Summer is here, but that does not mean a thing to MotherNature. We will have some days these next few months which may be chillier, cloudier or rainy, and on those days all we want to do is stay inside. Fear not, instead of wasting your summer sitting inside on a less than sunny day, here are a few ideas for what you could do instead of cuddling up on your couch for the day.

See A New Movie

No matter where you live, there is a movie theater somewhere near you which is why this is the perfect thing to do on a rainy day. It’s great for all ages, whether you’re a teen, an adult with children, or babysitting–there are so many viewing options at the theater! There are theaters in Batavia, Brockport, and Rochester! A great comedy to see would be BayWatch. A movie for the kids could be Cars 3, and a scary movie for date-night might be The Mummy. There’s so many new releases this summer to see, take your pick!

Skyzone

This is a great place for all ages as well. You could meet up with a group of friends, take the kids you’re babysitting, or even go on a date-night to a trampoline park! The tickets for a day pass are quite affordable and it’s a super fun way to get active without being outside! You have the choice to just jump around, jump into the foam pit, or play trampoline basketball or dodgeball! You can visit the skyzone website to purchase a ticket and fill out the waiver in order to skip the line.

Game Day

And lastly, have a game day! It’s simple, free, fun and great for any ages. Invite some friends or family over, make some snacks, dust off your favorite board games and have some competitive fun! A personal favorite that keeps you distracted for a long time is Monopoly. Monopoly has always been one of my favorite games and never gets old. Game days are simple and easy to put together so why not make some memories during a rainy day.

There are three simple, fun and affordable activities to do when Mother Nature just isn’t on your side. Forget your stressors, and have a fun summer!

In high school I never thought I would end up at GCC. I always thought I would know what I wanted to do, and go to a 4 year school where I would dorm and get the ‘normal’ college experience. But senior year rolled around, and so did decision making. At the time I had ideas about what I wanted to major in, but never certain. Due to that fact alone, I decided on GCC. It was inexpensive, close to home which meant I didn’t have to spend money on room and board, and it gave me the opportunity to test the waters.

My first semester was Fall 2016. During this semester I didn’t really know how college worked, I was just figuring things out. At the time I was taking some core classes I would need no matter what I majored in, as well as some electives to figure out what I wanted to study. I was taking an English, math and history course as my core classes, ASL (American Sign Language) and Sociology as my electives. All was great and I enjoyed my classes, but come winter break I still was not sold on any specific program of study.

Starting in the Spring 2017 semester, my counselor help me decide to take a different route. I took 5 classes as usual. Another required English class, and I also signed up for CEP which is Career Educational Planning—my first online class. I also signed up for communications, biology, and a human services class. These classes served the sole purpose of helping me figure out which of the three majors I was considering would be right for me. It took just one class to figure it out! In my first day of Intro to Communications with Val Bello, and I was instantly fascinated.

However, I knew I didn’t want to be a radio host or TV personality, but rather I wanted to work with social media in the business aspect. From there I examined what majors GCC offered, and found that Business Administration: Social Media and Marketing was the perfect fit for me. While I still had time I dropped the biology and human services courses, and picked up classes in Professional Sales and Marketing. This reinforced what I wanted to study.

This semester, I had the pleasure of getting to know Professor Dudkowski, who also happened to be my professional sales teacher. He not only taught me everything I needed to know about sales and being a successful salesperson, but he also taught me a million life lessons, so I felt it was necessary to mention him as he was a pivotal influence on my outlook on life. He taught me the importance of confidence as well as perseverance. He taught me to never look upon life negatively, as everything is an opportunity to learn or grow. Not only did he teach me, but he gave me so many opportunities I wouldn’t have taken myself. Through his class, I supported the United Way and sold ducks for the Ducky Derby.  He also encouraged that we help with the Fashion Show, although I was hesitant, I eventually landed a position in a scene for Elysium, the 36th Annual Fashion Show, which I walked in this past weekend.

I also got the opportunity to join the MarCom (Marketing & Communication) team at GCC as a student blogger. This has given me the opportunity to grow my personal blogging skills, as well as learn skills that will help me in so many ways in the future. Thanks to MarCom I also took a part in the Faces of GCC Photoshoot, where my photo (see image) may be used for various promotional purposes—including this blog! Through MarCom I have made friends and gained experience, which is all I could ask for.

Overall, I have had a very humbling freshman year of college. I am looking forward to following semesters I will have at GCC, and the opportunities that will arise. I encourage you to embrace your time here, learn from the people you meet, and take every opportunity that comes your way. You won’t regret it.

“Great things never came from comfort zones.”

-Joyell Johnson

-Danielle

Whether you are a first generation student, or you simply have never put much thought into what you wanted to be when you grew up, we’ve all struggled with discovering what our true calling is. It is a frightening thing to be in college and unaware of what you want to do for the rest of your life, while it seems like everyone else is figuring it out. I was there, and almost all of us have been there before. Here are some tips to help you figure out what major is right for you.

Take Career Quizzes

A lot of people may think these are silly, but I found that they actually really help broaden your search. Take career quizzes or quizzes to help you find the right major for you. I wouldn’t say take one quiz and then declare your major as your result. However I would recommend taking a lot of these quizzes, comparing the results, and maybe even list them from most common to least common. Then do research and see which would interest you the most, and go from there. Research will help you throughout this process because you’re learning things you didn’t know about careers you had no idea even existed. There is an option for everyone, trust me.

Here are some options:

• Career Quiz by Princeton Review
• My Career Quizzes
• What Should You Major In? By TestQ

Determine How Hard You Are Willing To Work

I think this is the most important but so many people don’t take this into consideration. Think about how long you want to be in college. If you hate school, I would go for a career that requires certifications or an associate degree. But if you don’t mind school and you have a great work ethic, why not shoot for the stars and get a bachelor’s or even a master’s degree? But also don’t confuse the number of years in school with how much money you can make. There are plenty of careers that just after 2 years of school you can make just as much if not more than someone with a bachelor’s degree, do not degrade yourself. I think that considering how long you want to be in school is important otherwise it can result in wasted money on a degree you maybe didn’t even need for your career choice, or you don’t finish school because you dislike it. Consider your work ethic, your attitude toward school, and how much time you’re willing to put in.

Be Open To Options

Too many people come into college with ideas already in their head, and close their minds to other possibilities. It’s great to enter college having an idea of what you may want to study, however you shouldn’t close your mind to the possibility of other studies. You never know, it could be your true calling but you just didn’t give it a chance. Personally, the best decision I ever made was coming into GCC as a general studies major. I got the opportunity to take a variety of classes to discover what intrigued me most, which is how I discovered and declared my major. It is okay to not know and to explore your options; it can even be fun if you let it.

Consider Your Interests

This is huge, and was a major stepping stone into discovering what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Consider what you already like, what you have a true passion for. For me it was blogging, and social media platforms. I love being present on the web, and I love the way it allows me to connect with everyone else no matter how far they may be. So that’s how I decided to be a Business major with a concentration in social media and marketing, because after a few classes and consideration of what I’m interested in it was easy to decide this was the path for me. You can turn anything into a career with the right drive.

The moral of this entire message is not to stress yourself out. There are so many college students around the world that don’t know what they want to major in, but that’s not a big deal. College is where you are meant to really start developing this ideas, and discover yourself. Be patient, do your research, and it will come to you. Trust me, I promise, I was in the same position 2 months ago, but now I’m here with a declared major and a planned future for success.

“Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.”

-Unknown

-Danielle