Call it biting off more than you can chew, overconfidence, or just plain stupidity, but after my last class session on Thursday afternoon, I was very concerned. Actually, I was scared. It turns out that of the three classes I was taking, the two more advanced classes required the first one as a prerequisite. They were not kidding. To make things worse, the most advanced class required the middle class and the first class as prerequisites. Again they weren't kidding. It was that way in the labs, too.
TA: "We'll start with something simple: Design a digital circuit to compute the value of 3X+9."
Me(to myself): "Oh boy, I know the first step, I remember vaguely the second step.... It's been 15 years since I did anything like this..."
TA: "(coldly, sensing I'm clueless) You should know everything in chapters 1 thru 6 of the text."
Me(again, to myself): "Oh damn. I'm screwed."
I spent most of the lab trying to refamiliarize myself with the Karnaugh map, and building this (to me) complex circuit. I never did get it to work. I walked out of the class with this feeling in the pit of my stomach, like someone had shot a cement building block into me with a cannon.
TA: Next week we'll do a sequential circuit...
Me: (meekly) Kill me now.
After a little panicing, and a bit of self-reproach, I dropped the two more advanced classes and picked up a different class. I'm one week behind on that new class, but I sent a note to the professor, so hopefully I'll get a copy of the syllabus and be able to catch up. I read some of that course text and did a few of the first chapter problems.
Overall, I'm really enjoying this move I made. I love being able to wear shorts all the time, and it's wonderful to study in the backyard. If I ever run a company, I'll let people wear shorts. I am so glad not to have to fill out a timecard to the nearest 0.1 of an hour anymore, and risk federal prosecution if I do it wrong.
And I'm really glad to see that the University of Houston Clear Lake isn't wasting their time like NASA does putting up kindergarten level safety messages.
That's the bulletin board right outside my old office door showing a typical message. I really used to hate coming to work every morning and having that idiocy shoved in my face. I know others hated it too, it was mocked often. People would add their own messages. But what I really hated was the fact that the person who did this job seemed to be doing it full time. Can you say "Jobs program?" I once overheard the responsible person's response to a question if she was bothered by the mocking. The response was "At least people are reading it!"
It's almost 9:00, so off to class!!! I can't wait!
My last days at JSC were good, but I'm glad to be moving on. I will miss working with the folks there, at least the ones in my branch, as well as some others. My branch chief and the group leads were sad to see me go, which is good, but I'm really excited. Tododay is the beginning of a new phase, another chance. I've got my goal of getting my master's in two years, and I also will be exercising more. I'm setting a goal of getting to 200 lbs by this date next year.
I'm now I'm sitting in the computer lab at UHCL waiting for my first class to start in a half an hour or so. I'm excited, and a little apprehensive. I've got my books, and school supplies, so I'm ready. Onward!
It's good to hear things over there are not as bad as it seems given the reports from the regular new media.
