Journalist turned Market Researcher

I knew there was a reason I named this blog "It's Always Something" because there is always something happening to me. Today was an exceptional day in the happenings of my life. Once you hear this story you will sit there shaking your head saying "Man, it sucks to be her".

So today was the first day of my business management class, which I thought was Personnel/Human Resource Management. So I get to class early with my make-shift lunch of pita chips and Sobe Life Water, and strategically choose my seat in the middle of the room. I sit down, and start reading today's issue of the USA Today.

At 2 p.m. the professor walks in, pulls up the powerpoint slides, and starts his lecture. I take little notice in the fact that the first slide on the powerpoint said Managing People and Work. The professor continue to talk about himself, and he has us introduce ourselves to the class.

I stand up, say my name, major and one interesting fact. He's looking through his roster, flipping the pages, and then looks up at me with a strange look. ***This should have been my first red flag*** He said I don't have you my roster, so he asks for my name again. And when he has expelled all of the effort he could on the dilemma, he said we will talk about it after class.

After the introductions, he dives head first into his lecture on "Managing People and Work". Did I mention that the class is from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.? So I sit through the first half of the lecture (about an hour and a half), and then he lets us take a short break.

Me being the overachiever that I am decide I am going to figure out what is up with roster during this 15 minute break. So I go over to talk to him, and he is talking to this other girl whose name was also not on the roster. And I overhear him say something about Human Resource Management starting in March. ****This should have been my second red flag****

We start talking about the situation, and it turns out that the same teacher teaches both Managing People and Work AND Personnel/Human Resource Management. AND both classes are each 8 week classes. The class I was originally registered for was Personnel/Human Resource Management, which doesn't start until March 8.

But the professor was really nice about it, and he told me that I could just stay in Managing People and Work and drop Human Resource Management. So I say ok since I've already sat through half of the first class, and I will be done with it in March. I'm thinking "YEAH. I've got it made."

As it gets closer to time to go, the professor passes out the syllabus. He explains what is expected of us, the quality of work he wants to see, and all of the projects. As I'm looking at the syllabus, I notice the pre-req's for the class...NONE of which I had had. ***This was my third red flag.***

After class is over, I've been assigned a group of the team project and given all of my contact information to that group, I find the teacher and express my concerns about the pre-reqs. He says it should be fine and that he wanted me to go up stairs to enroll in the right class, Managing People and Work.

So we go upstairs, explain the situation to the department secretary, and she tells us that probably can't be in the class because I don't have the pre-reqs. Then, the professor tells me that the pre-req for Personnel/Human Resource Management is Managing People and Work.

Now ain't that just dandy. I can't take either. Well I proceed to plead my case, saying that it was on my sheet as a class option for me to take and that I need 3 more hours in the College of Business to graduate in May.

I guess was I convincing enough because they let me go talk to another guy, one of the higher-ups, to see if I could stay in the class without the pre-reqs. So I talk to this man, explain my situation, tell him all of the marketing and management classes that I've had and stand strong with the fact that my Marketing electives sheet told me I could take the class. He asks for my name, and then leaves me in his office to wait.

Obviously this guy is not very smart because he goes next door to talk the professor of the class that I just sat through even though I wasn't enrolled in it, and started asking him questions about me. The guy just met me 3 hours ago. What is he suppose to say? I tried my best to hear what they were saying, and I heard him say something to the effect of "She seems like a bright girl..." and he said that because he has no idea what kind of person I'm like. I could be a crazy insano for all he knows.

But anyway...move on. The professor comes to get me, and he starts explaining that I will be doing a directed study. A 3 hour directed study. A 3 hour directed study in marketing. Tell me where that sounds a little off. I'm a journalism major, and yet I am going to doing research in a field that I hate. It's going to be great. JUST GREAT.

He said that I will be helping him do some research on individual personalities and comparing my research to other areas. I mean what was I suppose to do? I couldn't say no. I need the hours to graduate on time, and I can't take either of the courses he teaches because I don't have the pre-reqs.

So here I am. Yesterday a learning journalist, and today a journalist who is also a market researcher....or I should say a individual personality researcher who specializes in the field of management. Welcome to my life.