Generation Why?!

About a month ago I had an interview with Congressman Eric Massa's District Manger in Pittsford at 10am.  Luckily, the snow didn't start flying yet so I had no need to worry about the drive, and it was a beautiful sunny day.  I looked through the "professional" part of my wardrobe, automatically assuming the workplace would be suit and tie.  I settled on a button-down shirt with a sweater over it, black dressy capris, stockings, and 3 inch heels.  Capris?  Yes.  I know.  But, work with me here... You have no idea how nice it was.  Really.  I would have considered the outfit business casual, but this morning I came across an article that would describe that outfit more business professional.  

I've talked about this before, but Generation Y has a new and different way of doing things.  We are now playing iPods at work, and wearing flip-flops to the White House.  Remember the controversial lacrosse team who did that a few years back?  Yeah, so do I.  I would have hated to be one of those girls in national news the next morning.  But then again the more I thought about it... I live in flip flops.  My last internship allowed me to wear flip-flops, capris, button down shirts, khakis, and really anything I pleased as long as I looked clean, put together, and appropriate.  I'm not saying go to work in shimmery, glittery tanktops, or let your cleavage show, but there is an increasing amount of slack being placed on the dress code.  Answer the question for yourself - If you were meeting President Obama today, what would you wear? 

An article from USA Today by Olivia Barker and Sarah Bailey describes the ongoing trend: "This is what Generation Y -- and its ultra-casual culture -- hath wrought at work, a place where style and technology trends are more woven in than ever." 

Another great quote from the article describes JPMorgan interns... When I hear JPMorgan I think ties, suits, low heels, professional all around, but "JPMorgan interns can listen to their iPods at the office. IM, too, is increasingly becoming an accepted part of the workplace. According to a report in September by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 21% of IM users send instant messages at the office; a third of those at-work IMers acknowledge that they're usually blitzing friends and family. And even as some businesses brand IM a distraction to productivity and ban it outright, 47% of at-work IM users say it has "regularly provided moments of relief from the daily work grind." 

So, it's not just they way of dressing that we are changing.  Gen Y is changing the idea of office etiquette completely!  I can't imagine bringing my iPod to my internship.  I can't even imagine listening to my iPod while working at Career Services.  Is Gen Y changing the face of office etiquette completely?  Are the baby boomers ready for all the changes we're making?  We grew up with computers.  We hardly have the option, right?  I mean, it's second nature for us to be able to play with our toys.    

I think the most interesting part of this entire shift in the office place is that Gen Y aren't slackers.  We are motivated.  We simply want what we want when we want it...

Is this bad or good?  It's up to you to decide.

End of Semester Blues

As I come to the end of another semester of my college career I wonder where all the time went. As a senior, I have come to reflect on many of my semesters at Brockport in amazement. How did I survive those 20 credit semesters while working at Career Services for twenty hours a week, and still having a social life on the weekends? How did I manage internships, classwork, and living off campus? Looking back I am always considerably more impressed with myself than I am during the semester. Of course, during the semester I'm getting roughly 6 hours of sleep a night, and hardly stopping to catch my breath so who knows what I am really thinking during the semester.

Then there is one inevitable thought that always stops my heart for a few beats, and consistently scares me... Was it worth it? Were the 15 - 20 page papers worth the effort? What about the endless hours of class I sat through? After I walk the stage will I be employable? Will someone hire me? Will the classes I barely made it through be worth the sleepless nights and tired days?

When that moment passes I start to realize that throughout my college career everything I did was worth it, and after graduation what happens is entirely up to me. It is like looking at another semester of college - I can handle that gets thrown at me from group presentations, to presenting by myself for 45 minutes, to a 20 page paper about a topic I know nothing about. After learning how to cite things in multiple ways in my sleep, researching scholarly topics, and taking finals I could swear I don't know anything about - I'm confident that I can survive the "real world."

Seven semesters of college down, one semester to go. In the end...it will be worth it. Every single thing I did while I was at Brockport made me a better, smarter and stronger person. So whatever is up next...I'm ready for it. The trick is preparation for your future. As an employee of Career Services you think I would be on the game. You would assume that I know exactly what I want to do, have made all the contacts for it, and need to just graduate already so I can do it. But the truth, in fact, is the exact opposite. I am neither sure of what I want to do when I grow up, or if I want to grow up (appreciate my comedy).

That doesn't change the fact that my internships and my experiences at Career Services have taught me a few things about my future. You know how people always say internships solidify what you want to do in your professional career? Well, in my case internships have allowed me to find out what I don't want to do. Internships have created a base of experience for me. Experience is something that classrooms, professors and all the books in the world can't teach you. Yes, professors can talk about it, and books can use examples, but nothing creates your experiences. Internships, and hands on experience is something that you have to be motivated to do yourself.

So, it's a week before finals and I'm talking about experience because it's more important! Good grades are great. Studying is great. Learning and understanding the material presented in class is great! But, let's face it: experience is the key to a worthwhile college experience, and that is why I know something will work out in my professional career after I walk that stage.

My advice to you? Get an internship. You have all winter break; use it wisely. Start researching a company you like, and find yourself an internship for the spring semester. The experience will shine on your resume, and it will allow you to have a base of familarity within a field. Internships have the ability to change your view on your career college. It allows your knowledge based on textbooks and lectures to become second hand nature in real life situations.

Need credits?!

Are you looking through the course catalog thinking "I don't want to take any of these classes." Well, welcome to my world. I am a senior, and desperately searching for twelve credits that I am interested in!

Here's the thing...there are still things I am interested in learning about, and I can kill hours of time on Google just finding interesting things out. What should I do I asked myself last night in the library. I need twelve credits, and there are only about nine that I'm interested in in taking? Solution: Independent Study! (this came to me at 12:30am in the library)

Since I am a senior I have several professors who know me on a personal level, and most of my professors I have taken several classes with. One professor, Dr. Levy, is an expert in American politics, and during a class of hers I became extremely intrigued with the Bill Clinton legacy. After a project and a paper I would randomly myself in the library stacks looking for other Bill Clinton books. I craved to know anything about him - his policy, his speeches, his scandals, his marriage, and pretty much anything that was about him. I know, I know I'm probably boring people, but I can't help my interests.

Anyway, an independent study is great for any student who is interested in getting more information about a topic. Plus, having a connection with a professor can lead to networking for you! It's an added bonus; don't forget that professors probably met many people in your field of interest, and may have done something else before they started teaching.

An independent study can also be a launching pad for many students. It can be the first step for publication. You may be saying, "Well, why is publication important?" First off, it's a great resume builder. Having a published article as undergraduate will definitely set you away from the pack. It's a great way to get your name into the field early. On top of that, building your resume with publications is good because it lets recruiters or admissions counselors know that you take your education seriously. It's going that one step further than you have to as an undergraduate.

Secondly, if you choose to get your Masters degree in your field of study you are going to have to write a thesis paper. This paper could be up to 50 pages. You probably want some practice before you can get sit down and whip one of those out. Seriously - an independent study course is all about one professor guiding you through the process of making a paper with an original thesis, and a new look at something.

Independent studies allow for students to grow comfortable doing original research and delving into a topic that interests them. Plus, think about how much of your time an independent study can free up! Most likely you will have to present your research (in the spring most professors have their students present their work at Scholar's Day), and be able to speak fluently on the topic. This is another added bonus - it will look great on your resume!

Interested in politics?

I actually started my career at Brockport as a political science major and a communications minor. With no real idea what I wanted to do in politics I felt lost in the major, whereas I immediately fell into communications so by the time I was a sophomore I switched my major and minor. My minor mainly focuses on American politics which has always been my true interest. As I started looking into more political programs I started realizing that more people focus on American politics than I originally thought.

I think the hardest part about being involved with politics at a small school is getting onto the career path. So when you are searching for a political internship around the Brockport area, don't get discouraged because they are many opportunities in the Rochester region!

If you are interested in working for a House representative, you're in luck. Brockport is in Monroe county, represented by Congresswoman Louise Slaughter who has several offices in the surrounding areas, and right next door is Ontario County, represented by freshman Congressman Eric Massa. I'll be interning for his Pittsford office in the spring semester! There are also regional opportunities in intern with State Senators in the office. And beyond this, Rochester is a fairly large city in New York State allowing for opportunities with an important mayor and his sucessful staff. These are just a few ideas to get your search started.

Don't forget about two programs that Brockport offers for anyone interested in politics - Washington Semester Program and Albany Semester Program. These offers allow students interested in politics to get their hands dirty in D.C. and Albany. Check out the Brockport Career Services website for more information!

Reaching for the stars!

As a senior at Brockport, with one semester to go, I realized that to start accomplishing anything I needed to simply make goals. So I started with something simple, finding a final internship. After a few weeks I was getting no where, so I started looking to goals. I wanted to know what I needed to do to make mine work. Turns out it's simple - when reaching for the stars you need concrete time lines, written down goals, and you have to be realistic. Like most things, you have to start small, and build up to your big goal, and it certainly will not come quickly.

A goal can be key to accomplishing almost anything. Let's start with why some goals just won't work. According to John M Grohol, Psyd, 75 percent of people who make a resolution fail on their first attempt and most people, 67 percent, make more than one resolution. WHY? First, New Year's Resolutions are often caused by a negative response to something. This means that something bad happened, and they feel like they need to correct it. Second, New Year's Resolutions are often too broad. To reach for a goal you need to have something concrete and specific. And finally, there is typically a lack of true motivation behind New Year's Resolutions. To really accomplish a goal a person has to be willing to try.

What should goals really do? A goal is an effective tool when you need to focus your direction, get the maximum use of your time, achieve the best results possible, and it can also boost your self-esteem and confidence. Keep in mind that a goal shouldn’t be a mashed together effort, but it should be specific to each thing you are interested in accomplishing.

If you are interested in making a goal work for you then I suggest you use something called a SMART goal. This is a specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely goal. Having these five components be a part of your goal will ensure that you are effective when working through your goal. So, let’s start with the “S.” A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished versus a goal that embodies too many objectives. To reach one specific goal try asking yourself the six W questions: Who, what, where, when which, and why.

Now we will move on to measurable. This represents how much you will accomplish during your goal. When you are working with the M word you want to measure your progress to ensure you stay on track. This means reaching your target dates and tracking your experience. For example, if you were doing an internship search I suggest having certain dates like, “I will contact Company X by this date,” as well as saying, “I will contact X amount of companies.” Along with the measurable aspect, you need to have an attainable goal.

Having a goal that is something along the lines of owning a $10 million home goal is not attainable right now. Something more attainable is finding an internship for the spring semester. Goals are attainable if you can plan steps to get there and establish a time frame. But even if you set a goal like owning a $10 million home it may become reachable as you grow and expand to match your goals. It all depends on YOU.

Next you need a goal that will be realistic. You want to have a goal that you are both willing and able to work towards. A goal can be high and realistic; for example if you were looking for a paid internship you might consider this high, but as long as you decide to work towards the goal you are more likely to accomplish this. The more you believe in your goal, the more realistic it will be. And finally a goal must be timely.

And finally, goals should be grounded with a time frame therefore you will know that you are working towards something. Think about it like a “due date.” If you are lacking that finality then there is no sense of importance.