eBay Adventure - Sellers R Us

                It’s August and I’ve relisted my two shoes that the fraudsters got me for last month. It is all about rebounding! Immediately I have received questions from a persona about my mules’ soles and the definition of new with defects. I tell the buyer that everything is in pristine condition except the soles which have minor scuffs on them. I photograph the soles and thank her for visiting my store. In between this exchange, I learn that the email is another seller. Who knew? My mind blown! Now I have been an eBay seller for all of 6 weeks and I already feel like I am part of the eBay seller community (Well, I am very big on courtesy and providing quick and high-quality customer service. I pride myself on shipping out my merchandise the same business day that I receive them). I have learned so much from customer and their inquiries. They have improved my customer service and ability to deliver.

Visit my eBay store here: http://www.ebay.com/usr/carljenkin_6

Summoning the Strength to Review My First PMI-PBA Online Exam Results

                I have summoned the strength to rise above my muscular soreness to start writing down all of my PMI-PBA online exam wrong answers. Writing them down by hand makes me reread the questions and understand the reasons behind the right answers. I also have discovered that I need to learn more of the business analysis terminology and reread PMBOK fifth edition chapters 5, 6, 8, 10 and 13. In a LinkedIn PMI-PBA preparation group most test takers say that they’ve studied chapters 5 (scope management), 8 (quality management) and 13 (stakeholder management). However, while doing the online test, I’ve noticed the importance of chapters 6 (time management) and 10 (communications management). I will also rewrite PMBOK page 61 every single morning to get back into the habit of remembering each process and their interdependencies. I am intent on scoring above 62% on my next online practice exam and over 80% on my final PMI-PBA exam.

Completing Statistics 1

            I have submitted my final assignment for my online statistics 1 class this evening.  It is a big step in the right direction.  Having been on the job for 7+ months, I’ve been spinning my reels trying to discover what my job duties were.  Once they were finalized, I saved my money enrolling in this class. The new fiscal year dried up education funds but I had enough money from my new promotion to pay for it.  Taking this statistics course was the best decision I made that November because then I got hit with a whammy: they wanted me to perform quality engineer duties!  Hello!  My job title was statistician not quality engineer; however, reading the American Society for Quality and the quality engineer description aligned with what they wanted. 

I thanked God that I had the math and one operations management class that I took at Cleveland State to give me a background about this newfound territory else I’d be lost and gave up.  I learned about acceptance sampling and creating sample plans.  I downloaded some sample chapters and discovered that the online statistics school offered an acceptable sampling course next spring.  I wasn’t waiting for April when my boss wanted it now!  Therefore, I purchased the quality engineering statistics book and saved my money for statistics 2.  The school had a three-course beginning statistics schedule.  By the time I finish, it’ll be February allowing me to enroll in statistical process control.   When I finish SPC, I’ll take acceptance sampling.  I possess great timing because come New Year’s Day, I’ll be done with statistics 1 and 2.  I’m halfway done by the time the ball drops welcoming in 2013.  I will look back at all of this thinking what a journey.  I’ve started from 0 to this and still managed to be standing.

Perfect Chemistry

Yippee!  Ed2Go has an Introduction to Chemistry course!  Even with total quality applications and managing customer service, I will enroll in this because I’ve always wanted to take chemistry.  I made the mistake of skipping it to take physics in high school because I wanted to sit my senior class instead of juniors.  I ended up failing physics miserably.  However, since then I have taken linear algebra and three calculus classes adequately preparing me for chemistry.  I will supplement the online class with Chemistry Essentials for Dummies and reviewing all of the course’s links because I will absorb everything like a sponge!  The Dummies series have a lot of chemistry books which I will pour over.  I don’t want to simply learn the basics.  I want to be able to return to UDC and take a couple of courses.  Right now I want to expand my career opportunities.  Science and technology offer a wide array of quality jobs.  Besides, with the high start-up businesses, mastering science gives me a working knowledge of their products.  I am very big on conducting due diligence and knowing that I can proficiently read the science materials will help the agency.  However, I will not stop at chemistry but continue onto physics and statistics.

I might even weave in some physics because it is closely connected to calculus and statistics.  I think that taking the online chemistry serves as the launching pad towards returning to physics because I am in science.  This entire year I’ve been thinking about jumping back into science because I’ve been away too long.  2010 was the last time that I took a math class; and, since, I am working in quality metrics so beefing up my math and science are necessary.  Thus far, I’ve enrolled in total quality fundamentals to relearn statistical tools.  This new analyst job is fertile ground to delve deeper into these two disciplines.  These science classes will not compete with my filmmaking and project management because science intersects with these two fields.  I know that it is nerdy to be giddy over an introductory chemistry class but hey I love learning more.