So We Got Screwed

My last post was April 28, 2019. That day was my official last day of school, my bachelor's degree completed. One of the best days of accomplishments in my entire life. Then the bottom fell out.

Later on that day we learned my union practically destroyed my plans by removing most options for collecting the pension, including the thirty years and out option I was banking on for retiring early and doing something else. This coming Saturday the 15th is my 27th year anniversary. I needed 36 more months to complete my 30 years. That dream is gone, the light at the end of the tunnel went out.

I got a text, read my mail, and then watched a YouTube video that explained how and why my union, my side, the people I've paid dues to most of my adult life, the ones that had my professional back, took away my pension plan. Well they didn't take it away but what is going to happen is a death spiral now. They have more going out than coming in. Future employer contributors will opt as they will find it cheaper to offer a matching 401k and not be throwing good money after bad.

This will spiral into being under 65% funded which will trigger federal take over of the fund. While the pension is guaranteed, we are basically guaranteed the minimum return of about 10% on the dollar as a retirement. The pension ruining crooks will no longer be in control of the fund. They've done their damage.

There are more details like the thug president and his cronies using our pension fund for their personal expense accounts and yet they are not in jail. They supposedly made restitution after being sued by the U.S. Treasury. I doubt that happened but who knows. They are crooks and if karma is real, they should all wind up in tragic circumstances for destroying the retirement plans of thousands of union members. One more addendum to the thugs in charge, the sprinkles on top of the corruption cake, they have their own pension fund and guess what? Yeah, it's over-funded.

They broke us instead of protecting us. Their corruption and disdain for the blue collar worker that supports them is tangible and real. President Robert Martinez, IAM crook in charge should personally go to each local in the nation and explain how this happened and how he's alright with it. Then he can take his chances getting out of each union hall.

He decries how companies are dishonest and against the working class while he and his mob took apart the rank and file and sold their retirement plans down the river. He's a criminal and God help him if he ever darkens my path or some of my more redneck union brothers who'd love to show him a good time in the country.

It's June, we learned about this on April 28th as I explained and it took me this long to be able to gather my thoughts enough to write about this.

I did it!

I've kept this website open on my phone for almost 400 days to count down when I'd earn my bachelor's degree. Today is that day!
I'm posting this at midnight of April 28, 2019. I earned my degree today.
I'm going to really think over things because I'm leaning towards earning my master's degree as well. Classes don't start until August so I've got time to figure it out but right now, I'm going to savor the moment.
Since 2015 my life has been work and then coming home and doing homework each night. Sometimes I'd keep at it until 8 or 9 o'clock which doesn't seem like much but I get home by 4:30 and I always start right away once I get settled at home.
Today is a good day.

Two Weeks And One Major Decision

Today marks exactly two weeks, fourteen days left until I earn my bachelors in Marketing! Honestly I'll be done sooner than that as the last week is a wrap up week. A couple of discussion posts to reflect on your courses this term and you're finished!

So what's after that?

Funny story.....

Turns out the university called me and pitched their masters program to me. I have been in school since 2015, I'm done. Then the unthinkable happens....I ask what the courses are and what a typical course load is like.

They send me the courses, descriptions, and schedules.

....Sigh....it sounded really good. So I applied. They evaluated my transcripts, waived me from a foundation course, and said I could start in August.

I'll be working on my masters degree now, go figure.

Half Way Done!

Tomorrow officially marks the end of week 4 of my last term in my quest to earn my bachelor's degree. I did finish up all my work by Thursday of last week though so I've had a couple of easy days off.

The next three weeks will be more difficult. There will be some finals projects to finish and then a final test in Strategic Management and Policy capstone class. That's in week 8. Weeks 5-7 will feature the completion of some milestone projects, a presentation or two, and several discussion posts.

It will be a busy month but again it's been a long trip since 2015 so this is fitting that this journey ends with a lot of work. It's hard to believe it's almost over. Most every day has been the same routine. I won't know exactly what to do soon with my time without homework to do each night.

I'll be figuring it out though!

Until then, on to week 5!

Week Two

I'm exactly 1/8th finished with my final term! Week one was difficult as we are using a business simulator called Capsim. This is to finish the business side of my marketing degree. This capstone will put us in charge of a company that manufactures sensors, might as well be widgets, but it's a simulation. Regardless week one was crammed full of information to absorb and apply. I felt overwhelmed for most of the week but now I'm getting a handle on it!

My second course is a marketing course on pop culture. This is how to recognize trends and market to and from them. This course is pretty enjoyable! There's a lot of information but I'm handling it in the only way I know how, LIKE A BOSS!

All in all I'm going to be pretty happy this term even though I felt I was going to do poorly. After I got a good understanding of the simulation and the strategies used I think it'll go well! This is a good challenge to test what I've learned over the past few years.

In other news Thing 1 has landed a pretty solid job! She's my soul. She tired of school early on and took my route to life. She went to work and wanted to live some! In so many ways she's a lot like me! I frequently go to the city and spend time with her, we go to lunch or the shooting range or whatever!

Thing 2 is overseas after graduating in December. She's my heart. Even though it's painful to let go, I want her to have a better life than me. She's well on her way! She's got a good starter job and an education to help her along the way, as well as a couple of great parents.

I've got it pretty good really, pretty good.

The Eve of the Last Term

Tomorrow is the day. Tomorrow is the first day of my last term of a journey that started in 2015.
Then I was in the midst of some serious insomnia. I'd go to sleep around the normal time and on a good night I'd get about three hours of sleep, on a bad night maybe two. After this went on for about two years I decided I should use my time awake in a more useful fashion.

So after dropping out of college in 1989 I decided to pursue a degree. At first I went to that rip off school Full Sail University, a for profit college. Worst educational experience I've ever had. Then I switched to Southern New Hampshire University, a non-profit university and the difference is night and day. Tomorrow I'll have fifty six days left until I earn my bachelors degree in marketing. This term I have two classes, one is the business capstone class and the other is pop culture marketing.

This has been a long journey, a rewarding journey, and one that I'm glad I started. I've always been straightforward about my goals. I want to become pension eligible in 2022 and live on that. Everything will be paid off by then and I'll have utilities to pay. After graduation I'm going to apply my degree and replace my income while I'm still working.

Fifty seven days from now I'll be finished with my degree. I'll have just turned forty nine earlier in the month and my longest and dearest friend, Northern Brother will be turning forty nine the day after I'm finished. Tomorrow my last term starts, fifty six short days and two complex classes. I'm considering a road trip to New Hampshire for graduation.

Fifty seven days....then fifty six and so on and so on.