Why do we do it?

What are colleges and universities?
Institutions that teach you in certain disciplines, and after you learn enough, you receive some sort of degree in that subject of learning.
Sounds good.
But would you trade that for a life of college payments?
Many, many years of debt.
Sounds not as good.

So, what is the real value of college?
A degree?
What does that get you?
A good job?
Well, what is a good job?
A job that pays well.
What is entailed in "pays well?"
I suppose a good bit more than minimum wage. Enough to live off of. Enough to support a wife/husband and 2.5 children (Who has ever had half a kid? Really?) Enough to live comfortably.
Who says you need a lot of money to do that, though?
Well society, I suppose. Good old society... But as mom would say, if society told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?

I think a college education is overrated. Who wants to go broke for many years for a well paying job? And in this economy, there's absolutely no guarantee that master's degree is going to land you an automatic job for life. In fact, quite the contrary.
There is nothing you can learn in college that you could not learn in a library, online, or in a class at the Y.
Not to mention that all those essays you wrote will do you absolutely no good once you're in the "real world." You'll actually have to relearn how to write. Nobody wants to read a formal essay with no contractions and a bunch of big fancy words that no one understands except your college professors.

So my question is, why do we do it?
Why do we take 4-N years out of our lives to learn things for tens of thousands of dollars per semester that is knowledge that can be gotten for free or much, much cheaper?
Granted, if you are interested in a medical field or some other such very detailed occupation, a college education can be quite helpful.
But is it really worth the money you'll spend?

What do you think? Is it worth it?

Then there's Feedback...

I've gotten lots of great feedback. I check my Etsy a few times a day for any new feedback.
I do have three neutral feedbacks, though.
They are always disappointing.

My first neutral feedback was from someone who hadn't gotten their package yet. I had already shipped it (if they had checked Etsy or PayPal, it would've shown up "shipped") and before contacting me, they left some neutral feedback. The next day, they sent me a message about it, only to send another about 45 minutes later when they got it in the mail. Frustrating, no?

Second one was because something took too long to be shipped. I do have on my shop announcement (and now in my "message to buyer") that it may be as many as 10 business days before their order will be shipped. Maybe they didn't notice it?
I have a busy life. My main time for Etsy stuff is in the evening after supper and before bed. Not a lot of time there. I'd love to ship everything out sooner, but sometimes, I just can't.

My third neutral feedback was from someone who hadn't paid for their order yet. They bought something a two days prior and when I saw that they hadn't paid (I usually wait about 12 hours before saying something), I contacted them letting them know that I would not be able to ship their order until it was paid for.
The next day I notice a neutral feedback that said, (more or less) "Hi, still trying to get the hang of this whole paying thing... Can't wait to receive my fishbowl!"
That one was very frustrating.
Obviously the person is simply inexperienced(they could've just replied to my message and avoided the whole thing!). But it makes me look bad to have neutral feedback.

In every late (or potentially late) shipment, I include a little note to the buyer on a 3x5 notecard with a personal message about how sorry I am that it's late and whatnot.
I hope that'll help keep me from getting a lot of neutral or negative feedback.

Also, you know the people who send messages telling you how great your product is and how much they love it? I wish they would leave me feedback as well.

*sigh* Feedbacks...

NEWS: Etsy has just come out with this new feature called "Kiss and make up?" for neutral (and negative?) feedback! Wonderful. :)

Of Fish and Hippies

Well, about a fortnight ago, my Lightbulb Fishbowl was featured on Etsy Finds. This resulted in a torrent of sales and quite a few convos.
Several of the convos were pleas for me to take the fishbowls off Etsy and reconsider what I was promoting.

And after a lot of thought (and I mean a LOT), I have decided that I'm going to keep the fishbowls on Etsy (I did take them off for a while).
I have had fish for years. I love fish. Betta fish are one of my favorites because they are so versatile and live in such a variety of containers happily. I have kept them in old lanterns, antique soda bottles, jars, vases, and other such neat glassware. They've lived as long as the average betta should. They seem happy.

My newest idea was a lightbulb. And I haven't put them in the standard size lightbulb. That seems a bit small. But the vanity type lightbulbs... And the G40 kind (they hold about a quart of water) seem to do nicely. My fish are happy in there. And contrary to popular belief, they are quite easy to care for in a lightbulb.

Example:
Water changing. Simply pour out the desired amount (you can strain it through a fork if you're worried your fish may try swimming out (I've never had any trouble with it, though)) and fill it back up. With filtered water, of course. I read someone used a funnel for this.

Getting the fish in the lightbulb is not hard either. It is so easy if you put the fish in a bag (or if he/she came in a bag) and simply pour it in the opening. I always advise doing this over the sink or bathtub as a precaution. The person who used a funnel for pouring in water also used it to pour in their fish. I've never tried it myself, but it sounds like a nice easy alternative to the bag!

Oh, and if you are worried about an ammonia build-up, change the water more often! I'm lazy, though, and use carbon rocks which soak up the ammonia wonderfully (electric filters in most aquariums use carbon gravel stuff for this very purpose). Of course I do still change the water. But the rocks really do help!

Many of the naysayers who contacted me a fortnight ago would say something about cruelty... Either the fishbowl being cruel, or me.
Well, anyone who knows me, knows that I am not a cruel person... I love my animals SO much. Ask anyone who is even somewhat acquainted with me. I would never intentionally hurt any animal, and certainly not repeatedly over the course of many years.

I do not believe what I am doing is wrong or cruel.
Sorry if what I'm doing doesn't float your boat.
I have a vase version of the fishbowls still up for you who don't like it.

But anyhow...
Good day to you, and Happy Earth Day!

-Star

Consignment Opportunity!

I was contacted last week by a fellow who is starting a shop called MADE in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Jackson Hole is a ski/mountain town which is also the southern entrance to the Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone and sees as many as 3 million tourists just in the summer.
John, owner and artist behind Strapped Belts, asked if I would like to send some of my lightbulb vases and lightbulb fishbowls to him for his store, starting out on a consignment basis. He's asked several other artists from around the world and I am among the ones who have said yes.
The store officially opens on May 7th, but I will have all the items shipped to Wyoming by the 1st of May.
Once the store is on it's feet, all the consignment agreements will be switched to wholesale accounts (more of my cup of tea) and all I'll have to do is sell my items to the store!
This could be a wonderful opportunity!