Community Business College

Christmas Season End

2012-01-06T22:01:00.001-08:00

As we close the twelfth day of Christmas (AKA “Twelfth Night”), we close out the Christmas season. It’s also the Epiphany or otherwise known as the 12 Drummers Drumming day.
Community Business College celebrated the season of holidays by sending out Christmas cards. Mailing cards seems to be a lost art these days and the tradition is threatened by electronic versions sent by e-mail. Although some e-cards are pretty impressive, but they're just not the same.
Our postmaster told us that along with bills and checks not being sent by mail anymore, Christmas cards aren’t being sent out like before. Instead of being one of their busiest times, the end of December tends to be slow for them.
On hearing that, we rushed to get out a batch of Christmas cards in the mail. Here's a sample of the snowman of words we sent out:

Why Christmas Cards?
There is something special about getting something in the mail sent from one person to another. So much of what comes in the mail is sent my a machine. When you get a Christmas card from someone you know, you have a pretty good idea that somebody touched at least once.

Even the photo cards which are so popular these days offer something a Facebook post just can't match. One of the interesting ways these cards fit in with the traditional greeting cards is when they are saved from year to year. The family photo cards show the changes that have occurred from year to year. It adds a nice poignant touch to those holiday feelings.

Mixing the traditional with the new is what we like to do.

Would you like a Christmas Card?
Send us an e-mail to ChristmasCard@communitybusinesscollege.edu to be put on our list for next year.

Twas The Night Before Christmas at Community Business College

2011-12-24T23:53:00.000-08:00

Twas the night before Christmas, when all thru the school;
Not a computer was running, every mouse was left cool.

Job seekers were nestled, all snug in their beds,
With visions of great jobs and fantastic salaries, dancing in their heads.

When in the job placement office there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But St. Nick and his sleigh, with all his reindeer.

More rapid than eagles he brought something to work,
And with him he brought new job openings all typed up by his clerk.

The job openings were placed very carefully on the tree,
They were sure to fill new hires with a winter-time glee.

And laying his finger aside of his nose,
He took off to look for more jobs as he left me to doze.

But I was sure I heard a voice exclaim as he faded from sight,
Happy job hunting to all, and to all a good night!

Merry Christmas from all of us at Community Business College!

Want to check out pictures of the CBC job placement tree? Check out our Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.347447848602522.100364.100000119297771&type=1&l=f2b1c3aee9

The Edibile Arrangements Grand Re-Opening

2011-12-09T07:29:00.001-08:00

Edible Arrangements had their grand re-opening/ribbon cutting ceremony yesterday. The ceremony was sponsored by the Modesto Chamber of Commerce. As a Modesto community college, Community Business College tries to attend as many of these grand openings as we can. They are excellent opportunities for the school to gauge new hiring opportunities and what the businesses climate is in town. So we were there and what follows is a report of how it went.

The Edible Arrangements store is a bit of a “re-opening.” The franchise was sold a couple of years ago and the current owners picked it up after having successful stores in other places.

We’ve had to arrangements delivered to Community Business College and by far the most popular item was the chocolate dipped pineapple followed by the chocolate dipped strawberries. The grapes on a stick went well too. The honeydew melon and the cantaloupe add nice color to the arrangement but were by far not as popular as the other pieces for snacking in the office. It certainly brings out the chocolate lovers from staff and students.

At these events you can always learn something new about the business or the industry. Tim, the manager at Modesto’s Edible Arrangements says they always tries to buy its fresh fruit locally for as long as they can. Then, as the cooler months arrive in the Central Valley, they switch to Arizona and Texas. After those states complete their harvest, they import their fruit from Peru. The arrangements are popular for dieters (at least some of what you're eating is healthy fruit) and people trying to send someone something different, other than flowers.

Of course, one of the best parts about the grand opening was, in addition to meeting a whole bunch of friendly people, the free samples. There is nothing like a chocolate-dipped strawberry to make your day a little better.

If you’d like to see pictures of the ribbing cutting ceremony, they will posted in next month’s Modesto Chamber of Commerce Progress magazine, the online version of which can be viewed here.

College Offers Cyber-Monday Deal

2011-11-28T08:15:00.000-08:00

The lifelong learning community education department at Community Business College is now offering a Cyber Monday discount of 12% off of any class to help launch the "Mastering Public Speaking" class.

This is an instructor-led, 6-week course where students learn to speak confidently and persuasively to both large audiences and small groups. The course helps students master the art of verbal and nonverbal communication, find out how to overcome their fear of public speaking, learn how to organize and deliver a short or long speech effectively, and practice techniques for communicating with ease and skill in any setting from a meeting to a job interview. The skills learned in this skills-enrichment program translate to other parts of life where communication is important.

By making the classes available online and by blending them into the campus-based programs, the college is offer the best of both worlds to “Mastering Public Speaking” students. Through expert-designed lessons, experienced online instruction, and interaction with fellow students, participants in this course gain valuable knowledge at their convenience. They have the flexibility to study at their own pace combined with enough structure and support to complete the course. Students can access the classroom 24/7 from anywhere with an Internet connection.

The next class starts on December 14th, 2011 and enrollments are being accepted now. New sessions of the course run each month. The public speaking course lasts six weeks. A dedicated professional instructor facilitates every course; pacing learners, answering questions, providing interactive feedback, and facilitating discussions amongst the class participants.

The discount offer starts on CyberMonday, November 28th, 2011 and lasts throughout the following week. To learn more, visit the school’s lifelong learning website at http://www.cbcwebcollege.com.

Military Spouse "Thank You For Your Family's Service" Scholarship

2011-11-15T06:50:00.000-08:00

Most people understand what a sacrifice the members of the military take on when they sign up for armed forces duty. Military service personnel take a big chunk of their lives and turn it over in service of their country.

As we wrap up Veterans Day 2011, it's a good time to reflect on what these people do and why this day is so much more than just a 3-day holiday weekend.

The annual Veterans Day parade had a lot of people this year, especially given the cloudy weather and the chance of rain. The overcast clouds, however, added to the poignancy of the setting as we contemplated the sacrifices made by service personnel. One bakery was handing out free gourmet mini-cupcakes to any current or retired service member and other vendors were offering special discounts for members of the military services as well.

It's important to recognize not only the service of the individual members of the military themselves but also the families of the military, as well. Because they aren't always in the headlines, it is sometimes easy to forget what family members sacrifice. Military families are constantly on the move, which makes it difficult to establish long-lasting friendships with neighbors and classmates because spouses and children never know how long they will be in one place before being transferred to a new location and starting over.

Community Business College recognizes the importance of military spouse education and the challenges that come with achieving higher education due to constant moves and expenses. That's one of the reasons why Modesto's Community Business College supports veterans and families to help them on the path to a successful, portable career through the "Thank You For Your Family's Service" scholarship.

The "Thank You For Your Family's Service" scholarship was established in 2009 to help more people get full value of their education efforts and to try to help more military spouses than might be otherwise served.

The privately-funded scholarship program, coupled with the Department of Defense MyCAA funding program helps spouses of active duty service members get the training and job placement assistance they need for portable careers. Depending upon their choice of training programs, military spouses can qualify for up to 100% of the tuition and costs to be covered by the combination of funding programs. From Project Management certification in conjunction with the Project Management Institute to Medical Billing and Coding, military spouses have a wide range of opportunities from which to choose.

In order to be eligible, spouses register with the Military One Source system. The training programs must be "job ready," for which Community Business College's vocational (both on-campus and online) training programs qualify. Spouses of recently returned veterans have 180 days from their de-activation to remain eligible.

As part of its overall efforts to bring more training opportunities to military families, the "Thank You For Your Family's Service" scholarship is one of the reasons why Community Business College in Modesto has earned the designation of the Military Friendly School by G.I. Jobs Magazine for three years in a row.

Thanks again to all who serve our country.

For more information, check out the school's website or write to MyCAA@communitybusinesscollege.edu.

DealSaver Coupon for Enrichment Classes Now Live

2011-07-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

Community Business College has teamed up with the Modesto Bee’s new DealSaver coupon program by offering a coupon for over 50% off of tuition for both on-campus and online enrichment classes at Community Business College. The classes include computer classes, for Microsoft Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint and QuickBooks.
The college has also included its upgraded online language classes in the deal. By using the e-classroom, students learn new languages from the convenience of their homes or office.

Summer is a great time to learn something new. That's why there are so many "summer reading lists" because education is a lifelong task and learning never takes a break, even during the relaxing days of summer.
As part of this “Back to School Special,” the school is also making its interactive GED preparation program is also available with this Deal Saver.
School Director Dan Guerra said the school chose to offer the College’s first DealSaver because of the “unique and innovative style of social networking with an emphasis on the local community” the DealSaver program provides. The DealSaver arrived in Modesto, California in early July of 2011 and is designed to help newspapers adapt to the opportunities in a digital world. This is the first local DealSaver to offer local educational deals.
The deal runs from July 17, 2011 through July 22. Certificates are valid from July 23, 2011, through Jan. 15, 2012 and can be purchased as gifts.
You can learn several of the programs in the Microsoft Office suite, some of the most commonly used programs in business the world over. If that job listing says you need to know Microsoft Excel, one of these on-campus classes can help you qualify. Excel is the leading spreadsheet program for businesses and has become an indespensible part of the job.
You also have a choice of learning several languages over the Web, including Spanish, French, Tagalog, Greek and many others. This deal is good for six-month classes valued at $94.00.
The Modesto Bee says, "No matter which course you choose, your life will be enriched."

The 2011 Modesto Chamber of Commerce Business Expo

2011-06-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

Community Business College attended the 7th Annual Modesto Chamber of Commerce Business to Business Trade Show on June 23rd. It was held in the Harvest Hall at the Modesto Center Plaza and had about 75 businesses demonstrating their wares and services.
Community Business College was there for two reasons: 1) to promote our vocational program graduates to employers and 2) because we also now offer campus-based classes for businesses online business classes about how to start a new business; running a business and market a business to more customers.

This trade show booths are exclusive to Modesto Chamber of Commerce member vendors, but was open to the public. The job placement department sent out free tickets and invitations to all of the school's programs' job seekers and also to employed graduates in order to introduce them to new and active businesses in the Modesto area.

The overall goal of the show for (mostly) small business is to boost their businesses and gain new customers. The Annual Business-to-Business Trade Show opens new markets for businesses and increases awareness for its members. It is especially beneficial to remind people (especially business-to-business consumers) what's available locally.

This year's expo had tools for exhibitors including a workshop about how to prepare the booths and attract attention. It seems that some didn't heed the advice as their booths were pretty bland and a lot of people sat behind their table and chatted more amongst themselves than with expo attendees.

One of the radio stations (AM 1360 KFIV) did a live broadcast and interviews from the fair and people really seemed to enjoy it. The DoubleTree Hotel made the most of their "home-field advantage" by hanging lots of balloon arrangements from the ceilings and gave out chocolate chip cookies plus a stuffed "Mr. Cookie" toy. The cookies made a great dessert to the main course of "naked burritos" handed out by QDoba and the fruit appetizers handed out by us at Community Business College.

In addition tot he information on the school's vocational program, our booth provided information on the MyCAA, WIA and TAA training funding programs available to the school. These are great programs that can get people training and job placement assistance without saddling them with student loan debt.

The show ran from 3 PM to 7 PM Thursday. At the end of the show (around 6:30) things slowed down and some booths began packing up. Community Business College, however, was one of the stalwarts that stayed to the end.

It was a good experience and we made a lot of new contacts. The best part of the show was getting to see graduates who are employed coming to our booth and telling us how much they enjoy their new jobs.

Three New Job Leads for CBC Grads

2011-06-14T20:30:00.001-07:00

Today our job placement department got three new job leads this morning. The job leads were from serious employers and they look like solid positions.
Hopefully this is a sign the economy is picking up again and employers are getting to the point where they need to hire.
Although there are always hirings and firings going on during any economy, it's difficult to see the bigger picture and know if there are a net number of new-hires happening. One of the ways Community Business College tries to gauge this metric is to ask employers if the job openings are newly created positions or if they are replacing somebody. The new positions tend to mean jobs are being created whereas replacing someone is more likely to mean no net gain.
If you're a CBC grad and you are interested in getting details about the positions and possibly applying for them, contact the school job placement department.

SharePoint 2010 Beta Testing Completed

2011-06-13T20:44:00.000-07:00

We received the results of the SharePoint 2010 Beta test and it all went well. Thanks to all who participated.

Those who participated in this beta test of the certification exams were some of the first people in the nation to test in the new Microsoft Office Specialist SharePoint 2010 certification exam.
Microsoft SharePoint is a web application program by Microsoft. SharePoint is an advanced software platform multiple web applications and supports a wide variety of combinations of enterprise website requirements. Generally it is used with web content management and document management systems.

Examples of its use are multi-purpose platform allows for managing and provisioning of intranet portals, extranets, websites and search, document management, and social networking tools. SharePoint can also be used as a web application development platform.

The project at Community Business College was a very successful beta and reached its conclusion on schedule. We received an abundant amount of test results and the task of compiling and analyzing the data is already underway.

The SharePoint certification validates students' skills in the Microsoft software and is especially helpful with employers who are looking for people with a specific skill set.

The beta testing program was similar to the QuickBooks certification beta test run Community Business College did earlier this year.

If you are interested in participating in another beta certification exam, please contact the administration at Community Business College.

CBC Offering Students Free QuickBooks Exams

2011-01-29T10:54:00.001-08:00

Free Exam Vouchers

The official QuickBooks certifications exam publisher is offering free QuickBooks certification exam vouchers to Community Business College for a very limited time (Midnight, January 31, 2011 to be exact).

It's part of the company's introduction to their new QuickBooks certification program (and a way to beta test their exam software). This Independent exam publisher chose Community Business College to provide its staff and student the opportunity to get an exam voucher and take the exam at no charge. These exams are not yet officially available on the market yet and so anybody passing the exam will receive one of the very first QuickBooks certificates issued.
Community Business College incorporates QuickBooks into its administrative training programs in order to provide its students with the background employers have said they need. The school has been designated an official testing center and also offers a QuickBooks-focused bookkeeping vocational training program.
This is the same publisher which offers the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exams. The QuickBooks exam is not an "environment simulation" like the MOS exam, but a 50-question multiple-choice dealing with both QuickBooks topics and basic bookkeeping topics. One suggestion school staff have offered is to become familiar with QuickBooks reports, how they are used, and what the information on them means. Community Business College has a brief study guide available.

The vouchers are absolutly free and include one free re-test if you don't pass the first time around. Community Business College is also waiving its proctoring fee for tests scheduled between 9 AM - 5 PM, Monday through Friday through February 15th.

The request for a free exam voucher must be received by January 31, 2011. However, once the voucher request has been processed, the voucher is good through February 15, 2011. Supplies of vouchers are limited and the offer may end at any time before January 31. It's on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you can't make it to Community Business College to take an exam, you can schedule the exam with another testing center which can be found at: http://www.certiport.com/portal/pages/locatorview.aspx
Make sure to ask if the other testing center is ready for QuickBooks exams and if they charge a proctoring fee.

How to Get a Free Testing Voucher: Send an e-mail by clicking here or call Dan at Community Business College at (209) 529-3648.

In addition to the QuickBooks vouchers, there are also AutoDesk exam vouchers available under the same program.

First Week of the New Year Results

2011-01-07T23:33:00.000-08:00

As we wrapped up the first full week of the new year, 2011, things seem very much like 2010 but we saw some positive signs this week:

Job interviews increasing. Although unemployment figures for December were released by EDD on Friday and the numbers for for last month seem to be more of the same high unemployment, low-growth, we at Community Business College have seen more activity in job interviews of our graduates. More graduates reported this week that they are getting more job interviews.

Interest in training is up. We had a lot of interest from people looking to make 2011 a year where they put learning and education higher on the priority list. From Rosetta Stone language learning to the full vocational programs in Medical Office Specialist and HVAC , the inquiry calls increased this week over the last weeks in December.

More Opportunities for learning. This week there were some announcements for increased opportunities for both staff and students to learn new things. This includes the Certiport certification testing for QuickBooks and a new Get Motivated seminar coming in early Spring.

So it was a good and busy week. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come in 2011. Happy New Year!

November Graduation

2010-11-19T23:16:00.000-08:00

These are the days that remind us of all the things for which we can be thankful. At Community Business College we are thankful to be able to graduate another group of wonderful students today.

The ceremony was a lot of fun. Things were a little cozier than other graduations, possible because of the weather and some who had hoped to make it couldn't. One graduate couldn't make it because of job opportunity and we certainly understand that.

We had a delicious lunch with a lot of wonderful dishes. Whether it's because the Thanksgiving holiday is so near or because people just got into the spirit of the graduation, there were some excellent foods with great takes on traditional recipes.

One observation on this graduation is that the dignitaries who were invited have all been promoted since the last time we saw them. That's good for them and exciting to see.

We at the school all hope the job prospects for our fresh grads are improving. The labor market results for California and Stanislaus, Merced and San Joaquin counties came out today with some good news and bad news:

The bad news:

Employment is still high (over 12%). The overall employment picture for the last month hasn't improved a lot since the months before .

The good news:

Unemployment hasn't gotten worse. There seems to be some stability now and that what layoffs are still happening are being balanced by some hiring.

It does seem that the standards have really changed when the phrase "unemployment hasn't gotten any worse" is seen as "good news," but these are not ordinary times. They are surely times with extraordinary challenges.

With extraordinary challenges comes extraordinary people and we feel our graduates from our programs are extraordinary people who will soon be working for good companies.

Good luck to the 2010 class that graduated today!

What The MyCAA "Reboot" Means

2010-07-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

Community Business College has received some information regarding the re-activation and acceptance of new participants in the MyCAA program. Here is the summary:

The Department Of Defense has completed the program review and will be making the necessary adjustments to resume the MyCAA program beginning in October 2010.

Starting 8 a.m. (EDT) Monday October 25, 2010, Military OneSource Career and Education counselors will have a much more active role in supporting military spouses. In addition to understanding resources available via DoD’s financial aid support, they will provide support and assistance to identify and gain access to other federal, state and local programs. All military spouses of active duty service members will be eligible for career counseling and support.

New MyCAA financial assistance guidelines
With a focus on the original intent of the program, the Defense Department’s financial assistance program will:

1. Be available to spouses of active duty service members in pay grades E1-E5, W1-W2, and O1-O2 (Pay grades verified by DEERS)
2. Offer a maximum financial benefit of $4,000 with a fiscal year cap of $2,000 (in other words, $2,000 per year in tuition assistance to MyCAA approved schools exclusively like Community Business College with a maximum lifetime benefit total of $4,000). Waivers will be provided by counselors on a case-by-case basis for spouses pursuing licensure or certification up to the total maximum assistance of $4,000
3. Require military spouses to finish their program of study within three years from the start date of the first course
4. Be limited to associate degrees, certification and licensures

Additionally, National Guard and Reserve members must be on active duty for their spouses to receive the MyCAA benefit. Spouses may no longer use the MyCAA benefit when the service member is in an alert or demobilization period. The new eligibility rule takes effect immediately.

Starting 8 a.m. (EDT) Monday October 25, 2010, Military OneSource career and education counselors will have a much more active role in supporting military spouses. In addition to understanding resources available via DoD’s financial aid support, they will provide support and assistance to identify and gain access to other federal, state, and local programs. All military spouses of active duty service members will be eligible for career counseling and support.

These new guidelines reflect a return to the original purpose of the program – to assist spouses of service members achieve portable careers. These changes also align the program with responsible fiscal planning by the Defense Department to help sustain the program. Additional program details will be posted on this Web site when they become available. We encourage you to check the site often.

Currently Approved Spouses
Spouses who currently have an active account will be allowed to request financial assistance until Thursday, October 21, 2010. And beginning September 1, 2010, spouses may request financial assistance for classes that have a start date up to January 15, 2011. To ensure adequate time to plan for courses, no career plans will be accepted after August 31, 2010. All currently approved financial assistance documents will be honored.

Miscellaneous Notes
The program will be closed from Friday, October 22 to Monday, October 25, 2010, so that we may ensure the infrastructure is in place to implement the new program.

“Military spouses are the backbone for military families, displaying strength of
character to be admired by this nation. The Department of Defense remains
committed to investing in military families, and appreciates the sacrifice of
those who also serve.”

* All current correct and approved FA’s will be honored.

Note: The MyCAA policies that will be implemented are under development and will be finalized by the October 25 start.

More details will be posted here as they become available.

Community Business College’s training programs are approved by the MyCAA funding program.

A CBC Graduate Gets Hired!

2010-04-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to CBC Graduate S.B. who was hired yesterday. We hope this will be the start of a new wave of hiring as the economy picks up. We've been getting reports from graduates that they have been invited to more interviews than before. The administrative field and the medical office field seem to be having the most increased activity. That would make sense since employers hire to relieve their pain first.

The Census Bureau is also hiring right now but, of course, those tend to be mostly temporary jobs. But, at this point, any job is a good job. Plus working helps build a resume and provide a more recent experience. This is especially true for those who have been unemployed for awhile. It's almost a "reset" button for a gap in a resume.

One reminder we give all of our graduates is even if you are offered a temporary position, take it and do a great job and make sure to get a glowing letter of recommendation from your supervisor. Those letters are worth the effort and are as good as gold, especially when it's a tight job market for job seekers.

Final Thought For Week Ending On March 26, 2010

2010-03-27T23:55:00.001-07:00

This week's final thought was recommended by one of the Community Business College instructors. It is:

"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill

The sentiment is an especially important sentiment when doing a job search. There will always be difficulties in hunting for a new job, but it is important to never forget that each new job opening is an opportunity; each interview may have difficulties but provides a door to either learn more about yourself or to advance in the job process; and although completing job application forms can be tedious, it is important to remember others who have faced and overcome such difficulties before.

St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated St. Patrick's Day at Community Business College.

For those who are following along using the school's Rosetta Stone online language program, "sláinte" is the word of the day. It's an Irish blessing of good health. By the way, Irish (or Gaelic) is one of the 31 different languages offered through the Community Business College online language programs, but is one of the few languages for which no one has (yet) signed up.

We had corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and carrots. Plus lots of traditional and non-traditional St. Patrick's Day foods. There was also great conversation including a discussion on whether St. Patrick's Day is really and truly an Irish holiday or more of an American addition. Generally the consensus was that it is probably something more along the lines of a U.S. holiday where people like to turn their rivers and beer green.

Anyone interested in the celebration could follow along with the potluck at the Community Business College Twitter site.

We finished off the lunch with two very green cakes. One cake had a rich, green frosting made with cream cheese and pineapple and the other shamrock cake was a great surprise in that we sliced it into servings, it showed a rainbow inside! If only the leprechaun who brought had also brought a pot of gold!

Everyone seemed to have their fill. Maybe the food was too good. Everyone was feeling a little drowsy after having so much food on a nice warm Spring day. One of the school instructors said it best "remind me not to schedule study periods after potlucks."

Pictures of the St. Patrick Day potluck lunch are posted here.

Sláinte!

Finish the Rosetta Stone Story!

2010-01-18T15:35:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the Rosetta Stone commercial with the humble farmboy using Rosetta Stone language software to try to impress the Italian Super Model?

Here's your chance to finish the story and win big prizes.

Simply tell how the video ends. You can submit a photograph, a written story or a video to provide a happy ending, a funny ending or even a sad ending, but the contest organizers emphasize creativity.

To see the commercial, click here: http://www.rosettastone.com/farmboy

If you're ready to enter the contest, click this link: Farmboy Story Entry

The contest is running from January 8th - January 29th and all submissions must be received by 5:00 p.m. EST on January 29th. Then, even if you aren't entering an ending, you can still participate. The finalists chosen by Rosetta Stone will be open to public voting.

Students at Community Business College have been using Rosetta Stone to improve their language skills and making their resumes more attractive to employers. It's a great and inexpensive way to become become bi-lingual or even tri-lingual in a year-long program.

Recyling Pays

2010-01-09T15:55:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the students and staff of Community Business College, we earned $33.76 recylcing aluminum, plastic and glass. The break down was:

Aluminum cans - 32.9 pounds

PET plastic - 33.1 pounds

HDPE plastic 8.4 pounds

Glass - 67.7 pounds

The trick was finding a recycling company that will take both PET Plastic and HDPE plastic. Not all places will do that. Luckily, Turlock Recycling did the job.

The money earned from the recycling will be used for another ice cream social at the school where we turn “Trash into Treats.”

Big Rain Storm - Kicks off October

2009-10-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

With the sunny weather we've been having, it's been hard to really feel like we've moved into autumn.

At 8 PM, Modesto surpassed the 1 inch mark according the Modesto Irrigation District's rainfall monitor. Lots streets flooded, a few power outages, and a whole bunch of fallen trees make the first big storm of Fall 2009 an impressive one. What's worse for the trees is so much rain fell that it loosened the soil so when the winds blew, it pulled some of the trees right out of the ground. The weather services are predicting the weather will stay wet and blustery through tomorrow so be careful when going out.

Next to the school, we saw a street north of us flood. The odd thing about it is construction crews spent all summer digging it up and fixing the drain. This was just too much water, too quickly and it filled up again and be came Lake Miley Way.

It's a good piece of advice to keep flashlights, a radio and fresh batteries handy in case of power outages. Also, check the batteries on alarm clocks to make sure they will keep on in case of overnight power losses.

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Graduation

2009-10-10T20:14:00.001-07:00

Community Business College held a graduation commencement ceremony last Friday and it was fun but poignant. Graduations are always bittersweet - it's a great joy to see our students succeed and complete their programs, but we miss seeing them every day as they go their separate ways and get jobs. The phenomenon occurs at each graduation, however, each class is unique with its own personality and inter-personal dynamics. It's easy to not only miss the individuals but to miss the class as a whole, too.
Students are invited to say a few words as their names are called out and they receive their certificates. That's when the tears start to flow. It's a great time. Especially seeing the dignitaries, graduates, their friends and family members and the Community Business College faculty and staff all together.
Perhaps the most poignant time is the final picture with all the graduates together in a class picture - it's the last time we'll see them all together.

The banquet is always a lot of fun as well. There are always a variety of dishes and a surprise every once and awhile. Someone brought Spam-CheezeWhiz-Casserole once. There was a sign on the bowl, "Warning - Contains Spam" but to every one's surprise, it was a tasty dish. And the bowl was empty by the end of the day.

Another was tomato cake which was essentially a carrot cake but with tomatoes instead. Again, it tasted better than it sounded. It did have a bit of a ketchup aftertaste but with the cream cheese frosting, it was hard to tell.

So it's good luck to all of the grads and as one of our instructors waxed so philosophically:

"Grab us each a tissue,
Cuz grads, we're gonna miss you!"

Easy Speed Up For Your Computer

2009-09-14T22:28:00.000-07:00

A prospective student came in today and as part of the interview asked what can be done with an old computer.
While they old joke is true, your computer is obsolete by the time you get it home and out of the box, there are some things you can do.
The first one is run a disk cleanup. You can buy a program like CCleaner to help but there's a built-in utility in Windows to help you clean up. It's under the "Accessories" folder and will usually clean up things like all the little bits that are stored during web searching.
The next handy utility is the disk defragmenter. Right-Click on the drive that needs cleaning and run the tool. It may take a little while but it will run through and reorganize the drive to make it run more efficiently.
The other easy (and pretty inexpensive) way to speed up any computer is to add some RAM. RAM prices have come way, way down. If you want to save even more money, buy used RAM from a reputable dealer. We use The Computer Guy which is right next door to one of the Community Business College classrooms. He has been really good at finding the right part

What To Do When E-mail Goes Down

2009-09-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

With the surprising down time for Gmail, some are asking what do you do when your e-mail program goes down? The best thing is to have a backup. At the school, we've had glitches with Microsoft Outlook, servers hiccupping and power outages by crews drilling through fiber optic cables downtown.

So, what do you do when you have to have e-mail? As always when it comes to computers, it's a good plan to have a backup. Gmail down? Have a Yahoo account to use in the meantime. DSL Internet down? Make sure you have the dail-up connection to your ISP as a backup (sure it's slow but it will get the e-mail job done - plus it gives you a health reminder of the "bad old days" and to be thankful for what you have). Outlook causing problems, go to the webmail version of
your account.

When working with computers, we remind our students that it's not if a computer will fail, it's when it will fail. Having a backup plan can be a life saver!

Student Recipe For Car Tea

2009-09-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

This is an awsome idea submitted by one of our students. She taught us how to make tea while she's learning in the classroom. Talk about a multi-tasker! Thanks for the great tip, Sandy!
Here's the recipe:

COMMUNITY BUSINESS COLLEGE CAR TEA

Ingredients
One summer day, over 90 degrees
A vehicle at least 90 degrees inside car
North side of the parking lot of Community Business College
1 gallon Community Business College tap water
3 Red Rose Original Tea Bags
1 Stash Premium chai spice black tea bag

Add water and tea bags to a transparent container with tightly closed lid
Place on front seat of car in direct sunlight
Roll up car windows, lock doors.
Check continuously, and move from seat to seat if necessary to keep in direct sunlight.

When the liquid becomes dark, unlock and open door, remove transparent container carefully. Refrigerate for an hour.

Hint: Any vehicle will work, but I prefer using a 2002 Honda Accord with beige leather seats.

New CPR Class Date Set for 09/26/09

2009-08-31T17:12:00.000-07:00

The next Community Business College CPR class date has been set. It will be on Saturday, September 26, 2009 from 9 AM to 5 PM.

Why take a CPR class? Some of our graduates have found it helpful to be able to present CPR certification to employers. May employers want people with CPR and first aid skills for emergencies but few have the time to make sure that it gets done. This is a way for them to get somebody from the beginning. It's also helpful to have as many "extras" to present at a job interview to close the deal.

This CPR class includes instruction on using an automated external defibrillator (like the ones seen on TV emergency shows). One thing not commonly known is, despite the sitcoms and doctor movies) modern defibrillators can't be used on a healthy person. They detect the regular heartbeat and won't engage. That's something students who take the class learn.

The class also teaches how to care for conscious and unconscious choking victims. The old Heimlich maneuver has been updated. Here's a chance to learn the new way of helping choking victims.
The class also includes the correct ways to perform CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) on infants, children and adults.
It's important to know how to deliver first aid for a variety of injuries, such as burns, wounds, head, neck and back injuries. This class covers those and also includes what to do in heat and cold-related emergencies.
Given the concerns about this flu season, it's good to know how to manage sudden illnesses including what to do when someone suffers a stroke, seizure, bite or poisoning. That's all covered in this class.
Students also receive participant’s workbook and laminated Adult CPR/AED and First Aid skill cards that include full-color images and easy-to-read text that will walk you step by step through a variety of lifesaving skills. The skill cards are handy as a refresher and reference tool after training is complete. Keep them with you at all times.

You can't predict when an emergency will occur, but you can be prepared.

Click here to sign up for the CBC CPR class.

August Job Fair Has Few Jobs to Offer

2009-08-28T21:14:00.000-07:00

There was a job fair this week. It was only a half-day on Tuesday and we got some pretty thorough feedback from our students. The overall impression seems to be that there weren't enough job openings. Not only were there a lack of job offerings but the types of jobs were not very specific or diverse. Sure the economy is tough. Statistics are showing that unemployment in Stanislaus county is around 16%! That just means there's a greater need for good job fairs. Not quite sure how much recruiting of active employers goes on, but that is the make-or-break of effective job fairs.

The seminars seem like a good addition if they would offer something other than what amounts to be common knowledge. One person said there were no more than 6 people at one of the workshops.

There were reportedly 1,500 job seekers. The interest is there if a job fair that can meet it.
On another note, it seems that there are fewer and fewer trinkets being given away at these events. Sure, the give-aways are not the reason to go to a job fair, but they give it a little pizzazz.

The next job fair is supposed to be in October and a full day event. Hope there are more jobs at that one.

Fire Drill Day

2009-08-19T17:03:00.000-07:00

We went through a fire drill today. Not very exciting but it's good to see everybody knows what to do just in case the worst happens. Everybody enjoyed getting out of the classrooms and into the sunshine for a few minutes.

First Rain of the Season

2008-11-04T15:28:00.001-08:00

We have had our first big rain of the season. We went from feeling like late Summer to Mid-Fall in 24 hours.

Kicking Off The Blog

2008-11-03T15:36:00.000-08:00

This will help us keep track of all of the happenings at Community Businesss College, a vocational school in Modesto, CA.