Being treated like shit.
this post was submitted on 22 Dec 2023
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I have to say, I think I was very lucky because College prepared me for most aspects of my job.I really can't think of one that it could have prepared me for that it didn't - like it didn't teach me the specific bureaucratic processes for purchasing or getting approval from management etc, but how could it? I'm also lucky to be working in my field many years on.
Ironically, understanding the lived experiences of college students.
I’m a professor now, graduated from college in 2010. I actually work at the same school I went to, and I often still feel completely out of touch with what my students actually need and how they approach their education. I have to put real work into connecting with students to meet them where they’re at and create classes they will get something out of. Fortunately I really love that aspect of my job. Most professors don’t give a shit and just assume college is the same now as it was 10-20 years ago.
Wow that's a really amazing answer and you sound like a great prof!
Can you tell us a remarkable example where you learned that students today have different need than you had in the mid 2000s?
Is it some kind of generation gap or were you just an extraordinary student when you were studying?
It’s more of a persistent thing than a series of examples, but a moment that comes to mind is earlier this year teaching a kind of broad social sciences class. I was trying to make a point about something or other and the psychology of capitalism and asked who had ever consciously chosen to stop studying or working to go to sleep or watch tv or otherwise be unproductive. Everybody raised their hands. Ok now who has felt guilty about doing that? No one. Not a single hand. I was astounded.
And in my millennial mind my first thought is of course “wtf are these kids doing at this elite college if they don’t hate themselves properly?” Second thought is “oh cool, these kids don’t hate themselves.”
But following up on what they thought that meant as far as the material we were talking about, it became a conversation about evolving pressures. For me, the concept of “self-care” in college was really the same as “laziness,” which is obviously not great. For them, “self-care” is as much a responsibility as homework, but not necessarily in a good way. There’s a social responsibility to be a certain kind of anti-capitalist while still succeeding in a capitalist system. I had a student say she felt more guilty about breaking her streak on her mindfulness app than getting a bad grade because she didn’t work hard enough.
But at the same time, they truly HAVE to get excellent grades. I might think grade inflation is a huge problem and that they should consider an A- to be a good grade, but the reality is that A- might be the reason they don’t get into law or med school. It’s not like that A- means they don’t deserve or can’t succeed on med school, but it might mean they’ll never get the chance. Do I stand on principle and grade like grades are supposed to mean something, or do I give them what they need to have the future they want?
What about using AI ethically and constructively? I was told I wasn’t going to have a calculator in my pocket by idiots. I’m not going to do that to a new generation. What does it feel like to have to pack extracurriculars to get a post-bac internship even more than they did to get into college? What does it mean to come of age in the era of BLM, COVID, and Trump instead of 9/11, don’t ask don’t tell, and the Great Recession?
It’s just not the same experience. I can’t be. That’s not a problem, but it’s a challenge.
Do you have any tips for books, websites, or whatever on how to get started? I love computers and the whole topic of programming is fascinating to me, but I don't have the money (or time (or energy)) to go to back to school.
I work in a dead-end retail job and I really really really need to get out. Lol.
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The basic hand on aspect of experimental science (then engineering) it's one thing to have lab work where the setup works and is often ready. It's another thing to deploy electronic, azay from the main lab, and sometimes under bad weather. Suddently, everybody expects you to know how to use a soldering iron or configure a network
They gave us money and facilities, we didn't have to produce anything! You've never been out of college! You don't know what it's like out there! I've worked in the private sector. They expect results.
Ehhh, I'd say that expecting results really varies by the job. Or at least the results are usually KPI that are easily gameable if you don't care about trying for a random bonus. I kept a job and got pay raises by basically doing the minimum and slacking off pretty hard for a while. I worked another job where they mostly wanted someone to be a warm body ready to talk to a customer, but otherwise didn't really know if / what you did.
I posted a quote from Ghostbusters lol.
But yes it isn’t too hard to game the system and get rewarded for minimal work. I had to put a shit ton of hard work in to get to that point but if I felt like it I could do minimal most days.
Also, most places don't even know what KPIs are.
As a structural engineer, spatial skills.
I luckily had these skills, but my job requires a lot more spatial comprehension than gets taught in class. I've seen people graduate college and are able to use design equations, but completely fall apart when you ask them to point out on a plan what they are designing.
I went to school for computer science and I'm a construction superintendent. I decided I really hated sitting in an office all day.
People have "feelings"