<p>I think whether you include HS (and earlier) accomplishments depends on the job a person is looking for. For example, if a young woman wanted to work for a cosmetic company or gown manufacturer, I think being “Miss Teen Alaska” would be relevant. If you are a vocalist, winning NATS would be relevant. I would put Olympic team or National team on a resume. Also, some achievements might be good conversation starters - e.g. winning a national Pokemon competition…but again, considering the audience (e.g. maybe great for a tech job, maybe not so great for investment banking.) I’ve always heard that Eagle Scout can be put on a resume for life.</p>
<p>Just stepping in to say hello. I’m happy to read of the progress other '13 kids are making! We’ve had a bumpy semester with our middle, '13 son; the quest for life after college was not what he thought it would be (easy, as much as we tried to tell him otherwise). Fortunately, after walking him through the lows of rejection or disappointment, he stuck to it, and landed a job in a great town doing software development for a growing company in the health care industry. He has accepted this job offer, thus terminating the interview process. Yay! Now H and I are trying, yes trying hard, to help him budget his future income for necessities like furniture, rent, utilities, transportation, etc. He does not have a car now, and H and I are happy to help him purchase something functional and suitable for a snowy clime. But, he has this idea that he needs a hobby, and somehow, coupled with income, he should buy a fancy, imported car. What??? Dearest son, H and I are not going to give you a lump sum of cash large enough to buy a new-ish BMW! Grumble, grumble…as I consider my limping, ancient mini-van. Oh the highs and lows of parenthood. We are constantly surprised. I am looking forward to graduation.</p>
<p>I hope you and yours are all well!</p>
<p>Plantmom, seems like an odd connection to make between car and hobby. How about backpacking?</p>
<p>ShawSon has not attended much to money and we pay for his car insurance and bills generally. Though he has earned some money and is very frugal, while in HS and college, we’re the source of expense money. One of the co-founders of his firm is bad with money (he spends what he has) and he really needs to get a salary whereas the other kids were much more ready to bootstrap. So, ShawSon has to raise more money than he would have.</p>
<p>PlantMom…is he working for Epic in Wisconsin? They are hiring so many young students!</p>
<p>That was our response as well, shawbridge. What does it even mean to have a car as a hobby? DS has never shown any inclination or curiosities towards car-centered activities, so it’s all quite odd. This kid has always been very frugal, but I think for him the idea of a salary is positively intoxicating. We do pay for insurance, his college expenses, and we’ve footed his bills for study here and abroad–not to mention the computers he’s gone through…but he did work in school, and he also considers his merit money, scholarships, etc., his contribution. And for those additions, we are very grateful! But because his schooling ended up being a bit less costly than dd’s, he somehow feels that he (dare I say the E word?) is entitled to some balancing now. A bonus? I don’t know. He spoke to us about needing a car, and we said we’d help in the form of a loan. We actually have a third vehicle that’s practically brand new, and we offered to sell it to him at a very good price. Evidently, this little Japanese import is not up to snuff. He’s considering it, but told H recently that he’ll probably buy a beater car–AND a motorcycle. Ayyyy. We’re just going to sit back and let him contemplate his expenses and his bootstrap.</p>
<p>NM, yes! That’s the one.</p>
<p>H and I know several grads who are working there. The company campus is wonderful. One of my best friends has a son who works there and is currently on assignment at UNC health center and had been out in California. He works out of town during the week and flies home for the weekend. He really enjoys working there.</p>
<p>I am so looking forward to graduation! This has been a different semester with D. Very little contact with her after she went back to school after spring break, which always causes me some level of anxiety, whether founded or not. Her adviser is happy with her technical project; she just needs to wrap up the paper. Their thesis is composed of two papers; a technical project and accompanying paper as well as a policy paper, so a lot to get done. I think the housing issue is solved; at least I hope so. It seems she will need a car, which I had not counted on, so that’s another wrinkle in the plans. Always something.</p>
<p>Well, we’re trying to sell D2’s car … since she’s going to Europe for a year, we don’t want to drive it to California or keep it. . . .</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing, NMinn. I hope son is happy at the job. It’s going to be a big shock to his system, even after the grind of college, to report regularly to a corporate office. He knows at least one friend their already, and is looking forward to starting the next stage of his life.
Saba, I hear you on the contact, although S1 tends to be fairly quiet too. We had an excellent spring break together, but since he left (and we kind of nixed the fancy car) he’s been unusually quiet. I’m hoping it’s just end of college, finishing the thesis and classes quiet.<br>
It occurs to me that wanting a car for a hobby, may be translated into wanting a car to have transportation to a hobby. Or a girlfriend. Perhaps we’ll learn more when we talk to him, again, soon, I hope…I too wonder if he has obtained his graduation garb. But, this is not my worry :o ?</p>
<p>Just got back form seeing D1 present her thesis. She was nervous which is unusual for her. she did an excellent job. It was on Mexico and the drug Cartels. I sat through the other ones as well and learned a lot. Very interesting. She has such nice friends and boyfriend, they all made time out of their day to come and see her presentation. I like her boyfriend, it was the first time we have met him. Sad in a way, almost feels like she is no longer totally ours.
Job front is going to be hard, she has met with people in the various departments who really like her and give her good advice, but the sequester is causing problems. she will stay in Dc even if she has to waitress. envy those who are settled.<br>
Trip home was crazy sat on the plane for 3 hours because of storms in the NE, didnt get to bed until 2 am</p>
<p>Back home after my conference. Nothing like hanging out with 8,800 new best friends! Really enjoyed it but the pace was a bit exhausting. Like downtoearth, my return flight was delayed but fortunately I got home before midnight. The seat-belt sign was on the entire flight and there was a lot of turbulence. Left a record high of 89 degrees to a high that barely made it into the 40s.</p>
<p>Am catching up on laundry; lots of other catch-up to do!</p>
<p>Success! Sent DIL a check for her B-day the same we had given S. I was conflicted, not about the $, as setting a pattern. My GF (who has married kids) said no but my 84 yr old aunt (who is my real mom) said Yes! you must. So I did and got a sweet text (I am sure we will never see anything ever handwritten but they do for the gifts our friends have given so I am good) saying that she is thrilled. I texted back that we hope she will spend it on herself and she again wrote a nice text. Her own family most likely did nothing at all. They did not celebrate Gson’s 1st until a week later with a cupcake. It is so weird to me but at least we look good>!</p>
<p>CQ–so funny. H is at a conference up the Columbia Gorge for 3 days and is being fed and wined and has his own room. I just looked into aconference for mental health and the options were sharing a bunk room with 3 others and bath in the hall or paying more and having a single with a bath in the hall. ( I am so too old for that). Mental Health is sure not a glamorous career!</p>
<p>congrats to DT’s D!
Z you should try to sell it here!</p>
<p>congrats to DTE’s d on presenting her thesis! How nice that you got to be there for it. </p>
<p>and great news Plantmom on s’s job, sounds like a really good opportunity.</p>
<p>oregon–nice you sent the gift to dil. I bet it was more important to her than you know.
what kind of mental health conferences expect you to room/bunk with others? also in the field but guess I’ve been fortunate bc I’ve never heard of that. Doesn’t sound very mentally healthy to me ;)</p>
<p>lindz–I have never, actually, worked for any clinic that ever offered me my own room. One retreat it was a bunk room with 7 other (ghastly) and then the county gave such a low amount of $ that you would have to share unless you paid out of pocket. The conference I was looking at is New Age stuff and so I was amused that this was the accomodations. I went to a 2 week long workshop in the early 70’ with them (Psychosynthesis Training) and it was 6 in a bunk house. Although I was only about 26 I could not do it and had a tent and so with my coleman heater and such I managed. The funniest were the Wild Pigs that woke me early snorting around my tent.</p>
<p>Interesting about the bunk room accommodations! The last time I got to attend this conference was 2006; our prior director wouldn’t allow anyone to attend anything unless it led to certification (himself excluded, and there is no certification available for our area) so I definitely appreciated the opportunity. I offered to share a room with another co-worker who attended but my new boss said he hated bunking with others on work trips and told us to each get our own rooms.</p>
<p>I must say, as exhausting as the conference was, it was nice to go back to a room and not have to worry about anything else. I know my co-worker stayed up late watching basketball Sunday night, while I watched PBS, but since it was being taped at home I would have definitely compromised.</p>
<p>Wednesday night D’s school had a senior class event where the commencement speaker was announced. At her school the senior student council is in charge of arranging the commencement speaker. D is very excited about the selection. When she had her summer internship in Chicago she became a fan of Valerie Jarrett. I also think it’s very fitting a women’s college selected the Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls.</p>
<p>Good Morning to all! Congrats to plantmom’s S for the job, dte’s D1 on the thesis,shaw’s S on the funding and percussiondad’s D on grad school. Hopefully I didn’t forget anyone.</p>
<p>analyst - I continue to send the best of thoughts to your S and also hope that it all works out with your trip.</p>
<p>oregon- your DIL sounds so sweet and appreciative of your niceness. </p>
<p>It’s raining proverbial cats and dogs here, but that’s normal April weather isn’t it? Hey in the last week we have had freezing temps ans well as record highs so maybe there is no “normal”. D and her BF came home last night to attend a wedding today (not theirs :)).
In laws are driving out for their annual spring visit and should arrive sometime tomorrow. They will be here for D’s birthday on Sunday.</p>
<p>I am trying hard NOT to post on another thread here. I keep repeating “remember the slap down, remember the slap down…”.</p>
<p>Stop me.</p>
<p>Remember the slap down. Stay safe here. (I don’t always follow this advice, however, but then I come back here.)</p>
<p>I am off to a conference in Chicago - it goes from Saturday morning to Wednesday afternoon. I will miss the first day, will arrive late Sat. night. It relates to the city commission on which I serve and amazingly, the city is paying - even a (small) per diem for food. It scares me a bit to be spending city money but I’m quite the honest person. The weather forecast is pretty dreary but I should be able to see older D a couple of times.</p>