"Just get something on paper." That's the advice my husband gave me about a week ago regarding my first task for Finance. He gave me this advice because usually when I do that, the bullsh!t starts spewing from my fingertips and I get 'er done. Sometimes this means hours of sitting at my desk, pouring over course materials and writing as I go along. When I get in to a groove, a couple of hours can pass by very quickly. I get so much satisfaction out of feeling like I'm actually making progress towards a goal.
Reading the materials and watching the videos that had been recommended in the Communities section for this class didn’t seem to get me any closer to understanding the new terms. I decided that perhaps my husband was right and I did indeed; need to just get something on paper.
I tried looking at the income statement and attempted to make sense of it all. Profits are good and losses are bad, right? I used my trusty white board and drew myself graphs to try and visualize what was happening. Yeah. Nothing was really working. I wrote some BS for one of the questions, but I'm about 7% certain that I'm on the right path with my answer.
Around mid-week, I received an email from Kelly, my student mentor. She gave me the names of some additional resources. I'm currently reading a book called, "Financial Intelligence: A Manager's Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean". If you're a current WGU student, you can access the book for free by going clicking on Resources and then searching through for it through the library.
So far, I am absolutely thrilled with this book! It doesn't quite assume that you know nothing, but just about. It does a tremendous job of explaining concepts in simplified terms. It also gives easy examples to illustrate the points that the authors are trying to make. I haven't cried in frustration even once since I began reading it.
It's taken me some time to get through the book, and to read it slowly enough to really try and comprehend the points, but I think it will pay off. Once I finish, maybe I'll be better equipped to take my husband's advice and just get something on paper."
Forward
Reading the materials and watching the videos that had been recommended in the Communities section for this class didn’t seem to get me any closer to understanding the new terms. I decided that perhaps my husband was right and I did indeed; need to just get something on paper.
I tried looking at the income statement and attempted to make sense of it all. Profits are good and losses are bad, right? I used my trusty white board and drew myself graphs to try and visualize what was happening. Yeah. Nothing was really working. I wrote some BS for one of the questions, but I'm about 7% certain that I'm on the right path with my answer.
Around mid-week, I received an email from Kelly, my student mentor. She gave me the names of some additional resources. I'm currently reading a book called, "Financial Intelligence: A Manager's Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean". If you're a current WGU student, you can access the book for free by going clicking on Resources and then searching through for it through the library.
So far, I am absolutely thrilled with this book! It doesn't quite assume that you know nothing, but just about. It does a tremendous job of explaining concepts in simplified terms. It also gives easy examples to illustrate the points that the authors are trying to make. I haven't cried in frustration even once since I began reading it.
It's taken me some time to get through the book, and to read it slowly enough to really try and comprehend the points, but I think it will pay off. Once I finish, maybe I'll be better equipped to take my husband's advice and just get something on paper."
Forward