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Jim Bures 2014

Jim Bures in 2014

These are more educated plans I have made...





UMass Lowell - BFA - Graphic Design
11/13/14 - Plan Inception
9/1/16 - Status: In Process




Planning stage:
  1. Taking a refresher course
    Framingham State University:
    ARTS 230 - Digital Tools for Art and Design.
  2. Planning for the financial costs.
  3. Securing Scholarships, Grants, and other Funding.
  4. Planning how to move closer to the college?
  5. Application Deadline for Transfer - 8/15/2015
  6. Portfolio Review Deadline - 1/10/2015





Aprender espaņol por Puerto Rico
10/26/14 - Plan Inception
12/22/14 - Status: In Process




My brother and sister are each married to Puerto Ricans. Their parents live in Puerto Rico and their sons and daughters speak Spanish. I want to learn Spanish too: by immersion. So I joined a Spanish Church. This is sort of an open ended goal.

I also plan on taking Continuing Education Spanish classes starting in the winter of 2015.

  1. Assabet After Dark - 10 classes, $199, Register mid-January for Feb. 9th
  2. Keefe at Night - 10 classes, $179




Growing UP

When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.

~ 1 Corinthians 13:11


    &    


Team up to present these plans...

[ Click on any image for more fun ]




Post Graduation Plans
5/19/11 - Plan Inception
2/12/12 - Status: Denied

This plan involves three parts:
  1. Freelancing while looking for a job or further schooling

  2. Looking for a 30 hr/wk part-time Graphic Design job

  3. Pursuing a Bachelors of Arts in Communication Media

1. Freelancing
Whatever I do, I plan to supplement my SSDI income by finding freelancing projects. With the rest of my free time, I can look for other opportunities. I need to earn about $700/month.




2. Job Hunting
Although I will look online for jobs, my primary goal is to find a good job through networking. This goal is complicated by how SSDI works and how low Graphic Design salaries are. By working only 30 hrs/week I will not be able to earn enough to cover my expenses, I believe.







3. Further Education
Although I am crazy to consider this because of how hard depression makes each semester, I will apply to Fitchburg State University and determine if I want to continue my education and get a Bachelor's. This would make me more marketable, but also I would be able to take music classes at Fitchburg State as making techno music is my ultimate goal in life.

This option I will only consider if I can get very substantial financial aid and particularly scholarships due to my exceptional performance at MWCC. This is the option I want most, but I am crazy to desire it.





Graphic Design Associates Degree
9/2/08 - Plan Inception
05/19/11 - Status: Granted!





Conclusion:
After struggling with clinical depression for each semester of my studies, on May 10th, 2011, I completed the final amount of work required to get my 2 years Associates Degree in Graphic Design for Print. I graduated with Highest Honors (3.80GPA) and won #1 Graphic Designer in the Print Program. God got me through it all, whether I wanted to or not, whether I liked Him or not. I am so blessed to receive this degree, and to do all the work entailed, which is just the kind of thing I enjoy and I have become very good at it.

Original Plan:
For this plan, I will continue my Graphic Design degree on a part-time basis. I'll take 3 classes: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign and Creative Web Design. I plan to work part-time (20 hrs/week) to support my living expenses. My estimated total time spent on both work and school would be around 44 hrs/week.

Other info:
My MWCC Education & Living Expenses were funded by:

  • Mass Rehab Coalition - $2,975
  • MWCC Grant - $1,525
  • Stafford Loans - $12,606
  • My payments - $195

My 2 year Associate Degree tuition and fee total was: $9,375. What a bargain for the abilities I gained!





Alaskan Adventure!
12/06/09 - Plan Inception
07/21/10 - Status: Granted!

Read about the trip



I have a friend nicknamed "Biscuit". Currently he resides in Anchorage with his wife. I'd like to visit him.

I met Biscuit my freshman year of college. Although I transfered colleges, we stayed in touch and after college traveled cross country with the desire to move to the West Coast. Biscuit had less than half the money I did, and, quite frankly, he was a bit of a wuss. I thought I was so strong! Yet when we got to Seattle, he stayed put while I high tailed it home after my money ran out. It was there, in Seattle, that Biscuit met his wife!

After the divine appointment of dropping off Biscuit to meet his wife, I did not speak to him for 5 years. However, he remained on the Etoonin' mailing list. One day, after spending enough money on my credit card, I'd earned a free plane ticket. I decided to visit Squite in Seattle, but could not locate him! Then I remembered that he worked for a Shoe store. I found the website, found his store and called. Who should answer?

Biscuit!

After Biscuit got married, he and his traveling wife moved to Alaska. Still as equally hard to get ahold of, I decided I want to visit him in Alaska before he moves again. I want to visit the land of the midnight sun and celebrate summer solstice! Only problem, of course, is that I have no money to fly out there.

Just another Manic Jim Bures plan...


If I can finagle the plane ticket, there'll be a layover in Seattle, our old stomping grounds. That's where Joe & Joe come in. I'll visit Joe C. if opportunity permits. I'd like Joe M. to accompany me the whole trip because he's got the money and he's got the time. He's a nice guy and I get along with him quite well. And, quite frankly, I'll need the attention during all the travel time.



Land of the Midnight Sun




Christian Community
8/13/09 - Status: Granted

Form a Christian community of guy friends, let the Holy Spirit guide us (through employment, housing and female relationships).






Puerto Rican Christmas
12/06/09 - Status: Denied



My family is traveling down to Puerto Rico for my niece's Baptism. My niece is half Puerto Rican, so my family has free places to stay. I am poor and can't afford a plane ticket. My prayer is that God would find a way for me to go down, but it hinges on two things: my step-brother Joe going too (he can't afford it either) and my sciatica being healed enough that I will have an enjoyable time (currently I can barely walk and parts of my body are numb).

The main goal this Christmas season is
to improve Jim Bures - Family relations.

I've been poor for so long I felt like an outcast in my own family. But: no more!!! God did not save me to live with a spirit of timidity. I will sound my barbaric yalp!


Lessons learned:
This plan failed due to lack of sleeping space in Puerto Rico as well as plane fare cash.







9/16/09 - Status: Denied

Step 1

This plan entails working in retail doing labor. It is broken into three stages:

  1. Making it one month. - Complete
  2. Making it to Thanksgiving. - Aborted
  3. Making it to Christmas. - Aborted

And also entails working until my sciatica is gone.


Step 2
Discontinued

Then, I plan to get a higher paying, more challenging, harder, labor type job and get in shape over a year or two.

Something like
Construction


[Patio & Wall I helped build in 1996]


Lessons learned:
Hypomania can be intense and ruined this job. I decided to continue developing a Graphic Design career rather than waste time in unrelated fields.






Move to Wyoming
6/21/09 - Status: Denied.

Move to Wyoming for a semester of Graphic Design at Northwest College!



Lessons learned:
Don't plan to move without enough money.



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Updated: November 2014

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