Motivation

So here we are! A new year, a new beginning is what people often think. A chance to start over, start something new, or change. I can honestly say I am excited for 2014, 2013 was not my favorite yet. We had some really good milestones happen during 2014 but I am more excited to see what 2014 holds for my little family.

Looking back, I started this course in July 2013 and I wanted to finish by end January 2014. Well, seeing as I am not even half way done and I only have a month left I won't be finishing by the end of January. Between getting pregnant and being so sick for a lot longer than usual, I took some time off. And then I didn't touch my course work between Thanksgiving and Christmas. That is a month off! I guess that is a perk to online coursework but the other day I started to think about what my motivation is for this course. I wanted to sign up for this course to help me personally. I had just graduated from college within the year and I missed learning and having something to do for myself. But somewhere along the way I kind of lost my motivation. But over November and December between traveling to visit family and buying Christmas gifts and all the other expenses that come with the holidays, I found that funds were a little tight. My husband only graduated from college a year ago and is slowly working his way up in his firm plus both our student loans are coming due! So after talking it over with my husband we agreed that we needed to rework our finances which meant a little less spending money for me each month. My spending is broken up into various things but in order to make it work that means less shopping, less lunch play dates, less eating out, and so on. So I have found my new motivation! I want to hurry up and finish this program and get a job so I can have more money! I know that is the main purpose many of you have signed up for this course (or are considering it). And trust me, the money was a reasoning for me too. But I just pictured the money going into our account and just going to bills and expenses. But my husband doesn't want me to feel obligated to support this family. And we agreed that any money I earn should be spent on whatever we wanted/needed and not on the main expenses (if we can manage that). I want to be able to go out with my girls friends to see movies and buy new clothes, and go on fun play dates. I want to finish this program by April (since baby #3 comes in April) and get the ball rolling. Mama needs a new pair of shoes!

 And don't forget, you can earn money while working on the course through referrals. So, if you want to sign up for any course through Career Step please use my referrals link or name (Jenna Smith) when you enroll. Thank you much!

Staying Connected

A lot of people turn away from online courses because they like to be connected and have actual people to ask questions and get help from. But you can totally get that with Career Step! Taking an online course doesn't mean you should be isolated! You can connect with other Career Step students, graduates, and instructors through the social web! Come on by today to make your learning experience a little more interactive. Career Step Community – The Career Step community was built especially for you and provides forums and chat rooms for you to connect with others. You can also find years of wisdom from students who have gone before. Facebook – "Like" our Career Step Facebook page and start posting what you want to talk about! You'll find posts and comments from graduates, classmates, and instructors as well as information on the latest Career Step happenings. Pinterest – Distract yourself for a little while with our boards built specifically for Career Step students and grads. You'll find whole boards dedicated to different careers as well as tips for studying, job hunting, and surviving school as a mom or military spouse. YouTube – Our YouTube channel is growing! Subscribe today to get updates when new videos are added and watch student reviews, program tours, instructor interviews, and more. You can also see all of our videos on our website atwww.careerstep.com/videos. Google+ – And new this month, Career Step is now on Google+! Keep an eye out for exciting new happenings here including live Google Hangouts. We'll keep you posted! In addition to all of these social media sites, the Career Step blog also offers posts from our instructors and info on what's going on here at Career Step. Come by and let us know what you'd like to learn more about!