Weekly Geek Outs - 06/17/16

Greetings!

Here's what is going on in my world this week:

• Agents of SHIELD

I finally finished watching the last few episodes of this past season this week, and it was a mixed bag for me. This whole series has been uneven, but I still mostly enjoy it, so I'll keep with it. For one, we were told the Secret Warriors would show up on SHIELD, and while they technically did, it was for like one episode. Also, there are some MCU connections, but for the most part, the TV side and the movie side live separately, and it is pretty much that SHIELD and the Netflix shows live beneath the movies. I really hope there are more, deeper, and more prominent connections going forward. It is something that is really holding the show back. Supergirl isn't afraid to bring in a version of Superman, and Flash isn't afraid to go all in on its fun comic book roots. Also, some of the plot points of this season were just goofy (I won't spoil them here). Otherwise, the action and characters are good on SHIELD, and they continue to explore neat little niches of the MCU. I continue to be optimistic about the potential of this show, so here's to season 4 (also RIP Agent Carter).

• Outcomes

I've been thinking a lot this week about goals and outcomes. The simple thought I'll impart on you without going into too much detail as to how I got to it, is that we need to know what success looks like in order to be able to achieve it and know if we have done so. Otherwise, our efforts may be in vain. It may seem like an obvious thought, but I had conversations this week that reminded me of its importance.

• Teamwork

Something else that was humbling this week was the reminder that I need to ask for help sometimes. I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself to do well in my new job and prove I can do it on my own. The thing is, is that I don't have to. I have a team of people alongside me that can help and need to be brought in to know what's going on. I love collaborating but when it comes to getting work done, I tend to take it all in myself. I've been stressing myself out a little too much to do a lot of work and do it well while not asking questions when I should have or asking for help. I have a bad habit with that of thinking I'm bothering people or should know better. Especially with being new, I should ask questions and get help. We don't ever have to go it alone, we just need to find those people on our team and bring them in.

Thanks for stopping by!

Movie Review Monday: Justice League - Flashpoint Paradox

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2013 animated film, Justice League - The Flashpoint Paradox.

I love this movie. I watched it for the first time with my brother a little while back, and revisited it recently since it is now available on Netflix.

The plot follows Barry Allen (The Flash) as awakes in an unfamiliar world, ravaged by war, and where he is no longer the beloved Scarlet Speedster. He eventually discovers that something happened to alter the timeline, and he has to work together with these very different versions of superheroes from his world to get back to his own reality.

This is not a great movie for kids. It is rated an appropriate PG-13, since there is visceral violence, dark themes, and the story may be a little too much for a child. This isn't to say it is bad however. It is a really great story and overall movie. There are emotional moments, intense action sequences, and intriguing changes to the stories we all know about the members of the Justice League.

The animation in the movie is also well done from what I can tell. Watching it over again, I can notice some sequences of obvious CGI, but they're brief and don't take away from the overall experience. The entire package of this movie is fun to watch, and sets up a cool world that just begs to be explored (and you can in Flashpoint comics that were released). DC strikes gold again with this movie, and continues their positive streak of animated films.

Go check out Justice League - The Flashpoint Paradox, streaming right now, on Netflix.

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 06/10/16

Greetings!

Another week is in the books, and that means there is another set of (random) geek outs for you all!

• Haircuts

Moving is stressful for a bunch of reasons, one of them is starting off new with different grocery stores, restaurants, and (the especially worrisome for me) barber shops. I got my haircut for the first time since I moved this week, and it went well! I always dread getting my haircut since I haven't ever had a good, consistent relationship with a barber. It ends up being a gamble each time and it is hard for me to explain how I like my hair. This time was good, and while it is jarring every time I cut my hair shorter, I look forward to going back to this place (White's Barber Co. to give them a well deserved shout out) and starting to build a better relationship with getting my hair cut.

• Couches

My partner, Jenn, and I have been living pretty lean so far in our new apartment. We don't have a lot of furniture but we're making it work with what we have. One big thing we've been missing is a couch. We went and looked around after doing some initial research online ahead of time. It's tough deciding and purchasing these big items. It's exciting though too to build up our place and make it our own. We're not really fit for guests yet, but I also look forward to hosting folks for the first time soon!

• Driver's Licenses (& Other Stuff)

Last but not least, Jenn and I have to get all of our addresses changed on our various profiles, get new driver's licenses, and register to vote in Maryland. Jenn has been taking care of some of her stuff and I've been lagging a bit with going to the Motor Vehicle Administration (Maryland's DMV). It's just always one of those things that is a pain to do but is obviously necessary. Hopefully it isn't too bad when I go this weekend to take care of my driver's license. All of this stuff is the part of moving that is annoying, but hopefully we don't have to do it again for a while (at the very least we can stay in the same state for more than a couple of years).

Thanks for stopping by!

Movie Review Monday: A.C.O.D.

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2013 dark comedic drama, A.C.O.D (Adult Children of Divorce) starring Adam Scott, Jane Lynch, and Amy Poehler among others in a solid ensemble cast.

Two things to start off: this is my first new movie review in a while, so thank you for your patience, and I did not like this movie. I had high hopes with the unique premise and awesome cast (including two of my favorites, Scott and Poehler from Parks and Rec) but it ultimately did not pan out.

The great cast wasn't given too much to do to and the plot was middling and frustrating. Sometimes when movies showcase realistic, selfish characters, it is refreshing and insightful. This movie did not accomplish that. It was just frustrating. It also didn't focus enough for me. It had a lot it wanted to do and balance, but it ended up fumbling for me. I watched this with my partner, and she wasn't a fan either. We wanted more resolution and more to grab onto in terms of the plot and any takeaways. I get that it didn't resolve anything just like life doesn't. Life just keeps on going. But I have seen other movies do a far better job handling a lack of firm resolution.

If you're looking for an uproariously funny comedy or a heartfelt drama, look elsewhere. This movie doesn't give much but a few good moments in what ultimately feels like a meandering hour and a half.

I'll have something better for you next week!

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 06/03/16

Greetings!

Here's what is going on in my world this week:

• DC

I've been living in the Greater DC area for almost a month now, and since I've only visited here a few times previously, I'm excited to explore with my partner. We've gone to some places for drinks, visited some museums, and are planning to do much more. We're grateful to live in an area with more going on as well as being closer to friends and family. Stay tuned for more thoughts from our adventures!

• Happy Endings

This show was recently put on Hulu in its entirety, and I enjoyed watching it back in the day when it was on. I've been rewatching it with my partner and we've both really been liking it. It was a fun, clever, unique show with smart and silly humor. It was right up my alley and it is always great to share things I love with my partner. I recommend it to anyone looking for a good comedy to watch through.

• Work

My new job has been picking up lately, which has been both a good and a bad thing. Good because I'm excited to do the work and get more involved helping our students as well as my team. Bad because it has taken up more of my time and energy away from the blog. I haven't been able to write as much as I like, nor have I been able to come up with new ideas to write about even if I had the time and energy. I know I just need some space and I need to make the time after I adjust to all the change that has been going on in my life. This blog means a lot to me so I want to keep it going. I appreciate folks patience with the lack of fresh, new content.

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 05/27/16

Greetings!

I've been busy this week but was able to catch the season finales of some of my favorite shows on the air right now (still need to catch up on SHIELD...) so I wanted to share my (spoiler-free) thoughts on those episodes and their respective seasons here:

• Arrow

I've ordered these bullet points generally in order of my least to most favorite season finales. Arrow has been struggling for a little while now, with weak flashback stories and frustrating plot points. It's a shame since it was the genesis of the DC TV Universe, but the show hasn't really figured out a good path forward. With major characters being killed off or quitting being heroes, lackluster villains, and character moments being rushed or poorly done, Arrow has some structural flaws to address going forward. I would hate to see this show go on life support in terms of quality, but it seems to be trending that way. I have faith it can shape up, but I could also see it becoming a show that gets too comfy and gets lazy. I'll be watching season 5 but might let go of the show if it doesn't keep me engaged since there is plenty of other great TV on right now.

• Legends of Tomorrow

On a more positive note, LoT grew in a positive way over the course of its first year. Struggling with similar flaws like Arrow with its villain, LoT eventually got to a good place by investing better in the great cast of characters they have and keeping the tension at a decent place. Strange that time travel adventures could feel a tad boring at times, but nevertheless, LoT looks to be heading in the right direction with season 2, especially with the teaser that happened at the end of their satisfying season finale.

• The Flash

The Flash is still easily my favorite show of this bunch. It fully embraced its comic book roots early on, has kept a good pace (for the most part), and Barry Allan and the crew are just great fun to watch. While season 2 got a little darker, it was still great TV, and wasn't afraid of going down some different dramatic and intriguing turns, especially with the finale. I loved the inclusion of time travel within this show (for the most part) as well as the acknowledgement of alternate Earths. There still seems to be so much they can explore with all of that, so I'm more optimistic for The Flash than some of its sibling shows.

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekly Geek Outs - 05/20/16

Greetings!

I'm back after a short hiatus with an update on what has been going on with my life lately. Check it out:

• My New Job!

I started this new job last Monday (May 9) so it has been two full weeks at this new gig. It is totally different from my past experiences, and I like it. I work at 2U, which is a company that supports online academic programs for higher education institutions across the country. They have offices all over the world and do great work to bridge the gaps in modern higher education. Their main offices here in Maryland are super cool and laid back, with a casual dress code and plenty of snacks. I'm looking forward to not being the "new guy" anymore and getting more involved with my team. Next week is our company retreat in Orlando, where the entire global team will come together to get energized for the year to come. Stay tuned for more thoughts on all of this, and specifically moving out of a traditional campus job in the near future.

• My New Apartment!

I picked up the keys to my first apartment last Wednesday, so a lot of time recently has been spent packing, moving, and unpacking. I also went up to Maine to see my partner graduate last weekend and help her pack her stuff, so that kept me busy. We're finally settling in a bit and while we still have a bit of ways to go to make our apartment really functional, it feels great to have our own space together and already feels like home.

• My Birthday!

I'm turning 27 on Sunday! It is strange to think about my exact age sometimes, since I sure don't feel like I am almost 30 years old but I do feel pretty mature, especially with everything going on in my life right now. I'll be spending some time in Delaware with my brother this weekend, and then spending the long Memorial Day weekend with my partner. It will be great to toast to all the good happening in my life, to relax, and spend quality time with the people I care about.

Thanks for stopping by!

4 Intangible Benefits of Grad School

The narrative that graduate school costs more money than it's worth has really taken hold in recent years. Just this month, a new article at Quartz pleaded with millennials not to "waste" money on graduate school, but instead to move on from undergrad and start a career. The article was not a scathing dismissal of graduate school by any means, and in fact took the time to acknowledge some of the benefits of higher education. However, it does ultimately serve as one more in a series of arguments against spending tuition on postgraduate degrees.

The argument tends to be purely financial. There are statistics that suggest that the return-on-investment for the average graduate school degree is not beneficial, at least in the short term, to students. This is perfectly fair to say, but it also presupposes that the key benefit of graduate school is the actual degree it leads to. Many would contest that notion in favor of the idea that the primary benefits of most graduate school programs are more intangible.

Frankly, I'd argue that the worth of a postgraduate education depends on each individual's situation. But in order to broaden the conversation beyond tuition cost and the immediate ROI of earning a degree, here are four of the intangible benefits many students do enjoy.

Postgrad Education Can Spark Passion

The popular job search site Idealist wrote up a list of possible benefits from graduate school education, and while many of them focused on things like qualifying for particular jobs or industries, one benefit that stood out was more intangible. That was that earning a graduate degree can "satisfy your intellectual curiosity and spark passion." This is an incredibly valuable point, even if some would counter that there are cheaper ways to find one's passion. The argument made by Idealist, with the support of comments from one former student, was that grad school gives you the time and space to reflect and wade through information — which isn't always possible in the real world.

You Can Generate A Sense Of Accomplishment

While all schooling is about learning, graduate school also provides (more often than not) the pursuit of genuine accomplishment. This accomplishment comes not just in the form of earning a degree, but through publishing projects, composing theses, working in important internship or research positions, and even caring for patients or impacting legal proceedings, depending on the program. In graduate school you get the chance to apply what you've learned in the real world, without the added pressure of maintaining a job, or just getting by. Often your first job out of college won't offer these opportunities, but gaining a sense of accomplishment in school can help to inspire you moving forward.

You Might Find Your Direction

This falls somewhat in line with the idea of sparking passion, but more specifically it means finding out who you really want to be in a professional context. Menlo Coaching's graduate school application coaching program suggests, through testimonials and basic instruction platforms, that there's a lot that most grad school applicants can learn about themselves even before they get to school. Crafting an application means articulating your qualifications and intentions and exploring introspectively what it is you truly hope to gain from the program. This remains part of the process throughout graduate school and often results in graduates having a keener sense of where they want to go in the professional world than they might have had following undergraduate education.

You'll Make Relationships

Some would summarize this idea with that broad, often meaningless term "networking," and others would classify relationships as tangible benefits. But the real point here isn't necessarily the people whose hands you'll shake in grad school, but the things you'll see those people do. The world of education beyond college is full of serious and ambitious people. Seeing them fail, succeed, socialize, and go about their everyday work can be an amazing experience. All of this can amount to a sort of real world lesson that sticks with you in the professional world.

This is not meant as a total endorsement of graduate school. However, hopefully these points helped to illustrate that the debate shouldn't be entirely about tuition costs and the degree itself. For some students considering grad school, it's what happens in between paying and graduating that really makes the experience worthwhile.

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Monica is a entrepreneur. She does part-time freelance writing on topics related to business and education. Want to connect? Send her an email.

Learning On Your Time with Online Learning Platforms

* A version of this post was originally featured on the OOHLALA Blog and on the Nerd for a Living blog.

I have been fortunate to work in student affairs for the past several years. It has been a fun and transformative experience for me. But lately, I’ve been starting to feel as though I’m in a rut. I’m ready for a change, perhaps into a new career field. I’m interested in getting into marketing, but I don’t feel like I have all the necessary skills and experiences yet to be a competitive candidate.

Wanting a more formal basis for this career shift, and not having the time to return to life as a full-time student, I began to look into different online learning platforms. Here’s what I discovered:

Online Learning Platforms – edX, Coursera, and Udacity

The promise of sites like edX, Coursera, and Udacity is that you can partake in, (often free), courses on all sorts of topics, (usually), on your own schedule. Think of these tools as webinars, but better in pretty much every way—and about stuff that you’re actually interested in. There are presentations, videos, and resources around specific learning outcomes and topics. The instruction is a bit longer than your typical webinar, but the end result is a wonderful handcrafted course that teaches you about a practical skill you can use.

The Sky’s the Limit

The breadth of content on these platforms is impressive. A simple search reveals courses on everything from game design to fantasy literature, superhero culture to programming.While some of these offerings can be fulfilling on a personal level, there are also many options to further yourself professionally. For example, I enjoyed taking some courses from the "Career Success" specialization offered by the University of California at Irvine. There are even connections to universities for many of the courses. This means they may also give you credit towards a degree.

All these online learning platforms offer a simple and accessible way to learn whatever you want on your time at whatever pace, (and cost), you wish. You don’t have feel anxious about investing in courses, fees, or books that might not pay off.

The lack of huge investment in these platforms is an incredible disruption to the education paradigm. It benefits any of us working towards work that fulfills us.

The Alternative Education Experience

As someone who works at an institution of higher learning, I am, perhaps counter-intuitively, supportive of these platforms. They help bring learning to more people in the world, which is what I hope to help foster in my own way. It’s why I got into education in the first place. These services embody the values I wish more higher education institutions would work towards. They limit financial risk, focus on the content, and create courses on what users want. A typical course takes only several hours to complete, so you could be on your way to a certificate or college credit within a month’s time.

While the experience of going to a college campus is uniquely beneficial, not everyone can invest in that experience. Also, the need for specific college degrees as credentials for entering a particular field is diminishing. In some fields, job seekers now just need to be able to prove they can do the work. Sitting in a classroom, learning about how to do these things, isn’t necessarily preferred. Online learning platforms can get you engaged in the topics you want to learn about, and won’t waste your time with anything else.

Low-Risk and Available Anytime

What my exploration of these platforms has encouraged is that it’s never too late to start working toward a career you love. While these online learning platforms will not be the end of that journey of growth and change, they can be a strong start. The best part is that you have nothing to lose by checking these sites out and diving into a course. They’re low-risk and are available anytime you are ready to engage.

I look forward to getting involved with some of these platforms myself. I hope the experience is positive for those who choose to get involved as well.