YAY! I just turned in my Capstone Project!

[soliloquy]

Wow, what a feeling of relief! I just turned in the last draft of my Capstone project. My instructor's final word on my 3rd draft was "well done." I thought she was going to tear my paper apart. I'm so happy and glad to be finished with my project. :hurray: But, I also feel like I accomplished a lot. I didn't feel like my Capstone was just busy work. I truly felt like it was a culmination of everything I learned.

I can't believe I have to wait 52 days for my degree to be conferred. I may go stir crazy. :willynilly:

But, YAY, I'm all finished. I can't believe I completed my BS at COSC in just two semesters only taking one class this summer. In December of last year I was expecting another two years before I got to this point. I'm so glad I found this board.

[laughter]

Yay, congrats!

[cookderosa]

congratulations!!!!! That's a fantastic mile-stone. I'll bet you're counting down the days

[JTP]

Congrats!

So now that this chapter is done, whats next for you?

[soliloquy]

Graduate school is next!

I'm in the process of applying to Missouri State University for their Masters in Administrative Studies with an Emphasis in Project Management. I want to start in the spring. This was a tough decision but I kept coming back to project management because legal project management is becoming an "in" thing at a lot of larger firms and corporations. The ABA has been gushing about how project management is affecting the legal industry for a couple of years now. It was extremely important to me that I attend at B&M school but I also didn't want to go into a lot of debt completing a Master's program. I estimate that the basic cost of tuition for an emphasis in Project Management will be, Core: (21*275) + (12*307) = $9459.00.

I have some more professional certifications I want to earn:

I earned the "CP" Certified Paralegal credential and the "ACP" Advanced Certified Paralegal Credential awhile ago. Now...

I am also in the process of applying to the John Cook School of Business for their Certificate in Ethics and Corporate Compliance. This is just something that I'm interested in and would be nice to have if I'm going to work in the legal environment in a corporate setting. It's self-paced and you can complete it in about 8 MONTHS. When you finish the course and past the exam, you also earn the CECM credential. As a plus, I'm fairly certain I can use this as CLE for my current paralegal certification.

As soon as my degree is conferred I also want file an appliction for and pass the PACE Exam. I ordered the manual on Amazon today. It's the "other" national paralegal certification exam administered by the NFPA. It's not very big as far as certifications go in my state (NALA dominates here) but I still would like to have it. After you pass their exam you earn the credential "RP", I think only 5 paralegals in the state currently have both the CP/ACP and the RP. http://apps.americanbar.org/buslaw/blt/2...rgin.shtml

I'm also going to work on my Advanced Certified Paralegal credentials (via NALA) in Contracts Management/Contracts Administration, Business Organizations: Incorporated Entities, E-Discovery and maybe Real Estate Principles.

Then finally, I want to learn another foreign language. I speak Farsi but it's not very useful in corporate settings and I'm not looking for a government job. Since the industry calls for so many Spanish speakers, I'm going to learn Spanish. I actually took several years of Spanish but when I began to learn Farsi I didn't keep up with it like I should have. I've lost a lot but hopefully it will return quickly.

[LaterBloomer]

Wow! Great achievements, and great goals. Have you thought about elected office? Is the Clerk of Court elected in your area? If so, your qualifications would be perfect for the job.

Good luck with all of your work. When you've finished with the paralegal exams, would you tell me which was the more difficult certification exam? I'm curious.

[soliloquy]

I certainly will let you know how the exam goes. I plan to take it in September. I just checked and there are actually no paralegals in my state that have both certifications. There are some in other states. The big difference between the two exams is that the CLA/CP exam is the equivalent of a two day exam. The PACE exam is a 4 hour exam. They cover similar topics. I've heard mixed reviews on which is more difficult with the CLA/CP exam being called the "granddaddy" of paralegal exams but I'm interested to find out for myself. I'll let you know. Here's an article that breaks down the difference although the CLA/CP exam format has since changed a bit. A Paralegal's Study Guide

I'm too much of an introvert to run for elected office. I've been told I would make a good candidate some day by others. I just don't think I could handle all of that public scrutiny and everyone in my affairs.

[JTP]

Really awesome goals! Good luck in all of your future endeavors.

[sanantone]

Congratulations.

[Saharapost]

Congratulations.