I'm feeling good tonight. I just took the final exam for my Activity Certification class, aka MEPAP-2. I was shooting for a perfect score, but got 90% (that means I got 5 out of 50 questions wrong). I won't complain, though, because overall, I still have an average of 99.48. In MEPAP-1, I averaged a perfect 100, so I am feeling like I accomplished something.
The biggest question now is, what to do with all the time I just regained? I've spent the past 32 weeks meeting deadlines, and fighting exhaustion. I have worked hard on this, and now I hope for the payoff: a nice promotion, or a juicy job offer from another facility close by. I would much rather stay put where I am, though if the right job came along somewhere else, naturally I would give it serious consideration.
Unfortunately, just taking these classes does not automatically mean I am certified. I still have to take a national exam (this started in January), and I need 12 college credits. However, I am well on my way to getting the first batch of seven credits, and I am allowed six years to get all 12 credits. I also have to complete 30 clock-hours of continuing education each year to maintain the certification once I get it.
My advice to anyone who is putting off getting the job training or advancement they need is this: Get to work! Just do it! I know if I had done it three or four years ago, I would already be the director where I work. All the common sense and experience in the world does not mean as much to the people hiring as a piece of paper that says you are competent. And trust me. not everybody who has that piece of paper knows what they are doing!
So, I think I will enjoy the rest of this weekend, and pat myself on the back once before I get back to work. Wish me luck with finding that perfect job, and getting out of the union!
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