The American Dream: Myth or Reality?

The NY Times recently conducted a poll to see how people felt about the concept of the ‘American dream’ in this current economic climate with unemployment and housing foreclosures at an all time high. The responses were surprising.

“Although the nation has plunged into its deepest recession since the Great Depression, 72% of Americans that were polled….believe it is possible to start out poor in the U.S., work hard and become rich– a classic definition of the American Dream.” (Seelye, Katharine. What Happens to the American Dream in a Recession?, NY Times, May 8, 2009).

44% said that they had achieved their idea of the American Dream. 31% thought that they would achieve it in their lifetime. Only 20% had given up on striving to achieve it all together.

Barry Glasner, a professor in Sociology at USC, believes that during difficult times people hold fast to their dreams and ideals, but define success differently. 998 people were polled to answer the question, “ what does the phrase ‘American dream’ mean to you?”.

19% related their answer to financial security and 20% gave answers related to freedom and opportunity. Less people related material success to achieving their dreams. Most respondents attached their concepts to abstract values.

Here are some of respondents answers:
“ Freedom to live our own life.”
“That everyone has a fair chance to succeed.”
“To be healthy and have nice friends and family.”
“To become whatever I want to be.”
“ More like Huck Finn; escape to the unknown; follow your dreams.”
“ Working at a secure job, being able to have a home and live happily as you can not spending too much money.”

For most Americans the prospect of becoming rich and famous is slim, but it is not so much in the ‘dream’ that people believe, but in the ‘possibility’ of achieving that dream. 72% that were polled still believe that, whatever their vision of the American dream is, it is still possible, even in today’s economic climate.

Incidentally, the phrase “the American Dream” is said to derive from the Great Depression in 1931. Author James Truslow Adams wrote, “ It is not the dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain the fullest stature of which they are innately capable.”, in his book The Epic of America.

How people define their vision seems to be a very individual process.
How do you define your vision of the ‘American Dream’?

Scholarship Search and Process

THE SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH

1. Apply for as many scholarships as you meet the eligibility for.
2. There are scholarships for all types of students: grades, demographic, programs of study, financial need and compelling story.
3. Avoid websites that want you to pay a fee- applying for scholarships shouldn’t cost a dime!
4. Talk to people who have been awarded a scholarship- what strategies did they use?
5. If you have to mail documents - use a 9X12 envelope; it is much more professional.
6. Copy the application and practice filling out a draft before you do the real thing.
7. Keep a folder of scholarship information- with commonly requested documents and always print out a copy of completed applications for your record.
8. Date documents with the day you sent them so you have a record.
9. Devote 2 days a month to doing scholarship research.
10. Don’t give up! There are scholarships for all types of students!

Where are the scholarships?

The easiest place to look is in the Career Services Center in Room 1102E.
We have 4 main ways students can look for scholarships.
· Our website - we add scholarships weekly that we are made aware of. Our website is www.seattlecentral.edu/careercenter/scholarshipinfo.php
· We have binders with information about scholarships for those that like that method.
· We have scholarship books that students can look through
· There are a number of hyperlinks on our website to databases with 100s of scholarship listings under ‘Online Scholarship Databases’.

The other way to narrow your search is simply to ‘Google’ what type of scholarships you are looking for, such as typing ‘scholarships for women’ or ‘scholarships for Science Majors’ in the search window. Narrowing your search in any search engine or database will help you pull only scholarships that you are eligible for.

Think about how you can identify yourself to narrow your search:

Ethnicity Gender Club Affiliation Your Bank
Disability GPA Field of Study Military Status
Community Service Transfer High School Location/State
Parents Affiliations Religion

Filling out the Applications:

In order to reduce the paper trail and go Green, many scholarship applications are online and require supplemental documents to be mailed. Typical documents that are requested include:
· Financial Statements from your parents
· Academic transcripts- official and supplemental copies
· Letter of recommendations
· Personal Statement and/or essay
· a list of activities you’ve been involved with; including volunteering, internships, service learning or cooperative education experiences and work experience.







Advise

· When an application is not filled out online- if possible type it.
· Read ALL the directions carefully!
· Be sure all your information is current and accurate, such as financial and GPA
· Don’t leave anything blank- if a field doesn’t apply to you, put N/A
· Do not attach any extra information unless explicitly asked or if it states that you have the option of attaching addition comments or documents
· If you don’t understand something- ask questions- to the foundation or organization offering the scholarship directly or to a teacher, advisor or counselor.
· MAKE A COPY OF EVERYTHING ONCE YOU ARE DONE AND PUT IT IN YOUR SCHOLARSHIP FILE
· Make sure you provide the correct postage amount before mailing it.


Letters of Recommendation
Scholarship applications usually ask for letters of recommendation or include a form for you to
give to a recommender.

· Choose a person who will write your recommendation(s) carefully.
· The relationship you have with the person who writes this letter is important! Family and friends are not appropriate.
· Give your recommender plenty of time to write a good letter. Remember that this person is doing you a big favor and is probably very busy also.
· Give the writer enough information to comment on what is important and specific to the type of scholarship you are applying for.
· Provide a resume for the writer that summarizes any of your activities, awards, academic and career goals, accomplishments, leadership roles, etc...
· Write a Thank You note to your recommender.
· Ask if you may have a PDF copy of it and whether it is OK to copy the letter for other scholarships you are applying for. This way you can cut down the time they spend and just have them sign additional copies for other scholarships.


Writing Your Personal Statement
Most scholarships ask for a personal statement or essay- responding to a prompt or specific question(s).

· Follow the rules for length and topic, etc…
· BE PERSONAL! The essay is about you, not the facts of the topic. Include your personal experiences that are applicable to the prompt.
· Demonstrate that you have learned from experiences. A good rule of thumb
§ Tell what you did
§ Why you did it and
§ What you learned from the experience
· Tell why you are interested in your chosen major.
· How you will benefit society
· Don’t be listy!- this means sometimes prompts will just be a list of related topics that they want you to touch upon; make your essay flow without sounding listy!
· Scholarship providers are investing in you, so you will need to show them that you are worthy of their investment!
· Proofread! Proofread! Proofread! Have several people you respect and trust read it.
· Print it out and read it out loud- sometimes you catch errors with your voice that your eyes cannot.

Job Interview Tips

Job Interview Tips

Employers ask questions in a job interview that help them find out what your ambitions are; what your qualifications and accomplishments are, how you deal with conflict, how you problem solve, and what your leadership skills are like. They want to predict your behavior within their organization.

When answering questions make sure to follow 5 simple rules:

• Listen to the Question that is being asked and make sure that you understand before you give your answer.
  
• Be honest- be truthful about your qualifications and experience. There may be follow up questions later and you don’t want to get caught up in ‘stretching the truth’.
  
• Be positive. No matter whether you are answering a question about problem solving, conflict or your boss or co-workers. Remain positive always! Never say negative things about your boss- remember-you are being interviewed by ‘a boss’.
  
• Answer the Question that is being asked succinctly- don’t ramble and get off topic.
  
• Structure your answers with these three simple steps:
  Describe what you did
  Tell why you did it
  Tell what you learned from that specific professional experience.

The most common questions asked in an interview:

• “Tell me about yourself?” - This question is about your personality and style in a professional work environment and your qualifications and skills that apply to the position you are being interviewed for. This is not a question about your personal information- age, how many children you have, marital status; nor hobbies!
  
• Strengths and Weaknesses- when questions are asked about these, talk about the strengths that make you an excellent candidate for that specific position. When you discuss weaknesses- talk about strategies that you have developed or continue to work on in order to overcome weaknesses.
  
• Conflict- Tell what, why, how you dealt with the conflict and what you learned from the experience. Remain positive!
  
• Problem Solving- Be very concrete and specific. Give examples that demonstrate your ability to resolve issues that commonly come up in a professional environment. This showcases your ability to deal with unanticipated events and reveals your professional behavior.
  
  TIP:
  Anticipate the most common interview questions. Analyze and type a short response or bullet list. It should be no more than one sheet. The sheet can help you stay on track if you get nervous easily during an interview; it should be used only as a point of reference and not as a script. I have seen this done and was so impressed that I used this method myself. The list is simply a tool to help you stay on track, and to remind you of specific examples that exemplify your skills and abilities for each type of interview question.
  

New Year Resolutions

Welcome to 2009!
It has been awhile since my last post, but I thought I would post my resolutions (I never make resolutions) after I explain how a recent experience I had pushed me to resolve some things in 2009. Here goes:

I have a birthday that falls right after Christmas, but before the New Year (take a guess:). My past experiences or non experiences have made me loath my birthday. Usually it is forgotten by others all together or never whole heartedly celebrated due to its close proximity and unfortunate sandwiching between the other two holidays (Christmas and New Year's Day). This year was especially tough due to the stress of the economy and some other issues that I won't go into. I think this year has been particularly hard for most of us!

My birthday fell on a weekend this year and I thought maybe something (?); a night out, or some organized event might be planned on the part of my loved one, my friends or family to celebrate the day I was born. Nothing happened- literally. I spent my birthday at home watching movies. My best friend called to say she had been partying with friends and family since Christmas eve-eve and was pooped, but wished me a happy birthday just the same. I am not sure whether it was the hard year I've had, the state of the economy and world events, the holidays, or my general discontent due to my birthday; but it really made me angry that no one had acknowledged my existence on earth by honoring the day of my birth.

You see usually my girlfriends and I organize potlucks and we celebrate each others' birthdays, but all are born in the spring or summer months and not close to a holiday. The more I thought about it, the more I seethed. I avoided my friends' phone calls and my melancholy grew as I stewed in my own self pity. Finally my best friend caught me at my office. She asked why I hadn't returned any of her calls and I let her have it. I told her I thought she was an insensitive @#$&* and that she and everyone had hurt my feelings. She apologized profusely and said she felt terrible about it. I accepted her apology and felt a lot better having vented.

This is highly unusual for me to be so emotional- my temparment is pretty easy going and I pride myself on being able to suck it up. I usually hold my tongue when I am angry and let things go fairly easily. I tend to put the shoe on the other foot and put other's needs in front of my own, unless it goes against my personal ethics or morals.

A good friend once said to me, " you can be right or you can get along peacefully- ask yourself whether you can live with it". These are words I take to heart. There are a lot of issues that I can let go without much internal struggle. On a scale of one to ten for low to high maintenance- I would rate myself on the low end for sure.

Now to the point:

What happened as a result of me voicing my frustration, hurt and anger? My friends all showed up on my doorstep on January 2nd with a cake, gifts, and told me how special I was to them! I guess we all need to feel special sometimes- to have the people closest to us say, " we love you and honor your existence!"

What did I learn from my birthday (belated birthday celebration) and this year's dismal holiday season? A list of things I resolve to work on in 2009 follows:

1. The smallest gestures speak volumes, so I need to spread the word~ own it, live it!
2. Ask for the things that I really want and need- no one will read my mind and most people will not act without specifically being asked.
3. Consider my feelings before others on occasion.
4. When someone hurts my feelings or is being insensitive or inconsiderate- let them know in the most constructive way (this is the hard part: a} telling them - b} in a constructive way).

OK here is the typical stuff:

1. Work out, lose weight, eat healthy and get more sleep.
2. Be more efficient at work.
3. network, network and network some more!
4. Be more fiscally responsible: pay cash and buy what you need and not what you want- in the end that thing won't make you happy- what will is~ peace of mind and being debt free, so you have more freedom of choice and movement (both equally important to me).
5. Finish my professional portfolio- continue adding to it!
6. read something other than professional journals & articles, textbooks and books related to work; hey- how about a real novel!
7. Spend more time with friends and family.
8. Get rid of stuff you haven't looked at in 6 months!- Better yet- sell it!
9. Get outside on a regular basis- regardless of the weather. Fresh air always lightens my mood!
10. Go on strike once in while :) and make others do for themselves!

There ~ now I have released it out to the universe!

What are your resolutions for 2009?

Happy 2009 to All! and to all the best wishes for a great year!

20 Bad Work Habits

This is reposted from David Maister's blog which sadly is not running currently. If you would like to look at some of the comments in response to this post click here on the link http://davidmaister.com/blog/319/20-Bad-Workplace-Habits.

I think it is important to examine these negative behaviors and do some self reflection to avoid their pitfalls. I am sure we are all guilty of a few of them and know co-workers who exhibit these negative habits on a regular basis. A list of the top 20 Bad Work Habits from Marshall Goldsmith, executive coach and author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There follows:

1. The need to win each time
2. The overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion
3. The need to pass judgment on others
4. Needless sarcasm and cutting comments
5. Starting with “no”, “But”, “However”
6. Need to show how smart we are
7. Speaking when angry
8. Negativity: the need to share negative thoughts even when not asked
9. Withholding Information
10. Failing to Give Proper recognition
11. Claiming credit we don’t deserve
12. Making excuses
13. Clinging to the past
14. Playing favorites
15. Refusing to express regret
16. Not listening
17. Failing to express gratitude
18. Punishing the messenger
19. Passing the buck
20. An excessive need to be “me”: exalting our faults as virtues simply because they’re who we are

Ringing any bells for you???

Using Craigslist to Find and Apply for Jobs

Recently Guy Kawasaki (Author, Former Apple Exec., Columnist, Entreprenuer and blogger) blogged about his experience posting an ad as an employer to find a creative person to work on one of his web projects. Based on the applicants that responded to his ads, he had some insight from the employer's perspective on how applicants make themselves more competitive.



His first observation was that the speed of applicant response is important. The early bird does often get the worm. His first response to the position he posted came only 31 minutes later and he received another 15 responses within a day. His advice: don't delay in responding to a position posting as the job may fill quickly. Don't take a break from checking for daily job postings!



The second thing he noticed was that some folks did not send a cover letter with their resume. Employers view this as lazy, so job seekers should always write a cover letter that addresses each specific job they want to be considered for. Resumes that did not include a cover letter were not considered.

In order to challenge applicants Guy Kawasaki gave them a task to see who would rise to the occasion. 84% of candidates responded quickly to a prompt that asked them to find visual representations for 5 different story ideas. Kawasaki's advice: If an employer wants more information or confirmation of your abilities to perform the advertised position- rise to the challenge!

Ultimately the person that they hired for the web site project, did their research and sent photos that were perfectly sized and matched to the site and taste of Guy Kawasaki. Do your homework- chances are you can find enough information to send a message that communicates, " I have done my homework and I care enough to figure out what kind of candidate you are looking for and product you want; AND I can deliver!"

The bottom line: Don't be lazy- include a cover letter that addresses your qualifications to do THAT job; find out about the company if possible, AND if they ask for more samples of your work or give you a specific task to test your abilities: RISE TO THE CHALLENGE!

Future Employment Trends

Trying to make career decisions can be difficult at best. Determining the best match for you based on a variety of factors, such as, training and skills, interests, personality, economics, and growth opportunity are important. Recently the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) published a report on 'tomorrow's jobs'.



The BLS examines the past and present to predict future trends in industry employment and the labor force. Population shifts affect the demand for goods and services, thus driving industry rise and decline. An example: an aging population trend can tip the demand for health care services. Additionally, technology and automation, and consumer demands can all impact employment trends in the United States.



Based on shifts in population demographics, technology changes and consumer demands, it is projected that by 2016 the fastest growing industries will be in service.



Health Care, Social and Human Services and Education will be the three fastest growing service industries. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that more than 3 out of 10 new jobs (nearly 5.5 million) created will be in health care, social service, or in the public and private educational sectors.



Residential building and extractive related industries are expected to have declines in employment opportunites by 2016; such as mining, forestry and manufacturing. Also any service that can be automated by computers will continue to experience a decline in overall employment.



Some good choices for career seekers and students:

Anything in health care: from a Nurse Assistant (NAC) to Physical Therapist or Pharmacist- the health care industry is a very solid industry. Social and Human Services Workers can expect to have plenty of opportunity for employment. Mental Health Counselors, Social Workers and Chemical Dependency Counselors will also have plenty of employment opportunities.



Technical Support service workers will also be in high demand. Software, Web and Brand developers will be in demand. Network and Database services will have an increase in employment as organizations and businesses update the way they manage their data and overall services.



Education and childcare service employment will increase as employees seek more training to update their skills. 12 of the 20 top growing occupations require an Associate's degree or more, which will increase the need for post secondary education overall and related services.



Overall Service occupations are projected to have the largest number of total job openings in the future (by 2016). Replacement needs in the service industry as people 'age' out or transition to other industries accounts for 60% of all future employment demands. Of service jobs, the largest portion will require some professional development, training and/or education.



As the population ages, the need for social and health services is expected to increase, demanding trained professionals in those industries.



Automation will significantly affect individual office and administrative support occupations that can be done by computers. Automation and technology changes will also result in a decrease in jobs in farming, fishing, manufacturing and assembly, and other extractive industries.



For a complete report go to http://stats.bls.gov/oco/oco2003.htm