Working SMART: The Automobile University

How many people do you know who have used their college or advanced degree as an excuse to stop learning? Are you one of them? What is preventing you from sharpening your saw? Do you lack the time, tuition or patience? Maybe it's easier than you think!

It's been said that commuters here in Chicago experience only two seasons in the course of a year: winter and construction. Both result in delays and frustration for all commuters. If we add up the time spent on both legs of our trip, most of us have between one to two hours of lost time each day. When these seasons become more severe, it gets even worse. With all that time spent commuting, we're lucky to have time for dinner, family and sleep before the routine repeats the next day. And then at work, we're continuously challenged to do more with less. Who has time for personal or professional enrichment?

Earlier this year, I took some time to sharpen the saw and attended one of those Motivational Extravaganza events that featured high profile speakers Colin Powell, Tom Hopkins, Lovie Smith and an oldie but goodie: Zig Ziglar.

I became disciple of Zig Ziglar's over twenty years ago when I borrowed his cassette program, See You At the Top, from the library. To this day, I find myself using Zig's quotes continuously in my work with clients. And I can confirm that he does too. Mr. Ziglar is over 80 years young now and still tours and speaks, always accompanied by the Red Head, his wife of over 50 years, who his listeners have come to know.

In speaking to the crowd at Allstate Arena, Zig reminded me of how we became acquainted when he spoke about the opportunities for enrichment at The Automobile University. I remembered that we figuratively met on-campus at AU. So, I've taken it upon myself to promote this fine, underappreciated institution and create this brief brochure for our ongoing alma mater...

The Automobile University

Automobile University is an institution of higher learning open to anyone who commutes. It offers endless opportunities to put that frustrating down time to productive use. While Automobile University does not issue diplomas, it provides those with or without diplomas the opportunity to enrich themselves without sacrificing valuable work or family time.

Our Chancellor and Cheerleader

The AU Campus

Its always easy to take a tour

At Automobile University...

We allow you to choose your own courses and teachers from among the best in the world who have published audio books. Stephen Covey, Malcolm Gladwell, Tom Peters, Jim Collins, Tony Robbins, Ken Blanchard, Zig and hundreds more.
You can skip irrelevant lectures whenever you want and even fire incompetent professors. Try that at Harvard!
If you have trouble understanding a concept or want greater understanding and retention, just start over and repeat it as many times as you want.
Its easy to enroll. We don't care about your past GPA.
We don't have a football team. But this season, we've won as many games as Notre Dame.
Our fight song is "On the Road Again". School Colors? We'll match your paint job!
You don't need to take out student loans to pay for tuition.
Graduation is strongly discouraged.

You may not be able to impress people with a fancy piece of paper from a prestigious institution. But, you have an opportunity to surpass those who have used their diploma as an excuse to stop proactively learning.

Prerequisites

All you need is a car with a CD player or MP3, a library card and/or credit card to acquire the desired learning materials.

The AU Course Catalog and Bookstore

Search your library's web site for desired topics and titles available on CD.
Search Amazon.com for audio books.
Check out the old reliable source: Nightingale-Conant
Visit your local Borders or Barnes and Noble.
Our Recommended Reads page offers some suggestions - many of the titles are available on audio.

Ready to enroll? Congratulations! Welcome to The Automobile University, Class of lifetime learners! Can't you just hear the AU band striking up "On the Road Again"? Go AU!