CLEP, WLC, ACAP, ED Center, Clearing, CTC and CSU...

The Army is full of acronyms, and unless you have served, you probably have no idea what I said in my subject line, and trust me, having the acronyms spelled out into words doesn't make it any better, however, that is what my life has consisted of for the past while, so I will explain... (not necessarily in chronological order) :D

First, CLEP... stands for..... hmmm..... College Level Exam something, something... I will have to look that one up... So basically, CLEP is taking a standardized test in a subject area to receive college credit without having to take the class. Anyone can take the CLEP exams, the only difference between anyone and military personnel is we don't have to pay for it, (one of the perks of enlisting) so, since my time in service is drawing to an end, I decided to take advantage of this and CLEP two courses that I need to complete my degree. I started CLEPing last Friday, and now I think it is safe to say I am an addict haha. I have CLEPed College Algebra, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, and Information Systems/Computer Applications. It doesn't end there, I am preparing to take four more next week, and every week until I get out of the Army. Nice... and the tests I take now will apply to my Bachelors degree, or satisfy a general requirement. I am such a nerd.... but it does give me something to do while Alan is gone, which brings me to my next subject, WLC, but before I get into that, look what I found! CLEP stands for College Level Exam Program, I LOVE Google!

WLC... Warrior Leadership Course. Before you become an NCO, (Non-Commissioned Officer) there you go, another acronym... an NCO is a leader of soldiers, promotions of Sergeant and higher. The Army sends soldiers to this course to teach basic leadership skills and responsibilities to make them better leaders and mentors. So, usually the class is four weeks long, and that is where Alan is now, except he went to the same course that is only two weeks long. This means that he will be gone for two weeks (DUH) as in he is not coming home, its kinda like basic training... So yeah, I have two weeks all alone, and all I can say is that sounds much nicer than a 15 MONTH deployment, so while it is sad to have him gone, I can keep busy doing things that I need to get done, like CLEP hahaha, and Spring cleaning, and college work...
ACAP. Army Career and Alumni Program. The Army is really good at helping soldiers transition out. They teach all kinds of workshops to assist soldiers as they leave service. I have taken resume classes, salary negotiation classes, interview classes, veterans benefits, everything you can think of, they have classes for. These services cost a lot of money in the civilian world (at least that's what they say) and they are very beneficial. That is one of the things that has kept me busy. Trust me folks, after serving in the military, there is so much to think about when entering the civilian job market. The Army helps a lot, and because of them, I have a great job lined up at the ED Center, being a government contractor. I start the minute I get out.

ED Center, education center, easy enough, there is an education center on most military posts, they offer classes through military friendly colleges and make obtaining higher education a smoother process for military personnel being that we move around a lot. They also provide lots of information about many colleges and offer many resources to soldiers and their family members. Coincidentally (or not) the ED center is where I have been spending my time taking my CLEP exams and is the same place I will be working when I get out. It is actually a really neat story how CLEP, ACAP, and the ed center all worked together for me to be provided this opportunity, on that note I think is it story time... Once upon a time in Hawaii... As I was getting ready to take my CLEP exams, I found myself in the education center to figure out what exams would complete my degree, and other education information dealing with my ETS (end time of service). I walked into the leaning resource center to pick up some CLEP study guides, and the receptionist there and I started talking, and it came up that I was soon leaving the Army. She asked me if I have a job lined up, and I said that I had applied to a few places, and sent my resume out, but hadn't gotten any good leads. She said that I should work there, and asked what I did in the Army. When I said that I was a Computer Specialist, she said 'OH! We JUST lost out computer guy!" She gave me lots of information on the company, and contact names, and described a little bit about the job. She said I should bring in my resume. I was excited about the job, and worked with my ACAP counselor to get my resume ready to apply. The next time I went to the ED Center, she told me that she had talked to her manager, and the manager wanted me to bring in my resume ASAP because she was excited about my computer skills. So, I brought in my resume the next day, and thirty minutes later I had a job offer! I will be working in the computer lab, and will be the IT Specialist for the contracting company (Evolver) that runs the Army education system. It pays nice, and will give me more experience in the field as I continue my education! I am very excited to start working there.

So, my last days in the Army are spent clearing everything. Basically I just go to all the places that apply to anyone and get them to sign off on a paper to make sure that I have everything, or don't have what I am not supposed to, or whatever. There are lots of things to do, everything from post car registration to the library to the housing office to the PX (post exchange, think Wal-Mart except not quite as good...) and everything in between. Pretty much, I am just letting everyone and everything know that on a certain date, I will no longer be in the Army. Paperwork.... Then next week, I say my final good-byes to the Army, and start my life as a civilian, and military wife. Nice....

CTC, Central Texas College; CSU, Columbia Southern University. The college I am in, and the college I am transferring to, respectively. CTC was good to me, I wish I could stay there to get my Bachelors, but they are a two-year school. I have heard great things about CSU, and can't wait to continue in my school. CSU has nice tuition rates, and I will be able to complete my degree pretty quickly, as well as get my full GI Bill. Any soldiers reading this, USE YOUR TUITION ASSISTANCE! The Army give you FREE money to go to school while you are in, and you do not have to use your GI Bill, take advantage of it, you will regret it if you don't, in order to be competitive in the civilian world, you need at least some education, take advantage of it while you are still Active Duty!!! That is my advice, now I can get off my soap box...

So, that is what I have been up to. Things are going well, and thanks everybody for your support and help. (Oh, and thanks Rusty for helping me study for the College Algrebra test, I TOLD you I would blog about it!) Now I need to get started on my school work!

Julie