2nd Blog post

 1. What did you know about your field 3 years ago, and what have you learned about that has 'wowed' you? (Supplemental questions: What did you used to think was an advanced topic in your subject, and what do you think is now? What was the experience that you feel you learned the most from?)

2. What do you want to learn about over the next 3 years? (Is it scientific or personal? Why do you want to learn it? How do you plan on developing this knowledge?)

Well, I wish I could say that I know what my field is, but the truth is that I still have no idea what I'm doing with myself, or where I'm going. There just aren't enough classes offered that speak to my interests in plant biology. So, based on that I don't think I can actually answer these questions as they are. I will try to answer these questions more broadly about my educational experience, however.

Three years ago I was just coming back to school from a "career" in retail management. I remember I had this vision of what school would be like and who I would be, as a person, during the school experience. I knew that there would be challenging classes, but I think that my own hubris gave me false expectations of what I would experience. I've done very well, but it hasn't been as easy as I thought it would be. I really didn't know much about science other than the ubiquitous factoids that I spouted off without having done the research to understand what I was saying. I think that the biggest "wow" for me has just been an ongoing clarification of what life really is in biological terms. As a biology major I would have to say that the chemistry portion of my degree was the most advanced topic that I've had to study, and since I still have to complete a semester of organic chemistry I would argue that chemistry is still the most advanced topic. I am a Student Success Specialist at Phoenix College for BIO108 - Plants and Society, so every semester I get a fresh look at what non-science majors understand about science, and it is always eye-opening to see how little factual scientific knowledge is actually circulating in the general public space, even among college students.

In the next three years I need to be in a career supporting myself so I need to figure out what I'm doing with myself in this next year. I can't really say that I know specifically what it is that I need to learn, but I need to learn it regardless. I feel that if I can make some connections with individuals who may work with plants in some capacity, I will be able to hopefully learn whatever it is that I need to learn.