Write Stripes

Producing the voter guides greatly contributed to my unerstanding of one complex political issue: Gas prices. I always believed that whoever controlled the house and the Senate controlled the gas prices. Though there is some correlation between the two, every decision the president makes does not cause an increase gas prices. Gas prices are influenced by several different things. The increasing demand in China is having a significant influence on gas prices as well as the demand on oil in general. Communicating this ideas to other students, through the voter guides produced in class, allowed my to dig deeper into each of the subject. Thus, forcing me to search for objective sources and unbiased opinions about the subject as a whole. I also learned that both the Democrats and Republicans are actively creating bills and acts to conserve energy and natural resources. All the information that I researched during the course of the project was used to further increase the students understanding of gas prices and corresponding effects on consumer goods. Overall, I think that the information served to inform both the student and the viewer of the voter guide.

Producing a voter guide on health care reform really brought to my attention all of the important aspects of the issue. Before making the guide, I knew some of the main problems with our health care system, but I had little idea of just how much it affected our lives. Also, I had little understanding of how much politics affected health care. So, it really benefited me to learn more about the issue, especially since I will be dealing first-hand with the system both as a nurse and consumer.
Through the literature that I used as sources and my own material on the website, I learned a great deal about the persuasive nature of writing. I would find myself reading two completely different approaches to health care reform and agreeing with both. Most of the sites we visited were very biased, and so we had to combine different viewpoints in order to balance out their opinions. However, I still caught myself providing more information and more positive explanations of the views I accepted. So, this project will help me to be more careful in accepting everything that sounds good, as every material contains some bias.

I think you all have earned a little break. I'll see you after the holiday. Be safe.

T. F.

The voter guide project has helped me to attempt to look at ideas other than my own. I tend to be very stubborn and sure of my ways, and I form my own opinions very quickly. It definitely was good for me to truthfully explore other opinions other than my own. I realize the importance of exploring other thoughts and it will be much better in any kind of political discussion. I also found myself taking into consideration much more of the factual arguments involved in these issues. I am very easily persuaded in the emotional aspect, so it's been good for me to explore details and logic as well.

As far as having no class on tuesday goes, i think it is one of the best ideas I have ever ever heard. Thanksgiving is a wonderful family holiday and Clemson University has to beat the Gamecocks on Saturday! Being able to leave as soon as possible to spend quality time with family will really be great! I have to come back on Friday, so being able to go home on Tuesday will be just the greatest thing in the world! Thank you so so much!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I believe we should not have class for several reasons. First, as students this semester, we have been putting forth extreme effort into our classwork (including this one) for several months now. As this semester progresses, the weight of classes begins to catch up and grades and effort tend to both drop. As such, a break would serve as a recharge for us students so that we will have the energy to put forth our best effort for the remainder of the year. No matter what the dedication is, if we students lack the energy to put forth our best effort, then we will not gain as much from our coursework for the remainder of the semester. In addition, having an extended break will help me to reflect upon what I have learned throughout the course of the semester and to give my mind a rest from the constant workload of the semester. This, too, will help in the learning process. While it is true that we recently had 'fall break', this break was not sufficient as we had to travel home if we got a chance to go home. Also, one of the days was election day on which we had to travel back to Clemson for our classes. While many of us did have a break, not all of us did. I, for one, went to New Orleans throughout all of fall break and worked with hurricane relief. This was both mentally and physically draining and I, personally, could benefit from a slightly extended break.

My contribution to the argument for no class next Tuesday is due to the fact that I have a job interview Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 in Greenville. I have been offered an interview for an internship next semester at a top Marketing and Event Management firm in Greenville. I think even if the job is not offered to me in the end, it will greatly benefit me anyway in many different and valuable ways.

First, it will give me the opportunity to practice my interview skills. Getting a job is competitive today, and in addition to the technical writing aspects of jobs I am learning in this class, it is important for me to also hone my communication abilities and personal presentation abilities. The resume is only half the fight!

It will also give me a real life chance to practice using the customized resumes we learned about last Thursday in class. We are learning how to build and tailor those to each job to make ourselves as marketable and attractive candidates as possible. What better way to learn the intricacies of this by doing resume customization for a real life job opportunity. This interview is going to give me a chance to use the skills I am being given in this class, as well as practice additional skills I will take into the job market with me when I graduate in May.

Knowing that I have not missed an important day of coursework for my interview will also give me peace of mind over the Thanksgiving holidays. Courses are very important, but so is down time. It will be hard to completely relax knowing I will have missed something important to my education. The material we are covering now is probably the most beneficial to my future of all the material thus far, and I don’t want to chance missing something important and worrying about missing it entirely or how to make it up later. I think it will also benefit my classmates by allowing them extra travel time so no one will be rushed to their destination for the holidays.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Heather

Creating the stem cell voter guides really opened my eyes to societal issues, but not in the way I expected. The biggest surprise to me was not the basic factual information I learned about stem cells and the current research and funding issues. Instead, the sources and venues for information available to the public were the most eye opening parts of the project. There are so many unabashedly biased sites, and anyone with no prior knowledge about stem cells could be led hideously astray. I learned that information, even “factual” information about something so important, is not regulated as well as I thought it would be. It seems like every Tom, Dick and Harry has a site with their "facts" about stem cells available to you. If you have no idea what is going on, a voter could be swayed to believe anything. The media is also to blame for this spreading of slanted information. There is all this debate about how stem cells could save lives, but after talking with a person that does research in a lab with stem cells, I realized that we are so far from that point it is almost dumb to even have a national debate over stem cells at this point. Stem cell research is still very primitive. Most surprisingly, and contrary to popular media messages, stem cells are NOT capable of saving anyone's life at the stage of the current research. They have NOT been widely used in humans to save the masses of humanity like we are being led to believe. They are being mainly researched in rats, and some very serious problems are emerging in the form of tumors. Scientists have not perfected the process of stopping the undifferentiated cells from continually dividing. Excess cells in your body (such as those produced by inserting stem cells in your brain or body) cause tumors. That is not good! Until scientists can devise a method for controlling the differentiation, the debates over the ethical issues of certain sources of stem cells, the funding controversies, and the many other topics that people are fighting over are just not even a valid point of contention yet. We have to first figure out how these things can work before we start creating a national firestorm about what would happen IF they did work at this point.

So, to sum it up, it was incredibility surprising to me that the sources and information available have changed up the information and presented it in such a way to lead you to believe one thing, when the facts may say another. My eyes have been opened to the importance of factual, unbiased sources and how rare they really are. I have also learned the valuable lesson not to let the TV and the news tell me what is important and what side to be on. I will in the future have to research issues more thoroughly by myself before taking a stand and becoming an informed voter.

I think that the production of the voters guides not only made gave me more knowledge about my issue (stem cells), allowing me to make a more educated decision about the topic, but it also showed me the process for creating this type of material and the challenges associated with it. First of all, I felt like there were a significantly large number of biased sources, especially on the web, which I realized, but I don't really think that I ever had an idea of the proportion of websites which actually are biased one way or another. Also, secondly and related to the last topic, this project made me realize that pretty much anyone who publishes something on a topic, again especially on the internet, will have an adgenda and an opinion on the topic. Thirdly, there are many ways to bias a project like this, and these may or even may not be obvious to the reader, some of which can be especially difficult to guard against. Finally, I realized how difficult it is to stay unbiased on the issue, which I almost feel is completely impossible dealing with any issue unless the reader is completely uninterested and ambiguous towards the issue. In many cases, there really is no way to stay unbiased, but the currently prevaling opinions must be "averaged" and equally represented in order to produce something that resembles a "unbiased" argument.

In the course of making our voter guides, my understanding and position on net-neutrality changed. Originally I had be naïve enough to just follow the mentality that of course we want to enforce free access to the internet at all. However, the deeper issue that if the phone companies are not able to secure differential pricing for different types of data (movies vs. email) then the whole system will become saturated causing all uses of the internet to suffer. No matter what, though, the phone companies are going to try and expand their capacity as much as possible, but the question becomes at whose cost – will the consumer or the multi-billion dollar internet companies be forced to pay the bill?

I feel our group did an adequate job of presenting the issues to our peers. Most students seemed to have the same indifferent attitude towards this issue as all other political issues that do not have an immediate, detrimental impact on them.

I think we should not have class on Tuesday before Thanksgiving :) Have a happy holiday everyone!!!

Producing the voter guides on immigration, border control, and amnesty issues made me realize how much information is available on the subject, among other things. I never had a problem finding resources about immigraion, and the amount of opinions and variations is vast. I had never really read over some of the laws that are in place or researched the steps that are necessary to come to and live in this country. I also never really paid much attention to the current news about immigration, other than the basics. I think that it is important for all people in this country to really understand issues that affect them and their voting. After completing the voter guides, and observing others present their voter guides, I feel more informed and will likely show more of an interest in the future in political issues.

Through the voting project, I have learned that people do not usually know everything about what they are voting on. Some people do not take the time to research and evaluate the subject that they are voting on. People are going to the polls and just hitting a button that looks good instead of voting on what would be the best for them.

My understanding of complex political issues did not change a whole lot through the whole process. I did see how that most of the information about concerning a complex political issue is often done by someone or a group who has an extreme interest in the subject. As such, the information presented will usually contain a bias towards one side of the issue. The level of bias is usually based upon the interest that person or group has in the issue, the more interest that person or group has the more bias will be in the information to sway you to believe their side of the issue. I feel like I had seen enough material in the past, however, to realize this fact though it became slightly more apparent through the course of working on this project. In addition, this showed me how anyone who wanted to could disseminate information for an issue, thus the reliability of the information needs to be carefully examined before believing what is said. Even if the website comes from a group of people, they still may not be the most reliable source and that should be taken into consideration when researching an issue. The project reinforced and strengthened the fact that a wide variety of sources need to be examined while researching a project due to differing levels of bias in different directions as well as the reliability of the sources. In addition, I saw from polling college students how even if people feel like an issue may affect them somewhat, the issue will not always affect how they vote in an election. It seems like if an issue affects someone, then that person would be likely to vote for a candidate who supports their view on an issue; however, while there may be some correlation between an issue and voting, it was not as strong as I had thought.

I think that the production of the voter guides really showed many a number of things. Not only did I gain more information about the topic (stem cells) specifically, but I also gained information about how the issues were evidenced and displayed. I found that there was a significant variance in the different stances on the issues, with many groups having information which are really "far out in left field. I also found that it really is difficult to form an informative brochure, especially from this type of biased information, which is unbiased. On that same note, I leared that it is very easy to represent the information in any way one wishes when creating a project like this one.

I think that the process for really getting a job varies based on the type of job which is trying to be gotten. Many times in smaller companies, in smaller cities getting a job can only be dependent on a basic level of experience, if any at all; while whether or not you will get the job is more dependent on who you know and how well you know them. This can be more based on who your family knows than how qualified you actually are for the position. In larger companies and in larger cities, much of the decision is based on your qualifications, while at the same time how much the people responsible for hiring you like you, and feel like you would fit in with the group they have or would like to have in the workplace. This is more based on individual merits, while at the same time may not be based solely on the level of qualification for the job. I think that the most difficult thing that that I will encounter when trying to get a job will be finding a location and general situation and setting that I will be happy with.

I think that people get a job by sending in resumes to different companies. Then if the company likes the resume of the person then the person goes in for an interview with different people at the company. Then they are hired if they suit the company and the company suits the person. The major obstacles to getting a job is going to be sticking out above the rest of the people applying for the same job. Another obstacle is finding a job that is what I want to do and something that I love doing.

When an individual begins to search for employment, there are several things that must be done. First, a resume should be made, outlining the jobs and experience the person has in her field of study and in other areas. Extra-curricular activities, interests, and skills should be listed, as well. Getting feedback on your resume is important, too. You should go to someone who has experience drafting effective resumes to review what you have created. The next step is to start searching for employers and companies that interest you and need someone with your skills to work for them. Doing a search for employers is easy, because there are many options online. Also, using some of these sites to post your resume is a great idea, too. Working with a career mentor or counselor can be helpful. They know people in different fields to contact to help you get a position. They can also help with finding a good salary and benefits, and aid in negotiating the terms. Next, one companies are found, interviews are scheduled. The interview process can include travelling. You should be prepared to answer many questions about yourself, both personal and with regard to the job and your training.

The most difficult aspects of searching for a job for me include knowing who to contact to obtain a position, knowing what choices to make when I really have no definite idea of where I want to be and what kind of job I want. Also, it is difficult to decide where I want to be and if I will be happy there for the next year, at least.

Getting a job is an interesting process. You can go out and apply for jobs you hear about through newspapers andagencies. However, connections through family, friends, and school are excellent advantages in finding jobs, as well. So, once you have seen an available job, then you must turn in a resume and go through an interview process. From there, it will usually depend on the job if anything further is needed. Then, your interview, resume, and other materials are weighed to those of other potential workers. You will then either get the job or not (hopefully you will! :-) )
The hardest thing that I will face as I begin to search for a job in nursing will be to find a job that best suits me. There are so many jobs available to registered nurses, which is a wonderful part of the career. However, that means more choices between different kinds of health care facilities (hospital, private practice), specialties, hours, etc. So, I will need to carefully search for the areas I'd like to specialize in and the types of surrounding I'd like to be in.

If feel like the way that people get jobs is that once they are out of college, either they get a job from someone in a company that they already know/have a personal relationship with, or they send out a lot of resumes and go to interviews. Or, if they have been involved in a co-op program in college, then they might get offered a position with a company that they have been working for. I feel that the hardest thing to overcome in getting a job is distinguishing myself in an interview over other guys who are looking for a job, and convincing someone that they should hire me instead of a hundred other guys. This will be a problem if i go into business, however, if i go into dentistry i will be able to start my own practice. Although, it might be hard to find a new town to start a practice in, or find a practice to buy from someone who is about to retire.

Getting a job has always been some sort of mysterious magical process to me, where you find a job (don't ask where I thought they came from; the newspaper I guess) and go in and apply, and if your resume stands out they would call you for in interview where you would dazzle them and land the job. As I got older, though, and started asking friends and family how the got their jobs, I started to realize that there is nothing magical about it. It all boils down to one thing: NETWORKING. I found the job I have now on Career Net, but I got the job because I just so happened to live two houses down from my new boss this summer. I was qualified, but so were a few other really strong applicants. I am convinced I got the job because of our shared connection with the houses, and because we are both Clemson grads.

Other people get jobs based on knowing someone in the job they want or close to it that can give them the heads up on when an opening comes available. I think the best jobs will NEVER go in the newspaper or on something like Career Net, because they are taken almost as soon as they come open by people that know someone who knew about it and gave them the inside information. IT can also work from networking in your own job you currently have, by dropping hints to the right people that you would be interested in a certain job. I have found that if you do a good job in the job you have, and let people know you are interested in moving up, they will often help you and start subtly almost training you fort he position even before it opens up, so that when it does you can just move right in.

Some challenges I will face in getting a job will be my lack of experience. I don't have much experience in the professional world, and all the connections in the world can't make up for someone who knows what they are doing. I also think not knowing the right people or knowing who to get in touch with about potential jobs I may want is going to be a huge obstacle for me to overcome.

The process for getting a job usually starts with research, find out what you need to do (activities, classes, volunteering) before applying. Once you've researched and have completed all the requirements, you should create a resume that showcases any experience you have, especially in the field that you're interested in. Next, you need to find out what the application process is, and begin. Once you've turned in your application, you should follow up on it and see if there is any additional things you need to do.

One of the harderst things you might face when looking for a job is availability--because if there aren't any jobs, then there is no way you'll get that job. Another difficult thing is setting yourself apart from the other applicants--why should that company/store hire you instead of the next applicant in line? Knowing what the company/store is looking for is difficult as well-they might advertise for a certian job, but really they might take someone who is willing to learn on the job. Research is very important.

There are many different ways to get a job today. One is to find a co-of or intern through your university, and then work for that same company when you graduate. You also could go to work for a family member or family friend, regardless of experience. For most people, though, I think you have to put together a resume and go find a job! Looking at websites like monster.com help and really word of mouth helps a lot. I'm looking for a little job for the summer and without much research at all, many teachers/advisors have already given me opportunities they think will work well for me. So you need to find out who's looking, then send your resume and set up an interview time. Then the interviewing process occurs. I believe completely in honesty, but I do think that often times the interview process is more of telling the employer what they want to hear, not truth. The interview process is tricky. Then a job is offered! I think the obstacle is finding the job you really want. I've been told of many opportunities but most of them turn out to not really line up with what I'm interested in. If I find something I really want, I have confidence in my resume and interviewing skills. The issue for me personally is finding something to fit my requirements. I think the interview is hard for a lot of people. It's very scary and overwhelming. I've had a lot of jobs and experienced a lot of interviews, so I'm not too worried about that part. I have a resume put together that I think is pretty ok! So hopefully something will come my way soon!

The Process for getting a job:
1. Being trained in the area in which you are seeking the job
2. Writing a resume that highlights your skills and achievements
3. Obtaining letters of reference
4. Seeking out potential jobs in which you are interested
5. Applying for the job and presenting your resume
6. Scheduling an interview
7. Dressing the part and completing the interview
8. Hopefully getting hired

The hardest thing that I will face is completing the interview successfully. When I get nervous, I ramble when talking, thus finding the correct words to say when interviewing will be a big challenge. Upon graduating from college, I will not have a lot of experience in my field (besides my internship) this my also prove to be an obstacle because highering companies may not view me as a qualified candidate for a position.

People get jobs by knowing people. An absurd number of jobs are never posted anywhere, so in order to know to apply for it you must find out by word of mouth. After you discover a job, having a well-polished, clear set of application materials can either make or break your chances for a particular job. Once the applicant makes it to the interview stage, one must be able to show that they will fit in at a particular company for a particular position. Finally, one must not price themselves out of competition.

For me, the most difficult part of the job search will be competition. For any desirable job in my field (physics), there can be as many as one-hundred qualified applicants. Then it just becomes a matter of knowing the right people and being able to show how you have something indispensable to the organization that no one else has.

I think that when getting a job somone searches for jobs on the internet, through other people, in the newspapaer,tv ads. When a job of interest is found, a person fills out and appplication and gives the company their resume and a list of references. The company calls them in for an interview. They interview. The compete with other people.The wait and wait. Then company calls them and tells them whether or not they got the job.
Obstacles: Since I want to be a radiologists, I think my biggest obstacles will be the competition. There are so many smart and talented students who graduate from medical school I think I will face many over qualified competetors. Also, alot of times the medical field getting a job has a lot to do with who you know, so if I want to get a job somewhere out of state or out of my hometown, I may encounter some difficulty.

Getting a job can be accomplished in a few different ways. Usually a person looks for positions available, either by contacting local businesses, online job search websites, employment agencies, or advertisements. The person then fills out an application and submits a resume. Then the employer may chose to contact the applicant and schedule a job interview, at which point the employer tries to determine if the applicant would be a desired employee. The employer will then usually contact the applicant's references to gather more information about his/her previous work experience. When the employer is satisfied with the applicant's qualifications, he will offer the job and discuss salary and benefits with the applicant.

This process can work in the other direction as well. If the employer is seeking a new employee, he may contact employees of similar businesses and ask them to submit resumes or come in for interviews. The employer may recruit new employees by offering them higher salaries or better benefits than they are currently earning.

I think there are many challenges to getting a job. For me, I have not had very much work experience, and very little that relates to my field. I think it will be a challenge to even locate employers who are looking to hire new employees. In the area where I live, most architecture offices are single-man businesses, not large firms. I would most likely have to move to a larger city to find a more entry-level job opening. This will make the job search harder because it may involve lots of traveling.

People get jobs through many different means. Graduating students attend career fairs where they talk with potential employers, hand out resumes, and schedule interviews. Students who go through the interview process in school through a cooperative education program may be offered jobs upon graduation as well by the companies that they have been working for. Job searches can be done through newspapers or magazines where job offerings are posted and they can contact the company to schedule an interview and send a resume in. You can also use websites designed specifically in helping you to get a job such as monster.com (I believe is the site) where you can post your resume and have employers contact you. Regardless, in getting a job you must interview with the employer and give them a resume. These two items are key in showing the company your credentials and what you can bring for the company. Obstacles in getting a job are lacking a lot of experience in the computer science field, as well as facing a lot of competition as my field is growing and there are a lot of qualified candidates from the jobs that I will be looking for. The interview process itself is usually challenging also.