gategrrl

 I had to withdraw from my Business Communications class. Why?

I have Open Office on my computer. I do not have MS Word. And my Dell computer came with Word Perfect installed on it.

The picky prof of BCOM cannot open attachment files on the emails unless they're MS Word files. I converted the attachments to MS Word 2007 files in Open Office, but she couldn't get them to open. I called the bookstore at the college: they don't carry software. The online bookstore, where I could pick up a copy of MS Word in Office Pro, wouldn't be able to get here in time for me to get my quizzes and tests to her. And topped off with her requirement to have a specific kind of form MAILED to her just... I could have dealed with it and gotten the work done. But not on top of having to plunk down a wad more of cash just so she can open my email attachments! Argh!  The worst part is? There was NO mention of needing to have MS Word specifically in any of the instructions that I recieved. I guess it's assumed that MS Word is all anyone has. Geez.

I'm debating whether or not to take my very expensive book for this class and see if I can get it for half the money back. I opened the shrinkwrapping, so they won't take it back as new.

 And they''rrrrrrrrrrrrrre OUT!

I started my classes this past Monday, the both of them.

I've finished two homeworks for the spelling and proofreading one, and plan on finishing two of the quizzes ahead of time (that's the secret to these compressed courses - just Get It Done!).

The Business Communications course is going to be a PITA: it's ONLINE, and yet, the professor wants specific forms dropped off at her office. You can either go there in person, or snail mail it. The Post Office isn't exactly the smoothest operation in the world, so I'm probably going to have to get the quizzes and exams done a week or two *before* they're due in order to make sure they reach her in time. Wonderful. I had thoughts of dropping the course, but I already bought the book and flung the plastic wrap off of it, so I'm stuck.  Why the fuck does she have to have her tests HAND-DELIVERED when it's a FUCKING ONLINE COURSE!??? It makes no sense at all!

My other professor made a comment about that (without mentioning the other prof in the other course) saying making the students on an online course go to the school made no sense to her...and I guess this other prof is why. 

I might have to pay the Post Office (or UPS) a bit of cash on top of the price of the books and the courses if I want to get a grade in Communications AKA Grammar.

I also didn't notice that when I signed up for these courses, that the last week of this six week hell-sleigh of English is during the time when my mother is going to visit. Wow. I might have to get what is normally 18 weeks of material done in three. OMG.

Well, I've signed up at a semi-local community college for a review of what court reporting, captioning and other related jobs are like, and what the job opportunities are and what the college's coursework is. It starts in about a month, and I've paid up for it already. No books required at this point. It's not Theory. Theory is when you learn the finger moves and the shorthand system. Kind of like when we all learned how to type in high school. It's going to be a LOT of boring repetition, but I deal with that in daily life anyway.

I might drive down there this week to see what the drive is like, in case I decide not to do online coursework. I think I'd do better OUT of the house than IN the house trying not to be distracted.