How to Deal with the Newfound Online Classes

"sony1492" (sony1492)
03/26/2020 at 13:57 • Filed to: 1st World Problems

Dr op ‘em.

Meanwhile in the work breakroom, some motivational stickers got rearranges.

Spent money on art classes at the local community college, been taking 1 art class per semester for a while now to stay in practice . They are not about anything other then trying new techniques and being given basic guidelines for your drawings/artworks. ( figure drawing with charcoal, crosshatch, etc.)

As you can imagine this in- person instruction doesn’t translate to the online realm, in their infinite wisdom it has turned into a written class about art review and discussion. Not what I paid for.

This has got to be a rough time for people pursuing degrees that cant just drop their classes when the online course is BS.

DISCUSSION (49)

DipodomysDeserti > sony1492
03/26/2020 at 14:08

My wife is still doing online instruction with her students. She film herself modeling the techniques then posts them up and watches the students as they do them. It’s been a great break for the kids.

I’ve only taken a few CC courses in my life and they were alright. My wife has been taking science courses in pursuit of an ND, and the instructors have been awful compared to my university courses.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > sony1492
03/26/2020 at 14:09

That’s tough. So many things are forced to go on when they cannot rationally function as intended.

Captain of the Enterprise > sony1492
03/26/2020 at 14:15

That’s a good call. I’m trying to push through my classes as I need them for my degree but it’s been much more difficult since the transition.

Jason Spears > sony1492
03/26/2020 at 14:18

This is what is happening to public school, which is compulsory and for which there is not a readily available alternative or opt-out. Some teachers are more prepared and savvy than others, but the system as a whole is a shit show.

sony1492 > DipodomysDeserti
03/26/2020 at 14:18

Glad it’s working out for your guys side of things.

Ive had some good instructors but that was mostly to do with trade based classes.

sony1492 > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
03/26/2020 at 14:20

They probably cant afford to refund everything so that option got wiped off the table. It’s not alot but getting half of that $250 back would be nice

sony1492 > Captain of the Enterprise
03/26/2020 at 14:24

H opefully your instructors have made the online courses competent , how far into your degree are you?

TheRealBicycleBuck > sony1492
03/26/2020 at 14:29

My daughter has a couple of dual-enrollment (DE) classes. They usually coordinate so that the in-class exams qualify for both the high-school and college class. One of her DE classes still doesn’t have an online testing mechanism in place, so the kids were looking at having to take the exams in school and then again once the college figured out how they were going to do it. The other option was to drop the college class.

She decided it wasn’t worth the hassle, so she dropped the class. Now I’m wondering how she’s going to refund the tuition I paid for her to take the DE class. :)

Captain of the Enterprise > sony1492
03/26/2020 at 14:29

I’m a senior but I’m on track for graduating after the fall. One is just giving assignments out and having us turn them in without any sort of lecture. Another is trying to do class online but we have technical difficulties every time.

sony1492 > Captain of the Enterprise
03/26/2020 at 14:33

Well good thing you'll only have to push through a little longer. Tbh the class without lecture sounds ideal as long as the material is covered somewhere in your textbooks or some resource

DipodomysDeserti > sony1492
03/26/2020 at 14:34

Yeah, sucks you had to throw away a semester. Someone asked our university president if they would be refunding tuition and he was very dismissive. Fucking dickhead.

boredalways > sony1492
03/26/2020 at 14:35

I have Excel and Six Sigma online courses. Unfortunately, my anxieties continue to disrupt my ability to focus for longer than 5 minutes at a time. It's really frustrating not being able to use my time wisely

sony1492 > TheRealBicycleBuck
03/26/2020 at 14:35

H opefully not a small fortune if it was only 2 classes. My guess is that money wisps away into the winds of bureaucracy.

sony1492 > boredalways
03/26/2020 at 14:38

A nxiety over the unfolding situation or in general?

Chariotoflove > sony1492
03/26/2020 at 14:43

You just need to add a couple of trees, and everything will be fine.

Kinja'd!!!

Seriously though, I feel for medical and dental professional students. They have to have a certain number of lab and clinical hours to graduate and stand for licensing exams. Hours that they aren’t getting now. And they paid huge tuitions. For those programs, this is a disaster.

Captain of the Enterprise > sony1492
03/26/2020 at 15:01

Thanks! It is actually better then the one with technical issues.

boredalways > sony1492
03/26/2020 at 17:28

Both

Stef Schrader > boredalways
03/27/2020 at 10:13

I hear you on the anxiety thing. The past couple weeks have felt like one unending panic attack.

boredalways > Stef Schrader
03/27/2020 at 11:13

Like when you feel frozen in place and you can't seem to break free?

Stef Schrader > boredalways
03/27/2020 at 11:22

I get the ones where my heart starts pounding and I just can’t concentrate. It reminds me of having too much caffeine on an empty stomach. It sucks.

boredalways > Stef Schrader
03/27/2020 at 11:47

Ugh, I know that feeling. And now I want coffee. Since I’m struggling with the learning, I’ve tried to get a hard drive on one of my computers to boot properly without doing a clean install. This is day 5, so far without success. And I’ve ignored job postings this week to maintain my sanity.

All we can do is to do our best to keep moving forward

Stef Schrader > boredalways
03/30/2020 at 04:24

I was so glad for that Lifehacker piece about how it’s okay to suck at working from home right now. I sat down to knock out an overdue freelance piece and I just can’t friggin’ concentrate on it. Got caffeine. Took a Ritalin—I don’t use those much, but I got them after my brain injury because I was having trouble staying awake on the road for long drives . I t helps sometimes with other concentration issues. Nope. Nada. Here I am going “squirrel!” with every other possible thing around the house. Welp.

boredalways > Stef Schrader
03/30/2020 at 17:41

Brain Injury?! I hope you've recovered fully from it. When did that happen?

Stef Schrader > boredalways
03/31/2020 at 09:55

It was this one:

https://jalopnik.com/what-a-race-car-crash-does-to-your-brain-1778499867

boredalways > Stef Schrader
03/31/2020 at 10:22

Wow, I can't believe I missed that. Glad to know you're better.

Stef Schrader > boredalways
03/31/2020 at 16:34

That’s the thing with getting better: I don’t know if I actually did. My depression is way worse now, but that could also be situational. My dad died, the corporate overlords of my last full-time j ob here became a hot mess and now, my in ability to get another full-time job that fits my experience and ability makes me want to get hit by a bus. I feel like I’m worse at what I do and the garbage industry leftover no one wants to bother with. It’s all bad!

boredalways > Stef Schrader
03/31/2020 at 20:39

I realized more than 1-1/2 years ago that I had to accept that I needed therapy and a psychiatrist. It has helped with my social anxiety and help me accept that I’ve been suffering from major depression. Last year, I had only gone out to socialize ONCE the first 11 months. I finally made it out 3 times in December. Weather and work limited me to just twice in January. My position was eliminated January 29th, but I still went out twice in February. And now like practically everyone else, we have no way to safely socialize.

My condolences on losing your Dad.

I’ve had my fair share of loss as well: 3 acquaintances (1 suicide, 1 thought to have committed suicide but appears to be an accidental death, 1 murdered — took 5 months to catch the suspect in another state), my first cat Gary was euthanized due to hyperthyroidism, losing my job of 5+ years (thanks, Boeing), my 80 y.o. dad finding out that his youngest niece (and my distant cousin that I never meet) die under suspicious circumstances that the immediate family was unable to share, and I drove my dad from Indianapolis to Chicago so he could pay his respect while struggling to keep from being an asshole (seniors citizenship has its privileges ), and just yesterday I had to euthanize my last cat Smokie due to a sudden loss of motor skills in less than 3 weeks from a possible brain tumor.

I did all my crying at the vet.

But I keep moving forward because I have value. I may not know why I have value. Or even understand my actual value.

But I do know that life is valuable. I am valuable. And my family and friends value my existence and I them.

So if you don’t have a therapist, contact your personal doctor immediately specifically to find a therapist. And if you already have one, don’t be afraid to reach out after-hours.

With you being a journalist/blogger, I was wondering if there is a specialized job search site that you can use. Outside of a portfolio of your work and your former and current colleagues as valuable references, I’m not sure what advice I can give you on a job search. I can see that you prefer something you’re more comfortable with. Having that constant in your life would relieve some of the stresses that you are dealing with.

Hmmm... curious, how comfortable are your relationships with people you’ve written about previously? At the very least, they maybe able to connect you with folks that you may not have considered before. I got the idea from watching JayEmm on Cars today where he was offering his years of stock footage or other help to any content creator that needs something, anything, to help with creating content while being stuck at home due to Covid-19.

He’s helping others while making new connections — like a YouTube LinkedIn.

Maybe this will light a fire for you and think of positive ways to move forward.

Outside of automotive and cat stuff there is another couple of YouTube channels that I can’t live without: Psych2Go and Dr. Tracey Marks. I will leave those links below so you can try them out when you feel is right.

Anyway, I think I’ve rambled enough.

Oh if you haven’t seen Birds of Prey yet... it’s really good fun!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkJEpR7JmS36tajD34Gp4VA

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL2QpphEeZFYwk6-WXD6hpA

Stef Schrader > boredalways
04/01/2020 at 13:18

*hugs* You’ve been through a lot, too, but I’m glad you’re getting some help with it. That’s a huge step in its own. I actually have an appointment today with my therapist, which is...pretty needed this week. This garbage extended unemployment has destroyed me, I’m completely unproductive lately and I really wish I didn’t exist.

There are some specialized journalism job search sites, but most of it is more general-interest news stuff, and I’d prefer to stick more towards the enthusiast end (cars! cheese! space pooping! etc.). Following some companies I like on LinkedIn has helped somewhat as it gives me notifications whenever something comes up. Same goes with subscribing to job alerts. Occasionally I’ll reach out to people I’ve worked with, but even then, I feel like everyone sorta forgot about me or just plain moved on. I just don’t exist for a lot of people anymore.

boredalways > Stef Schrader
04/01/2020 at 13:49

WE ALL ARE HAPPY THAT YOU EXIST

Will you meet your therapist in person? Due to obvious reasons, my last appointment was via video conferencing.

Don’t dwell too much on work friends not reaching out to you right now. Take a couple of deep breaths and remember that they do care but unfortunately, it’s really tough in their lives right now because of Covid-19. Later today, I’m going to text a few friends just to say I hope they and their family and friends are safe.

Although I really want to add ‘healthy’ but I think that would be way too personal initially. Plus, it would be too much to process emotionally and mentally on top of our own problems.

boredalways > Stef Schrader
04/01/2020 at 13:59

Oh one last thing for your writers block: start with a list of top 5 or 10 [insert subject here]. Along with writing down what comes to mind, use your phone's recording app to say aloud what comes to mind based on the subject. Go for 10-15 minutes then rest yourself and come back to it whenever you feel like it. It can be a fleeting thought, or you just reviewing what you got so far.

Stef Schrader > boredalways
04/01/2020 at 14:46

Nah, it’s a phone call for me.

I felt forgotten about before this, though. Oh well. A few people still remember I’m around, but nothing like before. I’m just sort of around, going through the motions.

Stef Schrader > boredalways
04/01/2020 at 14:48

Oh, I live and die by lists. I keep some pretty good ones with ideas, but I can’t concentrate worth a crap when it comes to writing them lately. My life is garbage anyway, so three cheers for more garbage that adds to it, I guess.

boredalways > Stef Schrader
04/01/2020 at 15:19

Be sure to ask if a video conferencing is available — Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp, Zoom, Google Duo/Hangouts/Meet/???, w hatever. It does help.

Also, ask your therapist about ways to not personalize every slight.

And meds... I'm on generic Zoloft (Sertraline). See if you can up the dosage on your meds or even ask if you would qualify for medicinal marijuana since it is legal in TX.

boredalways > Stef Schrader
04/01/2020 at 15:24

Do you watch Anime? A lot of Anime films and TV shows deal with themes of getting past your shortcomings and pushing past your limits .

Stef Schrader > boredalways
04/02/2020 at 03:39

We upped the dose on my meds last week, so I’m going to see if that helps. Stuck with the phone option.

I still feel pretty forgotten about and after that therapist meeting, things were rooooughhhh. A t least I reached out to a few friends before getting too tired to go on and falling asleep. Everyone was pretty concerned, but I still feel like an unnecessary burden on the friends who have stuck with me.

Stef Schrader > boredalways
04/02/2020 at 03:40

I did a while ago, but frankly, I don’t have a ton of time to watch stuff right now. Part of me doesn’t know how people fit it in, but then again, I tend to throw on dumb YouTube videos when I’m eating, cooking or doing stuff around the house, so I guess that could be when.

boredalways > Stef Schrader
04/02/2020 at 15:08

Have you gotten any sunlight exposure lately? Even if you don’t want to go out for a walk, cracking the blinds in a way to still maintain your privacy still helps. You may want to consider a therapy lamp similar to the one below*

Happy Sunlight Therapy Lamp 10000 Lux Full Spectrum LED Lamp UV-Free Portable Natural Health Light with Stepless Dimming(White,A5 Size) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DNB838V/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_kAJHEbAVYYGFD

*Just use as directed. When I first got mine it was about 4 feet away from me and I had it on for almost 8 hours while working at a desk (should be 20 minutes at a time) . My skin on my head started to peel about 36 hours later. People started thinking I had dandruff but I was basically suffering from sunburn.

boredalways > Stef Schrader
04/02/2020 at 15:20

Would you be willing to try any version of House (or Disco) music to listen to while doing stuff around your home? The 4/4 beat just works perfectly by encouraging me to focus on the task at hand (cleaning, lawn work, exercise...which I don’t do enough of). I feel emotionally and mentally moved to push forward on the task to get it finished. Sometimes I go overboard with it and do several other things after finishing the first task. As such, you will be tired and worn out the next day and unable to do much, but it’s also somewhat euphoric enough that you don’t mind the exhaustion.

https://www.di.fm/

Stef Schrader > boredalways
04/02/2020 at 18:02

Sometimes I work on the porch if it’s nice out, or just go for a drive. Windows (and doors if it’s SUPER nice out) open is a must, thanks to landing right in the middle of the Venn diagram between cheapskates and environmentally-guilty hippies.

Stef Schrader > boredalways
04/02/2020 at 18:02

Heh, I moved in with some help from an industrial channel. The oontz oontz helps quite a bit.

boredalways > Stef Schrader
04/02/2020 at 18:41

Fuck the cheapskates and the hippies better have some pot to share

boredalways > Stef Schrader
04/02/2020 at 18:46

Can’t help myself, but I think of this all the time when I got dem beats

Stef Schrader > boredalways
04/02/2020 at 20:01

I ’m surprisingly not big on that herb, either, heh.

boredalways > Stef Schrader
04/02/2020 at 21:16

... brownies?

Stef Schrader > boredalways
04/03/2020 at 19:54

I’m about to try my hand at making käsespätzle. I’ve gotten over my fear of using the oven (I used to burn everything I put in there) , but! I should be able to melt some delicious Emmentaler up in there.

boredalways > Stef Schrader
04/03/2020 at 20:00

I'm jealous. I'm just going to make pepperoni pizza using generic Grands biscuits.

boredalways > Stef Schrader
04/04/2020 at 13:28

Hope dinner turned out well last night. I survived my monstrosity

Kinja'd!!!

Stef Schrader > boredalways
04/06/2020 at 07:21

Holy crap, that looks incredible.

The käsespätzle left my kitchen a disaster zone and I accidentally burned the shallots I was going to put on top when I was distracted by a Zoom call, but it turned out delicious:

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

boredalways > Stef Schrader
04/06/2020 at 21:33

It was good, but I would use regular biscuits next time instead of the Grands type. Also, reheating leftovers didn't go as well as I thought it would.