Lately we have all become arm chair economists, what with the rise of gas prices, the fall of housing prices, and the collapse of Wall Street banking firms over the sub-prime mortgage mess. So I found it interesting to read here lately a different take on what equals a good economy. Bill Mckibben in Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future argues that we need to move beyond the idea of economic growth as the supreme goal of a nation and towards economic sustainability and the emergence of local economies. Basically, he says we should move away from the energy consuming global economy, for it is damaging the earth and won't be something we can sustain much longer with energy resources becoming tighter and tighter. Mega malls, SUV's, corporate farming, and the consumerist mindset are what we need to get beyond in McKibben's opinon. Taking a more humanistic look at economics, he also looks at how our currently structured economy and way of living have made us into isolated individuals who have a difficult time finding community. Hyper-individualism, he calls it, is something he would like to see less of in America, the land of the individual. I think McKibben would point to the news coming out of Wall Street as evidence of a society that has driven itself so far down the road of "me" that it now has to face the word "us" in the form of a government bailout of the financial system. A nation where the food is grown locally, goods are crafted (not manufactured) by people you know, and you know your neighbors and think about their welfare as well as your own, McKibben would say, is a much better society than the one that has produced the latest headlines from Wall Street.
I encourage you to hear McKibben out for yourself and make up your own mind about his visiion for an economy. His alternative vision to the go-go must grow the economy America that we live in today is not one you hear that often amongst the talking heads on television or our politicians or academic economists for that matter. But it should be heard. And if you like what you hear from McKibben, then I would also suggest that you look at the works of Wendell Berry and James Howard Kunstler to name but two from recent times. Henry David Thoreau had a similar message in the 19th century. Before that in the 18th century you had Jefferson vs. Hamilton, with McKibben leaning more towards the Jeffersonian world view of small towns and small farms. Wordsworth struck a similar note with the poem I leave you with.
The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon,
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers,
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not. -Great God! I'd rather beA Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
RE: What can you do with a degree in psychology?
(Here's an email I sent to my psychology majors about what you can do with a BA or BS in psychology.)
We had a large turnout last night to hear a speaker from A&S Career Services talk to us about what you can possibly do with a BA or BS in psychology. I understand that not everyone was able to make it, and some of you who were there were not able to get any of the handouts due to there be a lack of them. So I've attached the handouts to this email, and I have included some main points below from the speaker and from myself about facing the world with a bachelor's degree in psychology in hand.
1. Our speaker made the good point that there are plenty of directions you can go with a degree in psychology, but very few jobs out there that only want to hear from psychology majors when they go looking for resumes. True, some limited counseling services are done by people with just a BA or BS, but most jobs outside of counseling aren't going to state "only psychology majors apply." In fact, my brother does after-school counseling with Day Springs and he has a BS in business. Just goes to show, that you are not necessarily what you majored in.
2. Our speaker said that you need to do plenty of self-evaluation before you go applying for jobs. What do you like to do? What are your skills? Where do you want to live? Would you want a job where you would have to travel a lot? Would you want to work for a major or small sized company? Would you want to work for government for lower pay, but more job security, or for business with possibly higher pay and less job security?
3. She also asked, "What do you value?" I made the suggestion that students think about what they care about, what they think needs improvement most. There are plenty of problems in America, the world, that you can choose from to dedicate a life towards in many different ways. Myself? I obviously think education, particularly higher education, is very important and that a functioning democracy needs as many college educated citizens as possible. Under that umbrella, I have been both a teacher and an advisor. Under the umbrellas of health care, child care, the enviroment, energy, poverty . . . . . there are a lot of different jobs you could work at to make this old world a better place.
4. But what if you just want a job and don't feel like there is any particular cause you want to work towards? Selling widgets is fine with you. I think that is fine as well. But you are still going to have to do a good self-evaluation about what your skills happen to be. Taking my father for example. He doesn't think he is saving the world or solving any particular problem beyond wiping yourself by keeping the toilet paper machines running at the mill he works at. But he does get to exercise the problem solving and mechanical skills that he has developed and loves to use, and he has fed and housed a family of four in doing so.
5. I made the suggestion that you start reading classified adds for jobs in a field you might be interested in. I also suggested that you visit career fairs and company websites to learn more about potential employers and what they are looking for. Be sure to also talk with friends and family about their jobs and what they like or dislike.
6. Our speaker and I pointed out that A&S Career Services can help you with resume building, cover-letter writing, and interview preparation. These are important areas to be good at, for there are a lot of people who have a college degree out there who will be applying for the same job you are applying for. Don't let a mistake on your resume, for example, get you tossed to the reject pile on the first read through. A&S Career Services 744-5658 is located in the Student Success Center in 213 LSE, and you can use the same appointment calendar http://ascalendar.okstate.edu that you use to make appointments with your advisor.
7. Outside of the classroom experiences, jobs, internships, volunteer work, study abroad, were all mentioned as being important additions you can add to your degree in psychology. The more outside of the classroom experience you can add to your resume before you go looking for that first professional job, the better! For your degree is like a hunting or fishing permit. It allows you to look for that first, professional job, but it in no way by itself guarantees you'll get the job you want.
Finally, I've included some skills that psychology majors are likely to graduate with in higher degrees of ability than students from other majors. Your job is to match these skills to the job that you think would best suit you. It might turn out that you are wrong about the first job you take. Well, in that case, look for another. As our speaker pointed out, your job/career is not necessarily etched in stone. You can go on and do something else that you find more fulfilling.
PSYCHOLOGY
Insights into the range of human behavior / can better answer why we do the things we do or don’t do
Has quantitative / stat. knowledge
Knowledge of qualitative research skills as well
Well versed in the scientific method of research
Can readily compare and contrast information
Empathy skills – the ability to see and understand where other people are coming from in their behavior
Deductive and inductive reasoning
Likely possess a greater intuitive sense
Possess a high degree of emotional intelligence
As a rule, superior listening skills, consequently good at reducing conflicts and finding compromises
Insights into leadership and group dynamics as well as personality
Possess good language skills along with math / data skills
Can formulate an opinion and defend it with well stated evidence and reasoning while understanding and addressing the counter-argument(s).
We had a large turnout last night to hear a speaker from A&S Career Services talk to us about what you can possibly do with a BA or BS in psychology. I understand that not everyone was able to make it, and some of you who were there were not able to get any of the handouts due to there be a lack of them. So I've attached the handouts to this email, and I have included some main points below from the speaker and from myself about facing the world with a bachelor's degree in psychology in hand.
1. Our speaker made the good point that there are plenty of directions you can go with a degree in psychology, but very few jobs out there that only want to hear from psychology majors when they go looking for resumes. True, some limited counseling services are done by people with just a BA or BS, but most jobs outside of counseling aren't going to state "only psychology majors apply." In fact, my brother does after-school counseling with Day Springs and he has a BS in business. Just goes to show, that you are not necessarily what you majored in.
2. Our speaker said that you need to do plenty of self-evaluation before you go applying for jobs. What do you like to do? What are your skills? Where do you want to live? Would you want a job where you would have to travel a lot? Would you want to work for a major or small sized company? Would you want to work for government for lower pay, but more job security, or for business with possibly higher pay and less job security?
3. She also asked, "What do you value?" I made the suggestion that students think about what they care about, what they think needs improvement most. There are plenty of problems in America, the world, that you can choose from to dedicate a life towards in many different ways. Myself? I obviously think education, particularly higher education, is very important and that a functioning democracy needs as many college educated citizens as possible. Under that umbrella, I have been both a teacher and an advisor. Under the umbrellas of health care, child care, the enviroment, energy, poverty . . . . . there are a lot of different jobs you could work at to make this old world a better place.
4. But what if you just want a job and don't feel like there is any particular cause you want to work towards? Selling widgets is fine with you. I think that is fine as well. But you are still going to have to do a good self-evaluation about what your skills happen to be. Taking my father for example. He doesn't think he is saving the world or solving any particular problem beyond wiping yourself by keeping the toilet paper machines running at the mill he works at. But he does get to exercise the problem solving and mechanical skills that he has developed and loves to use, and he has fed and housed a family of four in doing so.
5. I made the suggestion that you start reading classified adds for jobs in a field you might be interested in. I also suggested that you visit career fairs and company websites to learn more about potential employers and what they are looking for. Be sure to also talk with friends and family about their jobs and what they like or dislike.
6. Our speaker and I pointed out that A&S Career Services can help you with resume building, cover-letter writing, and interview preparation. These are important areas to be good at, for there are a lot of people who have a college degree out there who will be applying for the same job you are applying for. Don't let a mistake on your resume, for example, get you tossed to the reject pile on the first read through. A&S Career Services 744-5658 is located in the Student Success Center in 213 LSE, and you can use the same appointment calendar http://ascalendar.okstate.edu that you use to make appointments with your advisor.
7. Outside of the classroom experiences, jobs, internships, volunteer work, study abroad, were all mentioned as being important additions you can add to your degree in psychology. The more outside of the classroom experience you can add to your resume before you go looking for that first professional job, the better! For your degree is like a hunting or fishing permit. It allows you to look for that first, professional job, but it in no way by itself guarantees you'll get the job you want.
Finally, I've included some skills that psychology majors are likely to graduate with in higher degrees of ability than students from other majors. Your job is to match these skills to the job that you think would best suit you. It might turn out that you are wrong about the first job you take. Well, in that case, look for another. As our speaker pointed out, your job/career is not necessarily etched in stone. You can go on and do something else that you find more fulfilling.
PSYCHOLOGY
Insights into the range of human behavior / can better answer why we do the things we do or don’t do
Has quantitative / stat. knowledge
Knowledge of qualitative research skills as well
Well versed in the scientific method of research
Can readily compare and contrast information
Empathy skills – the ability to see and understand where other people are coming from in their behavior
Deductive and inductive reasoning
Likely possess a greater intuitive sense
Possess a high degree of emotional intelligence
As a rule, superior listening skills, consequently good at reducing conflicts and finding compromises
Insights into leadership and group dynamics as well as personality
Possess good language skills along with math / data skills
Can formulate an opinion and defend it with well stated evidence and reasoning while understanding and addressing the counter-argument(s).
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
RE: Wear A Blue Collar On A College Campus
If someone tells you that you have a "blue collar work ethic," then you should take it as the compliment that it is. In my family, I have family members who lived out that compliment and continue to live it out. My grandfather worked hard and dangerous jobs clearing right-of-way for oil and gas pipelines through Louisiana swamps and over Wyoming mountains. It took a back injury to finally keep him from working. He said he never asked his men to do a job that he wouldn't do himself. My father works all kinds of shifts at a papermill and is always there when he is expected to be there. If that means after a short turn around, Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year's Day, well, the job has to be done, and he is at that job rain or shine. "A good worker" is a high compliment in my family. And though I didn't run a chainsaw or work on paper machines while at college, I did bring the family dedication to the task at hand and completed my degree in four years and graduated summa cum laude. If a paper was due on a certain day, I didn't start looking for excuses to turn it in late. I got the paper written and turned in. If I felt bad while I wrote, well, I felt bad, but I still wrote the paper. If the class started at 8:30, I was there not at 8:45, but when class started, just as my father is on time for his job no matter if it is days, evenings, or the graveyard shift. All this to say, that the sense of dedication, not easily giving up on a task, the sense of pride in one's work, the sense of responsibility to do the right and honest thing by your co-workers, that I associate with the blue collar work ethic are all good things to have in helping you get a college degree and entrance into the world of the white collar workplace. If you are interested in reading about that transition, from a blue collar world to a white collar world, I couldn't recommend a better book than Alfred Lubrano's "LIMBO: BLUE COLLAR ROOTS, WHITE COLLAR DREAMS." I know I felt less alone in having read it and gained a better understanding of myself.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
RE: Does Lou Holtz have the secret to a good life?
I don't think most of us would consider ESPN's college football broadcasts as a resource for coming to better terms about what is indeed important in life. For most of us, myself included, college football telecasts are an escape from the realities and complexities of life itself. But the other night I did hear what I thought was some good advice coming from none other than Lou Holtz, former South Carolina coach, former Notre Dame coach, former Minnesota coach, former Arkansas coach. He has been around and has given his share of pep talks to college students. Here's what he said. He said we all need the following:
1. Something to do -
2. Someone to love - (and I would add someone to love you as well)
3. Something to hope for -
4. Something to believe in -
I am sure Maslow and a team of psychologists could give us a more complicated rendering, but I think old Lou is on to something here. If you think about your future outside of OSU in terms of how you will answer those four needs, I think that can help focus things for you as you plan ahead. And I hope all of you are indeed planning or thinking about your plans, for the falls slip by quickly and you soon find yourself with a degree in hand and facing the world before you know it. The better you know yourself before you graduate the better position you'll be able to put yourself in once you do head out into the working world. Socrates would agree with me. He originally said, "Know Thyself." Shakespeare said the same thing in "Hamlet." And I don't doubt that Lou Holtz is in agreement with them as well.
1. Something to do -
2. Someone to love - (and I would add someone to love you as well)
3. Something to hope for -
4. Something to believe in -
I am sure Maslow and a team of psychologists could give us a more complicated rendering, but I think old Lou is on to something here. If you think about your future outside of OSU in terms of how you will answer those four needs, I think that can help focus things for you as you plan ahead. And I hope all of you are indeed planning or thinking about your plans, for the falls slip by quickly and you soon find yourself with a degree in hand and facing the world before you know it. The better you know yourself before you graduate the better position you'll be able to put yourself in once you do head out into the working world. Socrates would agree with me. He originally said, "Know Thyself." Shakespeare said the same thing in "Hamlet." And I don't doubt that Lou Holtz is in agreement with them as well.
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