I'm not sure how I got on the Alpha mailing list but I'm glad I did. I'm a former government secretary who was out of the job market for six years following the birth of my daughter. To my chagrin, I re-entered the job market only to find myself a dinosaur, despite a BA in English from Tufts University and more than 10 years of work experience. The good news, however, was discovering I wasn't as hopeless in math as I once believed. Since I had noticed that people who understood math made more money than I did, I ended up at Contra Costa College, a community treasure in San Pablo, CA. In May, 2009, I received a Certificate of Achievement in Business-Accounting. The program also brought me up to speed with Microsoft Office 2007, especially Excel. What I appreciate about Alpha is the overview of the big economic picture, not just stocks and bonds.