Wily Economic Times

Many apologies for not updating sooner, but I believe this will now be a weekly deal, every Wednesday before I leave.

As many of you know, and for those of you who may not know, the economy's fluctuating quite a bit. Luckily, we're still rolling along, and we will still keep offering classes into next year. What's really been a boon is the Colorado Workforce, located here: http://www.coworkforce.com/ They've been partially paying for classes, especially if you're in between jobs at the moment. It's worth it for the educational factor, as well as the networking opportunities. One of the most important aspects of getting ahead, starting a business, or even expanding your social horizons is getting out there and meeting people. Who you know is just as important as knowledge and skill. Some may say your connections are most important, however once you attain what you are seeking, in order to keep that position, you neet to know how to do your job well. Questing for knowledge is rarely frivolous, and craftsmanship is difficult to come by in this day and age. Although possible, without attaining at minimum wireframe of connections, marketable skills, and facts to back up your workmanship, it's difficult to keep afloat.

That said, CEEP certainly wants to help out as much as possible. We are considering a breadth of ideas, and we would love some input. Please look over a brief survey ad give us your thoughts on our future endeavors: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=hdnTN7SmlYrGH_2fPRdurgwA_3d_3d

Some of the ideas may seem juvenile at first glance, such as the scavenger hunt through our catalog, or the "breaktime" packages, but think of them this way: What other educational institution would include something like a Kit-Kat bar or a cup of tea in with their classes? How many universities, continuing education institutions, and study programs are trying new things in order to keep current students happy, and potential students enticed?

We're doing our best, and that's what we want you to expect from us.

I look forward to any comments. Until next week!

-Nick

Let the blogging begin!

First thing's first: Welcome to everyone, our students, potential students, instructors, random Joes, and random Jills, Toms, Franks, Kathleens, and any other name that comes to mind. We now have a brand new blog in order to talk about...just about anything, really. We don't have a set plan as to what will be here, whether it's news (our Twitter covers those tidbits) or discussions on our classes, instructors, or just great news from the world of engineering. Generally, we don't hear a whole lot from our students after they take a class with us, and we would like to change that, get people involved, build a community. Part of the fun of life is meeting new people, and what's better than meeting new people from your respective industries?

Second thing's second: About me. I will probably be the primary person that posts here, so I'll fill everyone in as to who I am, what I do, and where I sit within this grand scheme of education. My name is Nick Berg, and I am everything web and database in CEEP. I've been with CEEP since 2006, starting off as a student assistant and working my way up, learning the caveats of the educational system here at the University of Colorado Denver. My educational background actually isn't in engineering; rather, I graduated this May with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 3D animation. However, between high school and college before working here, I was deeply associated with the Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement non-profit, which deals heavily with educating kids about its namesake, and creating competitions for K-12 students to participate in.

But, enough tooting of my own horn. This is only our first of many posts. Tomorrow, I will discuss our current state, ideas we are mulling over to make our program better, and a call for thoughts on it all. I look forward to comments from our readers! Make sure you visit our website for info on courses. www.cudenver.edu/ceep

Ta for now.

-Nick