Kaleb.G’s blog

As if spilling milk on, and thus breaking, a $50 keyboard wasn't bad enough, I'm about to lose another $50. The USB port on my phone (Verizon LG enV2) is now loose or otherwise damaged for what reason I do not know (no liquids were involved in this case). I've already ruled out problems with the battery, charger, or power supply by using alternates for all of these things; it's definitely the phone itself. It now takes a lot of jack wrangling to get it to charge correctly, and I don't know how long this will even work. My phone is out of warranty, but it's too soon for my "New Every Two" deal. Thus, I have the following options:

1. Wait and see if the problem magically fixes itself.
> Cost: Probable phone downtime, wasted money on a phone service I'm not getting the most out of, inevitable frustration or anguish caused by lack of a usable phone.
> Reward: I pay nothing now. I get $50 off my next phone purchase in Feb. 2010 as part of my "New Every Two" deal (which I plan to take advantage of).

2. Get the phone repaired.
> Cost: $50 (according to the Verizon phone tech support guy). Also, I can't be sure that this problem won't reoccur after repairing it.
> Reward: My phone is fixed, and I still get the $50 in Feb. 2010 to sorta balance things out.

3. Buy a new phone.
> Cost: Around $200, depending on the phone I get. Also, I may not have as good of a selection of Verizon phones now as I would in six months.
> Reward: A new phone with improved features. Don't have to buy a phone next year (hopefully).

I would like to stay with Verizon for the time being. The proof is in the coverage, and there are times I like to travel, so I can't be arsed to have a phone that doesn't get good reception. A new phone would be nice, but I want a smartphone, and it seems that a significantly better selection of phones will be released within the next six months (Palm Pre, Android-powered phone(s), maybe even the iPhone), so it would do me better to wait. Of course, I'm not completely sure about this, so if you know of any great phones, please chime in. In any case, unless I decide on a new phone to buy, or the problem magically fixes itself, I'm just getting it repaired (and soon).

First, a bit o' history. When I graduated high school in 2002, I was fried. Maintaining a high GPA in advanced classes burned me out, and I wasn't looking forward to another four years of taking notes and doing homework. Furthermore, I wanted to start a career and make money; I wasn't exactly well-off growing up and wanted to compensate. I decided to join some school friends in moving to Phoenix and attending a small trade school called High-Tech Institute. It was a big deal at the time, but mostly because I was now living away from my parents in a strange new state (Arizona). 15 months later, I got an A.S. and some programming certs. I returned to Cali and got myself a job making a comfortable amount of money. Well, I've been doing the programmer career for almost six years now, but I'm finally ready for a change.

Many times during my programming career I thought about eventually going back to college and getting a Bachelor's degree, but I never had a good enough reason to -- now I do. I want to make a career out of a hobby, and not just any hobby, but a creative hobby. You see, back when I was fresh out of high school, programming was new and interesting to me (and it was rooted in math and logic, which I like). However, I ultimately found programming to be cold and unrewarding; too utilitarian and "disposable" for my tastes. Meanwhile, over the years, I developed a hobby out of drawing, digital painting, and a bit of 3D modeling. To add even more, I took my love for VGM to the next level when I started learning to play the piano, compose many ideas for my own music, and start making progress with software like Reason. For me, I find few things more satisfying than completing a piece of art that I can feel proud of. It's clear that this creative output is what I want to do, and what I need to do, not just as a hobby, but as a career.

Going to school will benefit me twofold. It will strengthen my sprouting talents into substantial skills. It will also allow me to penetrate, fully prepared, into a career based on my creative works. While the economy may be sinking in deep shit, this is personally the best time to think about enrolling in a college/university. Within a year, I will finally be absolved of all forms of debt. Car: paid. Credit: paid. Old student loans: paid. I'll have extra money saved up, and I'll be ready to walk on the path to my "second adulthood" as it may be called (but probably shouldn't). It could happen as early as fall of 2010, so, over the next year, I will be gearing up in preparation for this event.

This is where I would like some assistance from anyone that can help. I need to look for the following things: a good school to go to, any possible grants or scholarships, low APR student loan(s), and finally, a way to fund my living expenses while I attend school (e.g. a job). My current criteria for the school are: Should be located in Southern California (I could make an exception, but I really don't want to leave), must be a well-established and respectable school (I don't want to attend another shady vocational school), and has strong curricula for music and/or art (especially in conjunction with technology). I want to focus primarily on music (specifically digital composition), but I'm also strongly interested in visual arts such as computer graphics, illustration, and even some traditional stuff.

I hate to end this journal entry so abruptly, but that's all I can think about saying for now. I really would like to start looking at schools, but I don't know where to start. If anyone has ideas, they would be greatly appreciated!