On trying to figure out the point....

So here's a question that was posed the other day in my Argumentation & Logic class: What is the point of going to university?

You may think the answer is simple. I did, too. Until my professor got involved. She tends to complicate things, but I guess that's a good thing especially for the type of class it is.

Is the point to prepare yourself for a career? Most of us would say yes. Having a degree generally makes you a more viable candidate for certain positions, that's for sure. For my husband, his college education definitely prepared him for a career. He went to what my professor calls a "vocational college" meaning that pretty much every course he took would have a pretty direct impact on his future career. He is a computer science major.

I, on the other hand, am an English writing major with a Sociology minor. Clearly, neither of those are really going to help me for future careers. Maybe if I was also getting a teaching license or continuing to grad school, it would more obviously be a career-directed major. But it's not. It's a liberal arts degree. Most liberal arts degrees tend to mold the mind more than the career. I know a few philosophy majors...but really, how many paid philosophers are there in the world anymore? How many anthropologists?

And, maybe, in the grand scheme of things, there aren't all that many professional writers out there.

So what the hell am I going to school for? What is my education preparing me for, really?

In my estimation, while I'd like to be a professional writer (for Vanity Fair, if I'm allowed to be choosy), the reality is that I'm being prepared to be an effective communicator. I'm learning how to speak well and write with authority. I've seen the benefits of this at my own job a number of times already. I'm learning the best and most compelling forms of communication for any number of scenarios that I might one day find myself in. I'm better understanding how to choose my words for said situations. I'm honing my writing skills so that I can make fundamentally sound arguments for any position I take.

So no, my degree isn't vocational. Not by a long stretch. And my husband's degree is one of the furthest from liberal arts you can get.

If you have a degree, what is it in? Why did you get it? What did it prepare you for?
If you don't have a degree, what do you think the point is in getting or not getting one?



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On taking time....

I am a mere three days into the most stressful semester of my collegiate career. I've opted to take 12 credit hours during the 8 week semester using the following logic: I'd rather torture myself for 8 weeks than for 16.

Honestly, I'm not all that concerned. I took three classes last summer so how bad could it be to add one more to the mix? In my estimation, not very. I already have people looking at my cross-eyed, wondering how I manage to keep up with myself and my life. I had a friend tell me once, many years ago over dinner, that if I stopped to think about how crazy it is what I'm doing, I'd probably kill myself. So just don't think about, keep plugging along, and finish.

That's how I've been pursuing my degree for the last few years.

I started to get incredibly stressed out today over my Argumentation & Logic class, which is probably going to be the most challenging of all my courses. I have three chapters to read and close to 15 assignments to complete, all by Sunday at midnight. I almost had a nervous breakdown, but took some deep breaths and said to myself what I've been saying for years: Just do it. It's got to get done, so get it done.

Then I got a really big reality check and smack to the brain.

I reviewed the required assignments and discovered that, in reality, I only have one chapter to read, three assignments to complete from said chapter, and two other fairly low-key assignments on top of that.

Why was this a reality check?

I learned the hard way (again) that I need to slow down and make sure I'm fully understanding what's being asked of me. So many times, I find myself doing far more than I need to. Don't get me wrong...sometimes going above and beyond is good, essential even. But when it comes to schoolwork, facts are facts. I'm only being graded on the work that's assigned so (logically) I should only do the work that's assigned.

I feel like I'm learning this lesson time and time and time again. Apparently it's something that I desperately need to have drilled into my head. My thick, Type-A skull just doesn't get it sometimes.




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On breaking away...

In approximately 14 hours, I'll be leaving on a jet plane heading for Paris by way of Miami. We have a 5 hour layover in Miami, but sadly, it would cost nearly $100 to get a cab to and from the airport to South Beach. So we'll be stuck inside the Miami International Airport, my husband playing Foursquare (I will not, since I'm leaving my phone at home...but now I'm reconsidering that) and me drinking margaritas laced with Tylenol PM so that I can survive the 8 hour flight to Paris.

I have many unfinished blogs up in the queue here. Many things to say and talk about. Since Paris is basically shut down on Mondays, the husband and I may spend some time drinking champagne and writing at whatever quaint Parisian café we stumble upon. And I'll be catching up on the extraordinary amount of pleasure reading I've been missing out on the fast last several months.

Until next time...

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On taking the time to correct yourself....

Today, I have a guest post over at Initial Draft ...click on over there!





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On working hard for the money....

An interesting topic was brought up the other night. Work ethic.
Any time I hear the term "work ethic" I seem to cringe. Why? Because I've been accused of having a crappy one. My generation, in fact, has been accused of having some of the worst work ethics in the history of humanity. (Just wait until they see the NEXT generation, right?) We seem to often get accused of taking the easy way out or not sticking with something for longer than a nano-second or just plain being lazy.

I'm not quire sure what to call my generation.
Gen Xers are usually those born between 1961 and 1981, so I fall into that category, but 30 years is a bit broad.
Generation Y or the Millennials are those born between 1982 and 1995 (or 1796 and 1996 if you're from Canada, but that's just making up for the old exchange rate, I think).

I was born in 1980. I think I'd fall more into the Millennials than the Xers, but I also don't like the idea of being lumped together with the likes of Justin Beiber. So I just don't know what to officially consider people my age....the Techies, maybe? I have no idea.

But I do know that I'm part of the first generation to really grow up with computers at our disposal. Most of us probably had our first experience with computers in junior high, but there are people like my husband who have been around PCs since he could sit up on his own. We're the first generation for whom our children likely will not surpass our technological knowledge and understanding. We'll be able to keep up with them...heck, they might even have to try to keep up with us!

There is still quite a bit of technology that I'm not aware of and don't understand at all. Things like the Smartboard, which is apparently this really amazing tool that teachers all through Denver Public Schools are using. I heard about it the other evening from two of my friends, both who work in education. It's some pretty impressive technology that I didn't have growing up. Hell, it was exciting when we got white boards in my school and could stop using those God-forsaken green chalkboards. I'm still a little unclear as to the purpose of the iPad, but I'm coming around (I don't want one, but I am starting to understand why someone would).

So what does all of this have to do with work ethic?
I, along with many people my age, tend to spend a great deal of time on the ol' interweb. We just do. Anything we want to do, find, see, or buy, we can get on the internet. It's our amusement much of the time (case and point: ThisIsWhyYoureFat.com / TextsFromLastNight.com / PeopleOfWalmart.com / Endless.com ...need I continue?). But why are we on the internet all the time?

Honestly?

Because we're finished with our work. It's true. We're just that efficient. I'm not saying that other people aren't. I'm just saying that I know how to finish my work quickly and effectively. I know how to do things with the least amount of effort output.

I know. I know. That last one doesn't sit right, does it? However, aren't we all supposed to be working smarter and not harder? People who sit and stare at the same document for hours boggle my mind. What are you doing? What do you need to figure out?

Technology has certainly made my generation remarkably more efficient, to be completely honest. And what's so wrong with that? When did it become not okay to be efficient? I dare you to look at my inbox or my desk. My work is done. I'm trying to find more work. I don't WANT to be bored stupid. In fact, I like the days when I'm too busy to take a lunch. I wish I had more of those days. I like feeling productive.

Just because I can finish something in a third the time it takes someone else certainly doesn't mean I have poor work ethic. It usually just means I know my keyboard shortcuts much better.

But if technology has the ability to make someone more efficient, there has to be another side to it. Technology can also make us unimaginably lazy. I'll be the first to admit that I rely really heavily on technology to do the work I hate, specifically: math. Microsoft Excel is my best friend, but sometimes, it has really bitten me when I'm working. I get going too quickly and trust a computer too much and I end up looking like a fool. I've actually been told, by my boss, on two separate occasions that I have GOT to slow down and make sure everything is correct. That's a pretty big wake-up call.

I can be the most efficient person in the world, but if I have to do the same task three times because I wasn't bright enough to slow down and double check the first time, am I really being all that efficient?

The answer, I assure you, is NO.

So the next time you see me playing on the internet, don't get mad that I'm "not working"...consider for a moment that I'm finished with my work. Consider that I might just be really efficient. And I promise I'll start slowing down to make sure I'm doing my work right the first time.

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On other people having similar thoughts....

In this post, I'm referencing one of my favorite authors, Donald Miller. He's a brilliant writer and a pretty decent theologian.

The reason I'm referencing his post, You Become Like the People You Hang Around, is because it was posted shortly after I wrote a piece about taking control of your life. Miller's musings were in a similar vein as mine. It's okay, perfectly normal, and sometime necessary to eradicate toxic people from your life.




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On changing your positions....

con·serv·a·tive
–adjective
1. disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.
2. cautiously moderate or purposefully low: a conservative estimate.
3. traditional in style or manner; avoiding novelty or showiness: conservative suit.

lib·er·al
–adjective
1. favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.
2. (often initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to a political party advocating measures of progressive political reform.
3. of, pertaining to, based on, or advocating liberalism.
4. favorable to or in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom possible, esp. as guaranteed by law and secured by governmental protection of civil liberties.
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I blame this post entirely on my grade 9 math teacher, in a good way of course.

I mentioned the other day that I think it's funny how conservative I was in high school and how seemingly liberal I am now. In response to that, a friend asked me how and why I felt that way. I said that I find myself being far more open-minded to a variance of issues and options than I ever would have been in high school. Some people had similar reactions as I did to their lives, but my algebra teacher set off a fire-storm in my head.

"Being conservative doesn't mean being closed-minded," she said.
My brother said something similar (though I'm of the opinion he just likes to start arguments with me lately).

I agree with my former teacher (who, it should be mentioned, is wicked-smaht and I respect her thoughts and opinions a lot), but only to a certain degree. I say that because, for me, as a 16-year-old who had yet to start really thinking for herself, I was incredibly closed-minded. I never would have entertained some of the ideas that I do as an adult. I was the very idea of all the definitions shown above. I held to rigidly conservative standards, I was a traditionalist, I dressed very conservatively, but most of all, I completely shut my mind to the possibility of something else being "right" or "okay".

I was first really introduced to the idea of thinking for myself when I lived in Canada. This was how the concept was presented to me: Don't just know WHAT you believe. Know also WHY you believe it.

Ever since then, I have tried to make a consistent effort at really understanding why I believe something. I want to understand the issue, the proposed changes/reforms, and the potential outcomes of all possible options. It should be noted that I am not speaking specifically or only about political issues. Believe you me, there are plenty of those sorts of issues where I fall on every imaginable side of any fence out there.

Examples? Sure.
16-year-old me and 29-year-old me have starkly different views on abortion.
16-year-old me and 29-year-old me would fight all the time about equal rights.
16-year-old me and 29-year-old me are on way different sides of the political aisle.

But whatever, right? We're allowed to change. In fact, we all SHOULD change. I cannot imagine going through life maintaining a 16-year-old mindset. I'd be hyper-emotional, anorexic, and über-judgmental, none of which are really very appropriate responses to the myriad of issues life throws at us.

So do I think that being conservative means being closed-minded? Yes and no. I think there are conservative people out there who are incredibly closed to any change or progression. I also think there are liberal people who are "live and let live" to the point of near-anarchy. I, myself, live a rather dichotomous life really...social duality in all its glory.

I'm fiscally conservative (just ask my husband), but love to buy extravagant things.
I like traditional gender roles, but I'm the financial manager of our house and my husband does far more cooking and cleaning than I do.
I have a pretty "June Cleaver" wardrobe, but there's nothing stopping me from dressing like Britney Spears to go to her concert.
I am firm in my faith, but am willing to concede that I could be wrong.

For me, yes, being conservative was synonymous with being closed-minded. My parents are wildly conservative, but they also have 30+years of thinking for themselves under their belts so we can (usually) engage in very open dialogue about plenty of issues. They respect that I have thought carefully about my positions and I respect that the fundamentals they instilled in me have allowed for our continued conversations.

I wonder though...is it possibly to be a Conservative Socialist? If so, then that's probably what I am.

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