Interstate-autoilua

Nyt olen ollut melkein kuukauden paivat toissa ja alkanut jo hieman tottua autolla ajamiseen. Autoilu on mielestani taalla Marylandissa kuitenkin edelleen vahan hullun hommaa. Vilkun kayttoa eivat useimmat hallitse ollenkaan ja paaton kaahailu/ohittelu motareilla on ihan jokapaivaista. Interstateilla nopeutusrajoitus on 65mph, mutta yleensa porukkaa ajaa ainakin 75mph. Itsellani kun on viela ehdollinen ajokortti niin yritan ajaa rajoitusten mukaan tai korkeintaan 5mph yli, joten meikalaista ohitellaan ihan urakalla. 

Melkeinpa joka paiva ajan jonkun onnettomuuden ohitse. Muutenkin autoilu nayttaa olevan lyhytnakoista ja itsekeskeista eli jos yritat liittya jonoon sivuteilta, kukaan ei yleensa tarjoa tilaa vaan valiin on vain mentava toottailyjen saattamana. Jos ruuhkajono tuntuu menevan liian hitaasti, osa porukasta ohittelee nurmikon kautta. Voin ajaa itse toihin melkeinpa koko Interstate-matkan yhdella kaistalla ja en ole huomannut ohittelusta olevan oikeastaan mitaan hyotya. Sen sijaan olen huomannut, etta usein ajan minua juuri ohitelleiden autojen ohi. Usein ohittelu onkin turhaa, mutta ei se silti esta ihmisia yrittamasta/vaarantamasta liikennetta.

Oma tyomatkani on onneksi suhteellisen helppo eli suurin osa ajomatkasta kuluu tosiaan interstateilla. Toihin kestaa ajaa noin 30 minuuttia ja kotiin 45 minuuttia, koska ruuhka-aika on silloin aluillaan. Yhtena paivana viikossa olen toissa vain aamupaivan ja silloin ennatan kotiin 30 minuutissa. Eli ei mikaan aivan kamala tyomatka.

Tyopaikkani sen sijaan ei ole millaan maailman mukavimmalla alueella, joten autoon ei kannata jattaa nakyville mitaan ja ovet kannattaa laittaa lukkoon heti kun autoon istuu. Sen lyhyen patkan aikana, minka ajan residential alueella, taytyy myos varoa teille poukkoilevia ihmisia. Joskus nakee porukkaa juoksemassa myos highwaylla…

Vaikka ajelu sujuukin suhteellisen hyvin, pysakointi ei ole viela oikein hallussa :D Onneksi en kuitenkaan ole ainut, enka saa edes huonoimman pysakoijan tittelia, sen verran mielenkiintoisia pysakointityyleja taalta loytyy. Yritan yleensa pysakoida tyhjemmalle alueelle, koska ainakin miehen autoon on viereisen auton ovella kolhaistu muutaman kerran. Tosin koulun pihalla ei ihan kauimpaan nurkkaan uskalla pysakoida muista syista… Mutta kylla se pysakoiminenkin alkaa kohta onnistua paremmin. Yritan pitaa mielessa, etta sain kortin vasta joulukuussa, joten mitaan taydellista pysakointia en voi itseltani viela odottaakaan ;)

Mukavaa sunnuntaita kaikille!

Tyonhakua aloittelemassa

Pari kuukautta sitten kirjoittelin vahan surumielisesti elamastani taalla. Nyt on uima-altaat vihdoin avautuneet, joten olo on hieman piristynyt :) En ole enaa neljan seinan vanki vaan voin halutessani kavella yhdelle kolmesta uima-allasalueesta. 

Paatin myos aloittaa tyonhaun, vaikka voin ottaa tyot vastaan vasta syksylla. Olen viimeksi ollut tassa maassa tyohaastattelussa vuonna 2008, joten tyonhaku on talleen aluksi aika jannaa puuhaa :D Tyonhakua tietenkin vaikeuttaa se, etta iltapaivahoito on taalla aivan tajuttoman hintaista, joten olen yrittanyt etsia osapaivatoita. Ellei halua menna $9/h palkalla retail myyjaksi, on osapaivatoita aika huonosti tarjolla. Jos sellaisen loytaa, niin voi olla varma, etta asuinalueen 100+ muuta kotiaitia on myos laittanut hakemuksen ko. paikkaan :) Niinpa olen hakenut myos muutamaa kokopaivatyota.

Ensimmaisesta tyopaikasta soitettiin melkein heti, mutta homma kaatui siihen, etten voinut aloittaa toita kesakuussa. Sovittiin kuitenkin, etta otan taas yhteytta vahan ennenkuin tulen takaisin Marylandiin syksylla, jospa he viela etsivat tyontekijaa. 

Toisen tyohakemuksen laitoin countyn koulujarjestelmaan. Kyseessa on avoin tyonhaku, joten koskaan ei tieda mita tarjotaan :) Esimmaiseksi sain kutsun tekemaan Word ja Excel assessmentin, jonka tuloksien perusteella osa paasee jatkamaan tyonhakua ja osa ei. Sain kutsun testiin puhelimitse perjantaina ja itse assessment oli maanantaina eli en siis ehtinyt oikein kysella etukateen minkatasoinen oli. Mutta testitilaisuudessa sain selville, etta kyseessa oli Kenexa Prove it Word ja Excel assessmentit ja ennen testia kerrottiin, etta siina on kysymyksia laidasta laitaan advanced tasoon asti. Testissa pyydettiin esimerkiksi tekemaan macroja ja pivot taulukoita eli ei mitaan mahdottomuuksia. Itselleni tuli tosin yllatyksena, ettei shortcuteja ei saanut kayttaa, joten aikaa meni etsiessa niita oikeita kohtia valikosta. Sain tulokset heti samana paivana ja tuloksena oli 93.5/100 eli testi meni ihan ok, koska tuloksella 66/100 paasi eteenpain haastatteluissa.

Pari viikkoa testin jalkeen eli eilen sain ensimmaisen tyohaastattelukutsun ja se haastattelu olikin sitten jo tanaan. Puhelinsoitto tuli taas tosi yllattaen, enka ehtinyt/tajunnut kysya tyopaikasta mitaan, joten en oikeastaan edes tiennyt mita tyopaikkaa olin menossa hakemaan :D Haastattelussa sitten selvisi, etta kyseessa oli ala-asteen records secretaryn paikka. Koska tiesin kuitenkin etukateen mihin olin menossa haastatteluun otin selvaa illalla Googlen avulla koulusta. Kyseinen ala-aste on meidan countyn koyhimmalla alueella ja yli 80% oppilaista elaa koyhyysrajan alapuolella. Koulun lahistolla on aika paljon rikollisuutta (lahinna laittomiin koviin huumausaineisiin liittyvia) ja loytyipa uutisten mukaan alkuvuodesta koulun roskiksesta ladattu kasiasekin. Koulu oli saanut Great Schools arvosanan 4, mika ei ole kovin hyva, mutta eipa huonoinkaan. Vertailuna: meidan minimies kay ala-astetta, jonka arvosana on 10. 

Koululle paastyani huomasin tosiaan, etten ollut enaa countyn parhailla alueilla, mutta ei siella ihan toivottoman nakoistakaan ollut. Kavin vain koulurakennuksen toimistossa ja se oli kylla jo sitten astetta ankeampi paikka, kun vertauskohtana on meidan minimiehen koulun iloinen ja varikas toimisto. Vastaanoton sihteeri toivotti kuitenkin meikalaisen iloisesti tervetulleeksi ja myos rehtori vaikutti hyvin empaattiselta ja mukavalta tyypilta. Haastattelu oli rento ja rehtorista tosiaan jai miellyttava kuva. Rehtori kertoi tyon hyvista ja huonoista puolista, ja mainitsi myos, etta vanhemmat saattavat usein olla vaikeahkoja. Taman olin jo huomannutkin koulun kaytavalla, kun yksi vanhempi hakkasi siella nyrkilla seinaa, todeten, etta vihaa koko hemmetin koulua ja kukaan ei siella tieda mistaan mitaan... Palkka ei ole mikaan huippu, mutta lomat ja vakuutukset yms. olivat ihan ok.

Miten tyopaikan kanssa sitten kay/kavi? Tyopaikan valinnoista ilmoitetaan parin viikon sisalla, mutta koska voin aloittaa tyot vasta elokuun lopulla, tuskin saan tata tyopaikkaa. Olen siihen huomattavan ylikoulutettu, mutta se olisi tyoajoiltaan sopiva. Lisaksi tyopaikka on aika kaukana eli ilman ruuhkaa sinne ajaa 25 minuuttia ja ajaisin itse sinne ruuhka-aikaan eli tyomatka saattaisi olla hyvinkin pitka. Mutta kokemuksena tyohaastattelu oli mukava ja jatkan tyonhakua hyvilla mielin. Samalla paasin ajelemaan taas yksinani, koska mies meni toihin tyokaverin kyydilla ja jatti meikalaiselle auton. Ajaminen onkin alkanut sujua jo ihan ok :)

Mukavaa loppuviikkoa kaikille!

Clap along if you feel like Happiness is the truth

I've diagnosed myself with post-thesis depression. I'm supposed to be writing my second thesis right now, but I'm still mourning for the first one. It was not ready when I parted with it and I'm not happy with my grade. I should be I guess, since it's good enough for PhD studies, but yet, I'm not. I'm a bit of perfectionist, I guess. 

I'm also at loss what I should do next when it comes to my academic career. I will obviously continue working as a consultant as long as I'm in this country. As for the academic stuff, I've done my dissertation proposal and the professor said he will second it. But I'm not happy with my proposal and I'm not even sure if I want to write the dissertation anymore. The topic itself is interesting, I'm just not sure I want to spend the next 4 to 6 years writing something that in the end might make no difference whatsoever. My MA thesis made no difference. I want to make a difference.

My MBA thesis might make a difference and hence maybe I'm just in the wrong field. Business is not, however, as interesting as History. PhD in Marketing is not something I'm aiming for :)

I have until April 15th to submit my dissertation proposal. I guess I have some serious thinking to do. Biggest question I need to answer is which career path makes me happy? I honestly don't know.

Meanwhile, I will celebrate things that do make me happy, like my family, friends and dancing to good tunes :) 

Hope everyone is having a very happy Thursday! :)

Back to business

Something huge happened to me this week; I signed a job contract, which means I am heading back to the working world next month! An exciting, scary and much needed change :) I've been applying for jobs semi-seriously for the past month and a half, and got invited to an interview last week. The interviewer had picked me since as an archaeologist I had stood out among the other applicants :D Apparently they liked me quite a bit since they called me back to sign the papers a week later. I'll be working for a consulting company coordinating their projects. It's a permanent full-time position.

source weheartit.com

While I'm excited about the prospect of earning money and re-starting my career, I'm a little bit sad I didn't get to finish my thesis before. I still have a week and a half left to work on it, so I'll give it my best shot and see if I can get it almost ready so I'll only have to do minor work during the weekends. The thesis itself is looking pretty good, so there is a chance I can get it all done. This means the blog will continue to be updated only sporadically for the next month or so, but Random Tuesdays will surely keep on rolling :)

Wishing everyone a wonderful week!

Perpetual Student Ponderings

Perpetual student. Yup, that's me. I have two bachelor's degrees under my belt (three bachelor's theses written) and two master's degrees on the way. I have a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts degrees and I'm working on Master of Arts (only thesis left, yay) and Master of Business Administration (lots left) degrees. I love to learn, life without learning would be boring.

Last week during my Research Tools class (part of my Master of Business Administration degree) I talked to one of my classmates. Actually we did an assignment together through email and finally met up face to face in class. He is originally from Egypt and this is his second Master's degree he's working on, so we had something in common. He is working full time for a large tech company, but decided to start a second Master's degree, since going to school in Finland is for free. Also, he wants to have an advantage in the job market, since he already considers himself having one disadvantage, being foreign. Now, I'm not foreign in Finland, and I never felt foreign in the U.S job market (or in the country itself, until I got pregnant), but I see his point. But what I can really relate to is why he is studying as much as he can, while he can. That's basically the biggest reason why I'm still studying; because I have the opportunity and because I can afford to. Talking to my classmate made me, once again, realize what a privilege it is to be able to study whatever you like, as much as you like.

Campus bus at the University of Vermont

Having/working on so many degrees raises a few eyebrows though. In Finland I've heard that I'm wasting tax payers' money and taking away a study place from someone else. In the U.S I've heard I'm just wasting time, I'm lazy for not making money and weird for not obsessing about my career. I do feel slightly guilty about using (not wasting!) tax payers' money, but I do hope I can return the favor when I head back to working life. As for taking someone else's study place, well, perhaps I was a better candidate for the spot? They can apply next year anyways. I definitely don't feel like I'm wasting time, and being a stay-at-home mom and a graduate student in two different universities can hardly be called lazy! As for not obsessing about my career, guilty as charged. I proudly admit my child/family comes before my career and I have confidence that despite not obsessing about it, I should be able to make a career for myself just fine.

I love the academia, but I also understand studying isn't for everyone. I do believe though, that high school diplomas are no longer enough, some sort of college or vocational education is needed, unless your career aspirations are to be a cashier or such. If, for example, my child turns out to be the non-studious type, I will urge him to get a degree of some (perhaps general) sort and then be done with school. I don't expect him to gain several degrees, I don't expect anyone else to either. I've only done so, because I really wanted to, had the time to and I've loved all the studying I've done. I don't plan on applying to any new schools though. If I will continue my studies again at some point, it'll be for a PhD. Hopefully I'll end up working in a learning environment, where I can use all these abilities.

I'm really curious what people think about education. Do you think everyone should aim to get a college degree? Do degrees in general matter? Should education be tuition free like it is in Finland? Are perpetual students like me annoying (wasting money/time etc.)?

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

When I grow old, I'd like to be...

... a motel/inn keeper. 

I know it doesn't make much sense, since I've spent years educating myself and certainly have never enjoyed working in the service sector. But when I'm older, probably closer to retirement age, I'd like to buy a small inn or a motel somewhere in the countryside and start managing it. I'd obviously hire people to do the cleaning/night shifts and I could also raise puppies on my spare time ;) I know I have way too romantic of an idea of inn/motel keeping, but a girl can dream, right? :)

photos from google

Do you have any equally weird dreams/plans that you'd like to share? :) 

Is there something you'd like to do when you grow old, after your initial career?

MBA here I come!

Earlier this year I wrote about my plans for the future (or the lack of them) and how I felt a bit lost. Well, I decided to do something about it and I got some exciting news yesterday; I got accepted to the Master of Business Administration program! 

So more studying is in the cards for me :) At first I was planning on returning to work this fall, but things happened and I won't be able to work just yet (issues with my back). I nevertheless wanted to do something to advance myself and decided that finishing my Master of Arts degree and then starting a part-time MBA could be just what I need. The MBA program starts this fall and has classes once a week every other week, so it works perfectly for me. I can still stay at home with the lil man and get a new degree as well.

This means I really have to finish my MA thesis this year. I'll be working on it this summer and hoping to get it to the stage where I'll just have to do minor changes to the thesis during the fall. I'll still be attending the thesis seminar, so technically I'll be going to two universities at the same time. Since I have no classes left to take for my MA, it should be doable :)

photos from weheartit.com

So, hopefully this time in two years I'll have two Master's degrees. Now I'll have to convince the husband we need to stay put in Finland for a while so I can get all this done :)

Wishing everyone a wonderful Midsummer weekend! Enjoy the summer solstice!

Reality of Archaeology - life in ruins

I stole this from facebook and although I graduated a couple of years ago this still is so true :)

Source

Archaeology - some people dig it, some people don't

What will you be when you grow up?

When I was younger I dreamed of becoming a model, a beauty pageant winner, a dancer etc. all very little-girly professions :) My Mom always thought I'd become a doctor, and my Dad thought that I'd become a lawyer. Well, I ended up first graduating from business school and then graduating again and becoming an archaeologist. Now I'm working on my Master's in History. I still have no clue what I want to do "when I grow up".

Being an archaeologist, I'm the one with the pale blue top :)

I know I don't want to be an archaeologist anymore, at least not a field archaeologist. It's not that I don't love archaeology, I really do. In fact I love it very very much, it fascinates me endlessly. It's just that I have a family now and being a shovelbum just won't do anymore. I can't just leave wherever the job take me and come back whenever it ends. Having young children and being a full-time field archaeologist just doesn't work out. And is a lab archaeologist a real archaeologist? Perhaps, but full-time lab archaeologist positions are almost impossible to come by, they're pretty seasonal. I focused on osteology and paleopathology (I wrote my thesis on diseases and cause of death of a certain group of mummies), so perhaps someday I might be able to work in forensics. But probably not in Finland, and that's where I currently live.

In Finland my options are pretty limited, I probably won't be able to work in my own field. In the U.S there are more options, but the pay is horrible, I probably wouldn't be able to support myself with that amount of money. It was fine when it was just me, living in a shared house with 3 roommates, but it won't be fine now when I have a family. And I don't want to live off my husband forever, even if he'd be totally fine with it (which he is btw:).

 I never in my wildest dreams imagined myself as a homemaker, but that's what I am right now. Well I'm still working on my thesis and taking a class this semester, so I guess I'm a homemaker-graduate student or something haha. I never thought I'd say this, but I love being home with our lil man :) Seeing him grow, it's such a privilege! But also, I don't want to be home forever, so I've been giving my future some serious thought. In fact I believe my homemaker days are numbered, I hope to employ myself one way or another within the next year. And I'm hoping to find a part-time job first, so I still could be there for our little man. Since I have that business degree, I'm probably going to end up working at some office. If I could choose, I'd want to work in a learning environment, but we'll see :) 

 Anyone have any good career advise for me? :)