The Educated Fool

Well, it's time for me to go back to school....again. Everytime I enter a classroom, I swear that it's going to be the last time.
Last summer, I went to school in Austin and got my license as a property adjuster. To be real honest, that doesn't mean much. For the most part, the class material was focused on just the material that would be covered on the state test. That's a long way from knowing what to do when you are standing in front of a flooded house.
So I knew last summer that there would be classes I would need to take. And the objective of most independent adjusters is to work for State Farm (too many reasons to tell you about, but to sum it up, State Farm is a good company). There is a State Farm class called IDT that is offered about 2-3 times a year, and you have to take it before you are allowed to take any of the other classes. I was all pumped to take that class last October 5 in New Orleans. Unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina got to New Orleans before I did. They just now have rescheduled the class for Feb. 15, so I'm signed up for that one. Then I noticed that other classes that I need were being offered for March 6-8. You go to classes for 2 days and then the 3rd day is for testing. Lord help me...the pressue of taking a test when you are 51 years old. By now, I was on a roll about signing up for classes. I saw that there was another class on the computer program that was offered March 9-10. Sign me up. Did I mention that I was registering for all these on the phone? And that these classes cost $300 to $500 to take? By now, the person at the other end of the phone is yelling to all the other marketers "I've got a live one", and I heard a bell going off each time I sign up and give her my credit card number. It was no big deal to sign me up for the 5 day class that will be given on March 20-24. When they ran out of classes, she thanked me for my registrations (I think I made her house payment for this year) and said that they would be sending me my study material. It occurred to me later that they expect me to study the material before I even come to the class, which makes me wonder why I just gave them all this money to teach me! But in all seriousness, these classes will make certain that, regardless of how much I have learned hands-on this year, I will be more prepared to be employed by myself for the next storm. Of course, my luck...there probably won't be a storm of any type for the next century. Which means I'll have to find another career and go back to school for something else.
Uck....that thought has given me a migraine!!! Happy Weekend.