Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

tcord1964 — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 04:12:00 GMT

I’m steadily making progress through my Business Math course, and I should be taking the third of four exams in this class by this weekend or the beginning of next week. This week, I am studying financial statements, balance sheets and financial ratios and trend analysis. A few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you what these things are, let along actually work on them.

The great thing about this portion of the course is that the text book material uses actual financial statements from real companies and has you prepare an analysis of the material. This is as “real world” as any course could hope to get, and I have to say I was impressed. I actually feel like I am gaining the knowledge I will need when I move up in the business world.

Although we are all working for that sacred piece of paper…the degree…there is something even more important that goes along with the whole process. It’s the education…the knowledge…that we as students are gaining through our distance learning courses. As I have mentioned before, I have always been something of a math moron. When it came to simple math problems, such as the household budget or balancing a checkbook, I always had to have my wife help me out with some of the math.

Well, this past weekend, she was paging through my Business Math text book and some of the homework I have done. She said “you are actually doing this?” I said “Sure. It’s taking me what seems like forever, but I’m getting through it.” With a look of awe on her face, she said “I can’t even understand this, and I could never do these math problems in your book.” She then added something even more amazing: “You’re better at math than I am now.”

That was my first jaw-dropping moment through this whole process. I have taken so long to get through this course; I was starting to feel like a failure. But, I am learning the material, I have a 95 average in this course so far, and I will likely finish it by the middle of this month. Up next: I’ll be studying inventory valuation and estimation.

I did make one stupid mistake this past week. I had mailed a SMART transcript request to try and get some of my Navy training credit transferred to Penn Foster College. Unfortunately, I mailed it to Penn Foster, rather than the Navy.

I’ve really got to pay closer attention when addressing these envelopes.

Add to:

My Penn Foster College Experience : Navy

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back