.s (which is halfway between masters PhD) in school psychology. Basically, I'll spend my life counseling children and giving IQ tests and other assessments to either qualify or not qualify children for special needs. Also I spend alot of time trying to find ways to make education more accomodating for all students with disabilities. I do work with the general school population as well as a psychotherapist.
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Ashley!
#157651 - 03/07/05 04:49 AM
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Ashley, wow that's so great. Good for you.
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I'm in my 4th of 5 years, getting a double BS in biomedical engineering and electrical engineering. Planning on going to grad school to get my PhD in neuroengineering (my concentration in the biomed major) once I graduate....taking my GREs on the 18th in fact!
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Melissa
Friendship is thicker than blood. ~Rent
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I am sophomore at Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA. I am studying Public History. My dream is to be a civil war battlefield staff historian.
I was just recently diagnoised with IBS, and having a little trouble dealing with it and starting my new term!
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Smile and the world smiles back
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I am a Mechanical Engineering major, and only declared that this semester (I'm a freshman). I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do with it...I'm specializing in Product Design, so I would like to invent or create new products for people.
Avidan
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Why'd you have to go and make me so constipated?
--'Weird' Al Yankovic, "A Complicated Song"
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Well my major is Interior Design - which is defintiely NOT interior decoration  - sorry but people often assume that's it's just picking fabric and paint and I assure you that it is soooo much more. It's really like interior architecture and we learn all about construction (I could tell you how to build just about anything) and lighting (how to calculate the lumens needed to know how many of what kinds of lights at what wattage you need depending on the application) and much much more. We do a lot of computer work. Anyhow that's just a little background of some of what we learn.
With that in mind though I'm really kind of open to what I do from here. Last semester I was really about ready to drop out of school and do something else becauase I think the stress was getting to me and so were the "re-entry woes" that the study abroad people claim you'll have when you come back to the states and your normal life though I was quite sure I wouldn't get. But I got to thinking about what I'd really love to do most right now and I think it would be to open up a candy/bakery type shop that has other crafty stuff in it too as I'm quite a crafty person. That would be my dream one day.
But I've regrouped since my breakdown in the fall and realized that after this summer I just have one more semester and then I'll be doing an internship starting in January and since I'm so close and I've done ALL the work I may as well graduate with a degree and from there I'll have a lot of options whether it be in interior design or not. I've realized I could do product design, textile design, industrial design, lighting design...the list goes on and on..and all the stuff I've learned I could apply to so much and I think that really helped to realize that especially since Interior Design was something I've wanted to do since I was in 5th grade and I couldn't give up so suddenly.
LOL this is long...but I've been thinking about all this so much lately as January 06 gets closer and closer and a lot of life changing decisions will have to be made by then when I decide a route to take things. I can't decide!! I just hope that the right job presents itself and that it will all work itself out and I'll know it when it calls my name. But I do have to have a hand making it happen.
If I chose to really do interior design though I would definintely like to pursue commercial or hospitality design (hotels, restaurants, retail stuff, etc.) and work for a company that designs internationally so that I can travel (the travel bug has bit me hard). And then I have my whole purse thing and then I can't decide if I should go for a masters and in what exactly, or if I should find a job somewhere and go to culinary school part time and go down that path. AH! It probably sounds conceited, but my whole life I've been good at just about everything I've ever tried and I've come to find that that makes it hard to choose sometimes!
Haha I think this confused thinking-out-loud post has gone on long enough. Clearly I have lots to think about!
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*laughs*
I'm in highschool, does that count
I'm in grade ten.
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What i want to be
#157898 - 03/07/05 01:30 PM
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Nelly
Reged: 08/06/04
Posts: 4381
Loc: Within stray mortar fire of DC
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I have a BS in English Language and Literature, with an emphasis on Language Philology (the Latin and Greek roots of language), and a minor in Physics. I have a teaching certificate and taught English at the college level for 2 years, then worked with disabled children and adults, then switched to writing/journalism, then to abstracting and indexing as an editor for Lexis-Nexis, then to scientific publishing, then to scientific non-profit marketing, then to directing events for the government and for-profit Fortune 500 companies, and now I'm a project manager for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
I've also hustled pool for college tuition, worked in a skating rink, arcade, bowling alley, pool hall, costume shop, health club, and as a motivational dancer. All true! I'm still not sure what I want to be when I grow up. Maybe something with eating ice cream for fun and profit. 
~nelly~
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S.S.
#157901 - 03/07/05 01:39 PM
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Thanks.. I definitly think that it is a rewarding job.. and I love kids.. and I love psychology so its a great mix. Counseling is my fave part.. but even doing the assessments is fun. I work primarly with kids under 12.. and they say the funniest things sometimes.
one kid told me a story about a football player thrown out of the NFL for smoking too much "mary-jew-wannie"
kids are so cute.
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That's cool Ashley! I'm sure you're so great with them.
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Nelly, have you already forgotten our tag team job? Spa reporters! When will we be visiting our first spa?
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Augie, I haven't been a student for a while but when was I did career focussed courses but heres the thing- I was 17 when I had to choose what I wanted to study in college so I looked at all the subjects and chose a course that I could imagine enjoying lectures in for four years. I did a BA in Law & European Studies. The European Studies end of things was French (including 8 months work experience in Paris) and one of European Politics, History or Sociology each semsester. I loved my course. After my degree I took a masters (LLM) in European and Comparative Law and found it really engaging. Then I worked for a bit and finally qualified as a solicitor.
I have had some interesting jobs too, hotel receptionist, petrol pump attendant, Law tutor at university, selling strawberries from a stall at the side of the road (!) Everything you do is part of your education..if you are still hungry to learn go for it!
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S.
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I have a BA in Political Science and Spanish, 2003. I also took a million international literature classes, and really loved those. I'm now in my second year of Law School, and I have no idea what kind of law I want to practice. I really do enjoy school, even though it does get incredbily stressful at times. Lately I have been toying with the idea of going for an LLM (master of laws) in some sort of International Law, but we'll see. I went to law school straight from college, so I'm getting a little tired.
~~Panda
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Amanda
I live in the Big Apple, but I don't eat the skin
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Not studying (who's got the time or energy-lol) but when I do (hopefully in 2 years) anything to do with animals. My dream job would be a zoo attendant, or looking after injured wild animals (not the vet side of it though). Depending on my health of course. Either the animal side of things or some sort of writing.
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Amy
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YES!
#158177 - 03/08/05 07:50 AM
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Nelly
Reged: 08/06/04
Posts: 4381
Loc: Within stray mortar fire of DC
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Totally forgot!! Gonzo spa reporters, 5 star or better!! Let's go here next!! http://www.anandaspa.com/
~nelly~
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Thanks for sharing all your varied backgrounds. I love finding out what people are devoting their lives to.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Casey, Tina, and all,
I was told not to go for a degree in writing/literature cause of my LD's. And I did it...with a 3.0!
What do you do now Tina?
I soooo want to be a nutritionist/naturopath. BUT I am not good at math/science. Any pointers?
Yes...my name is Ruchie. And I am an inspiring nutritionist!
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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What is a motivational dancer? Sounds cool!
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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First up is Beth...for thinking of this post!
Next up are all the IBSers here.
Many of you have had such interesting jobs/life experience!
My story:
jobs=kindergarten teacher, babysitter/mother's helper, front desk in doc office, mulitcultural office. shadow for special needs girl. Telemarketer for a Jewish Oranization for charity. Nothing exciting...except teaching kindergarten. BEST job EVER...if those kids didn't make me sick with their germs...I'd go back to school for a degree in Ed.!
I would like to work at Whole Foods....but I need to get well 1st. Truth is...my dream of all dreams is still unknown to me! I am still figuring out who I am...age 26.
I have SO many interests...I have no idea how to hone in on one and live it for life!
GREAT post Beth!!!!
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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Well, I know I want to do something in the Criminal Law field, but I'm not quite sure what yet. I tend to swing more to the defense side of things, as I love challenging laws and all the rules. I'm currently in my 5th year of college (was going part-time, doing full-time now!) at San Jose State. When I graduate in Dec '06, I will have my Bachelors in Justice Studies. After that, I know I don't want to go to law school so I'm not sure what I will do.
For now, I love being a legal secretary/office manager for a great boss. Before this job, I did accounts receivable, HR, recruiting, dance photographer assistant, staff writer for a website, and worked retail.
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- Jennifer
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LOL! You are the only one to ask me about that!!
They hire club kids to come to dance clubs on slow nights to dance and get people going. I was recruited after a manager offered me $$$ to come on a slow night and party with my friends after he saw me dancing for hours nonstop. Tee heee.
Worked out well, tho. I got a fee, plus a VIP pass so I didn't have to pay cover or stand in line, free parking, plus drink tickets for me and all my friends and access to the VIP lounge. Plus my friends thought I was cool cos I was the hookup. *grin!*
It was neat to be paid to be a social butterfly too, especially because it was a club I went to all the time and I knew a lot of people there. I got to make a bunch of friends, and the funny thing was that outside from the people I was with, people didn't even realize I worked there! One of my stranger jobs.
~nelly~ Boogie oogie oogie til I just can't boogie no more...
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Yeah, Nelly!
Ok, I like your spa! Sign us up and I'll pay you back....ya.... he he
If I ever win the lottery, I will take us to that spa! Wouldn't that just make your day? I guess I should start buying tickets...
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Wow, that sounds like a great, fun job!!! Never knew there was such a thing and I used to bar tend!! It wasn't any fancy club or anything, just a biker bar in the sticks! I was desperate for extra money!
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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No way Nelly!!!! You got paid to dance! 
Ok, you can teach me some moves when we meet! Motivational dancing as taught by Nelly!
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You know what's so funny? I can pick them out everywhere now, the hired ones. Most of the trendy clubs will bring in ringers on their slow nights. I never went on the night they had me on, Friday. I used to go on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, from way back when I was in high school, just because of the music they played on those nights. Friday was referred to as "gang night" so they were trying to change their image/music for that one night. That's where the club kids came in. We would just kind of show up and take over. After a while it caught on, but by then I'd left. Nothing like *having* to go dance to spoil your good time! It was work then!!!
~nelly~
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LOL!
#158393 - 03/08/05 01:56 PM
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Nelly
Reged: 08/06/04
Posts: 4381
Loc: Within stray mortar fire of DC
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OMG, that was like 30 pounds ago!!! I can draw a picture with stick figures!
IBS dance night!! LOL!!! Sorry, I'm just cracking myself up.
~nelly~
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Re: YES!
#158395 - 03/08/05 01:58 PM
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Nelly
Reged: 08/06/04
Posts: 4381
Loc: Within stray mortar fire of DC
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GO BUY TICKETS!!!!!
~nelly~
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We will boogie our IBS butts off!
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Ok, I WILL! Cross your fingers for me!
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They hired DJ's and dancers for Bar and Bas Mitzvahs. And they asked me if I would do it! I was away that summer for college...so I didn't get to do it. I never knew it had another name! Funny thing is...I never thought I was good at dancing (still don't!) Not sure what they saw in me.... I always feel so awkward in my own skin....
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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I haven't worked for the better part of 14 years. I am now taking a medical office assistant course through correspondance. I just started it yesterday. When I was 18 I took a 2 yr course in professional cooking, after that I worked as a temp secratery in the oil and gas bussines, then for a law firm. In between all that there was Merele Norman cosmetics and a job at a psyciatrists office. I decided to go back to school now because I am BORED with staying at home and doing housework.
Gail
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Re: YES!
#158469 - 03/08/05 06:03 PM
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Nelly
Reged: 08/06/04
Posts: 4381
Loc: Within stray mortar fire of DC
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My lucky number's 4!!!
~nelly~
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Mine is 3.... and 7.... we just need 4 more...
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