We’ve reached our destination…. Week 5

Hello Everyone! Hope you’ve all had a great week and I’m sure you’re all pretty stoked about spring break. This is week 5 of our blog and it’s going to be our last entry. We all wanted to say it was awesome meeting you all and hearing about you and what you all hope to aspire to in the near future. :)

We all know that being an interdisciplinary student has its challenges and obstacles to overcome, however how has this blog helped you in any way? We’ve discussed different goals you all hope to achieve, ways to improve your resumes as well as how to see your focuses and majors in different lights. Now we want to hear a little bit from you about what you learned.

Has this blog in anyway enlightened you and your way of seeing this degree? Think about what you hope to be and how these focuses and majors will help get you there. Do you believe that having classes in these different areas will help you in landing your dream job? How has being an interdisciplinary student helped you thus far in your classes this semester? Hopefully these questions will come easy to you. I know it starts to get rough trying to see how all aspects of this degree will help you, however once you discover the beauty of it’s diverseness is when you start to realize how beneficial it really is to be an Interdisciplinary student.

I’ve been fortunate enough to land an amazing job and I haven’t even graduated, I have 2 months left! However my employer found it very beneficial to him and his company when I told him about my degree. I made sure to know exactly what focuses pertained to him and the company and I sold my best attributes to him. I embraced my wide range of knowledge and made him understand why we wanted me on his team. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this if it wasn’t for the fact that I knew how to explain what my degree was. The more you discuss it the more comfortable you are with it and trust me, confidence shows. We wish you all nothing but luck in your future classes here at UCF! Enjoy it, make an effort to get involved and GO KNIGHTS!!!

Questions:

Has this blog in anyway enlightened you and your way of seeing this degree? In what ways?

Do you believe that having classes In these different areas will help you in landing your dream job? Why or why not?

How has being an interdisciplinary student helped you thus far in your classes this semester?

So...What's your degree again? Blog# 4

This week’s assignment is based around Errol Morris’s article, “The Anosognosic’s Dilemma”. A quick Google search will tell you that Anosognosia is a condition in which a person who suffers disability seems unaware of the existence of his or her disability. In the context of the article, this is somebody too stupid to realize how incompetent they actually are.

This applies to grammar and logic, among other fields. Unless told we’re not good at these things by other people, our natural inclination is to base our views by our wishes and fears. This means we can trick ourselves into thinking we’re capable of more than truly are, because we lack the ability to see our own limitations.

This self-deception doesn’t make somebody dishonest, it only implies that they lack critical thinking skills, and even lack the critical thinking skills to realize that they lack critical thinking skills. Critical thinking does not necessarily reflect on intelligence; this has to be developed like any other skill. There are plenty of intelligent people that go to Ivy League schools, assume high-ranking positions, and never take into account that they might be out of their element. You need to be able to think critically in this major. Why? Because it’s so very open ended. Sometimes I describe this major as a more focused liberal arts degree, that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the arts. This is kind of a terribly vague description, but I only intend to illustrate the freedom that comes with such a degree. With the exception of your General Education requirements and some other pre-requisites, you can take almost anything you want.

This means you have to decide not just which classes you want to take, but how they will greater serve your education. More often than not, a disciplinary view can lead to tunnel vision and bias, while it is the duty of an interdisciplinarian to integrate multiple perspectives to solve difficult problems.

There are many real world applications you can take away from this article, but for me it’s to try to not get complacent in my own set of beliefs. For example, I was at the Burger King today, getting a veggie burger, and I thought I asked for no tomatoes. Now, I believe with all my heart that I asked for no tomatoes. But I also know that I was staring at the Peach Granola Sundae dessert on the menu when I was placing my order, and that my mind was not focused on placing my order. I’ve also worked at a fast food chain, and have discovered firsthand that the customer is not always right, despite what employees are forced to tell you.

Critical thinking is about being open to the idea that you might be wrong, and that only through logic and reasoning can determine whether you are or not. That being said, not getting angry over a order mix-up is not a strong example of critical thinking, but a healthy sense of doubt can make the world a less abrasive place, and skepticism can be the foundation for new ideas.

Your Assignment: After reading this article explore the advantages of interdisciplinary degree.

• How this can apply to the interdisciplinary model?

• Do you find the Dunning -Kruger effect (being Unskilled and Unaware of It) depressing or not? Why do you think we have self-deception?

• What insights have you gained from this reading?

• How can you apply this to 'real' life situations?

• Do you think it requires critical thinking to effectively explain the degree, the advantages this degree brings to the table (vs. disciplinary degree), how/why you chose this path?

WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH MY LIFE?!

Good day ladies and gentlemen! It's Danny, and I'm here today to talk to you about marketing yourself.

First off we'll jump straight into cover letters. I'm sure most of you guys know what a cover letter is, but just in case... it is a cover letter. It's you, it's your interest in a position, your qualifications, and a brief glimpse into who you are. I feel like I'm probably preaching to the choir here, so I'll just skip to some helpful tips for you guys and gals that I feel have helped me when writing cover letters. First, show some fire! Action words and pertinent skills are integral if somebody is actually accepting cover letters, they're looking to see if you are the right person for that job. You already know you're that person, so prove it. I applied for a position with an election campaign while I was in DC, just to keep my skills up. It was an assistant regional director position, something I was completely unqualified for in retrospect. But it was with a progressive organization and involved canvassing and directing groups for recruiting in Orlando. I wrote about my years living here, my passion for some pertinent issues, and tried to speak about the network I have developed over my years there, wrapping it up to how I would be an ideal candidate for the position. I had it checked over by some of my mentors and employers, and sent it in, not expecting anything. I got a call back from the campaign a couple weeks later out of the blue asking me for an interview. Unfortunately the interview was in Florida and I was in DC, but they appreciated my interest nonetheless and I remain in contact with the organization, and now it is a possible opportunity after school. So there's an example, what'd I do? I tried to showcase myself in the best way and had it checked over by people that I respected and that had experience in the field, and then I followed up. That's really all you have to do. Put yourself out there. Experiment a little bit. Don't stress out about them too much, and if they want a cover letter they'll ask for it.

Cover letter briefs lead me to my next talking point: resumes. Honestly, you guys have probably had jobs. Some of you are probably more experienced than I am, have better resumes than I do, and are probably more successful than me. But this is important, so I'm talking about it anyways! The average human resources employee or recruiter will probably spend a minute looking at your resume. If it's one of those computers that scans for key words, even less. Probably a couple seconds. Or a nanosecond. I don't know, I'm not in computer science. So your main goal is to pack a punch. As a rule of thumb, never start a sentence with anything but a verb. Preferably a very descriptive verb. The best advice anyone ever gave me concerning a resume was that you don't just say what you've done, you show it. "Wrote reports" No. "Constructed in depth research reports concerning ______ for a high demand client" Yes. Keep it brief and loud. Here's a link for some power words from Boston College, http://www.bc.edu/offices/careers/skills/resumes/verbs.html . Tell a story, make an impact. If you've done something interesting, say it. If you led a program, describe it. You're interdiciplinary, show off the  range of coursework you've taken in a nice little organized chart. Can't hurt, can probably help. I won't spend too much time on this because there are much better resources than me out there, like your friendly university career resource center. But you get the gist, I hope.

Third, I'm going to go into networking. I think most people have been in a situation where they were in an elevator with somebody, awkwardly standing silently, praying to arrive at your floor. Forget that, it's static and stupid. As soon as those doors close and you're standing in there with some stranger, say, "Hey, how's it going?" It's the simplest way you can train yourself to be open to new people, starting new conversations, acting a bit out going. Soon enough you'll develop some comfortability doing that kind of thing in other scenarios- at the bank, at a restaurant, at a bar, etc. Thomas Benton! You worked in restaurants as a brand rep, I'm sure you know all about this kind of stuff. I can't give any better advice than to sit in your room, tonight, and think about interesting stories or funny one liners that you can use to break the ice with people. Election season, "Have you been following the debates?" Depending on the city, bring up the respective sports team. "God, how 'bout those Redskins..." was how I opened up conversations with half the people I met in DC. This all involves being an active speaker but also an active human being. If you want to network to the fullest, you have to have things to talk about.

Everyone has something that burns in their hearts, something that keeps them focused, mindful of the future, and present today. For me, that is competitive hot dog eating. I just idolize Kobayashi. For you, it might be something else. I noticed a bunch of you are into music and art, some in humanities and english, public affairs, a broad range of stuff. You've all got these passions, things you love, and your love for a topic can infect others. You never know who you might meet, so every day is an opportunity to market ourself. I've heard varying statistics, but only about 1/4 of the jobs out there are actually advertised. The others are hired on reputation, and on recommendation. Don't miss out on the world, it wants you! Give yourself to it! Also, go google "informational interviews". Once you are done with that, know that they are the most important tool at your disposal. That is the greatest way to build your network and get professionals to go to bat for you. Sometimes you'll get shot down, but my motto is if you don't get shot down 2/3 times a week, you're not trying.

So you networked, wrote a bomb cover letter, sharpened and shined your resume, and now you have an interview. Don't screw it up.

Dress up. Dress for the job you want, not the job you're applying for. Dudes, a tie, dress pants and a dress shirt. Don't be wrinkly, and make sure you match. If you don't know how, ask your Mom. Most places you're applying at probably wouldn't be turned off by you wearing a suit. I shouldn't have to say this, but bathe. Groom yourself. Smell good.
Ladies, you are generally more style savvy in the first place, but don't wear a jean skirt and a halter top. Probably tone down the make-up, too. Look natural. Again, groom yourself. Smell good.

Rehearse! Go online and look up possible interview questions and good answers. Be honest, but don't go right out and tell them about that dropped homicide conviction, or your addiction to jelly beans. Make eye contact, shake the hand firmly. Be a winner.

Relax. Seriously, relax. Just breathe. We all love you. It's going to be fine.

After the interview say hey, thanks for the consideration. Maybe more formal. I'll leave that up to you. A couple days later, send a follow up email saying thanks, looking forward to hearing from you, all the best, etc. Also, if you meet someone and exchange business cards in passing you should definitely follow that up with an email saying thanks for taking the time to talk to me, I look forward to keeping in touch!


This has gotten a bit long. But if you guys have questions, feel free to ask them.

What I'm going to have you all do by next Thursday, the 16th, is search around and find a job that you want, your "dream job" that you found within 15-20 minutes of searching. Or an application for grad school. Then write up a cover letter for us and shape up that resume. Tailor it to the job. Post it up over here. We'll review your stuff, give you some constructive criticism.

Then just tell me what your plan is whether it be more school, the Peace Corps, employment, President of the United States. Tell me what it is, but more importantly I want to know what you are planning on doing in order to get to that goal.

Alright guys I'm signing off, I look forward to your responses! By next Thursday!

Hugs.

-Danny

Helpful resources:
http://www.career.ucf.edu/
http://www.coop.ucf.edu/

Introductions

Hi Cornerstone Students, we will be your mentors for this semester and we wanted to start off the first blog post by introducing ourselves. So, here it goes…

Hey there, I’m Danny Shelton. My focuses are Letters and Humanities, and my Minor is in Political Science. I like a good scotch, surfing, playing most sports, candlelight dinners, long walks on the beach. This semester I am interning in Bill Nelson’s Orlando office. After school I’m looking into a few different things. I could go back to DC and work at the admin position at the consulting group I interned at, or try my luck at any number of NGOs, government agencies, consulting groups, political committees, election campaigns, etc… or grad school. Still working on it. Interdisciplinary Studies possesses the advantage of diversity. Exploit it.

**

Hi, I’m Alexandra Gonzalez and I’m graduating from UCF this May. I’ve been fortunate enough that I was able to land a job prior to graduating. (My main tip to all of you, apply to jobs before graduating! The market’s rough out there and you want to make sure you’ve gotten a head start) I currently work at a media company where I’ve learned a great deal of experience and different tools that I hope to use for any future endeavors I may pursue. I never believed anyone when they told me, so I’ll tell you in hopes of you thinking I’m not lying. The real world is tough out there and you have to make sure to know enough about yourself and your strengths to show the work force why you will be nothing but an asset to them! Use this class as a tool to get to know more about your major and how to explain why and how it’s beneficial to both you and future employers. Good luck!

**

My name is Josh, and my areas of focus are Humanities and Letters and Languages, with a minor in Mass Communications. My goal after graduation is to work in digital media production, hopefully writing and animating.

I explain IDS as a way to integrate all the classes I wanted to take that might be limited to somebody with a disciplinary degree. I've been able to get the education that would have been denied to me due to the restrictive access of programs like the Radio/Television program, and I have a broader perspective for it.

**

Hi guys, I’m Siul. I know that will be a little difficult for you guys to try and pronounce but luckily this is a blog, so you won’t have to worry about that. I’ll jump right in and tell you a little bit about myself. My areas are Letters & Languages, and Behavioral & Social Sciences. I also have two minors, Psychology & Mass Communications. When I first declared IDS as my major, I had a hard time explaining my major to others. This cornerstone class will help you not struggle with that as much, and help you completely understand what it is exactly that you’re about to spend years of your college career majoring in. IDS is a great major, not only does it allow you to take a bit of everything that interests you, but it also allows you to integrate those disciplines. You are given the freedom to choose which courses you believe will interest you the most and that is one of my favorite things about this major. I don’t want to be preachy, but I fully encourage you to take advantage of this course. Try really hard to complete all of your readings and assignments because it will help you in the long run. And for the next five weeks, we will be here to answer any questions you have and help you along the way!

**
For this weeks post, we would like to get to know you guys! Just do the same thing we did and give us a little bit of information about yourselves, what your areas are, and why you chose IDS to be your major. Also, we added in a few other questions to make a little more fun.

-- What's your favorite city to live in and why?
-- Describe your dream job and tell me how your major will help you attain this position?
-- How do you describe your major to your friends, family and employers?

We look forward to reading your responses!

Testing out Blogger

Hi all... I am just blogging to test out this system. Hope it works just like MRandall says. Happy posting...