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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1990)
Smoke Signals September 1990 Page 10 EDUCATION 7 Things To Demand From An Education Whether you plan to be a corporate executive, sym phony cellist, or a brain surgeon, you can miss essential parts of your education unless you make a point of building them into your program. Most undergraduate requirements arc designed to expose you to the tools you'll need to build a meaningful career and get the most from this and other cultures. But, it,s up to you to see that you go out fully equipped. What Could You Be Missing? You could be missing the basics that can get you hired, or the gloss and shine that keep you moving up the ladder, the chance to enrich your life in qualitative ways, or the critical tools to evaluate messages from govern ment and other sources. Check the list below, and make sure you're getting everything college can give you to lead a rewarding, critical life after graduation. The Tools To Communicate Effectively Writing, speaking, and listening skills separate the promoted from the overlooked in the corporate world. If you aren't an A stldent in English, pack in more expository writing courses. If you find it difficult to articulate your ideas aloud to groups, individuals, or people who hold power, add a speech class. No matter how well you express your ideas to others, cultivate the art of attentive listening. Employers want to hire people who can be groomed for promotion to more responsible positions. Few skills are more crucial to your success than writing, speaking, and listening. But, out of all of these, concentrate most heavily on writing. If you plan a career in today's international environ ment, a second language can also be a crucial communi cation tool. Experience With Communications Technology If you don't have experience with computers, get it in college or out, but get it. You don't need to become a programmer or even learn a programming language. The work most professionals perform on computers involves working from "user-friendly menus." "Menus" arc specially designed screens which offer the user choices about which files to work on and what to do with them. As a job-seeker, you should know how to: touch type reasonably well "boot" a computer (load the operating system) and load a program save, copy, print, and transmit data use at least one popular word-processor, data base, and spreadsheet do on line computer searches for information. If there is no place for a basic computer course in your college program, sign up for a continuing education class at a community college or lessons at your local computer store, or use interactive tutorial programs in conjunction with good manuals. Experience In Your Chosen Field There is often a deep rift between textbook scenarios and a real work environment. In a recent exchange program with agency people, advertising professors learned that graduates aren't prepared for the office politics, battle-zone shortcuts, and differences in focus that they will find at an agency, according to Marketing News(l). Grab an internship in your field, if one is available. If your department doesn't arrange internships, try an independent study or "problems" course. Talk to professors about using the credit hours to get on-site training. If all fails, work summers at the kind of institution you plan a career in-even if you have to spend the summer in the mail room or behind the doughnut cart. You'll discover the culture of the organization, meet staff, and establish an employment record in the right kind of company. Bosses look for people who not only have the right educational background, but who show initiative and are willing to start at the bottom. Knowledge Of What Science Can And Cannot Tell Us Many partially educated adults go through life intimi dated by misunderstanding what science is and what it is not. People of all ages experience subjective phenom ena such as E.S.P. or a religious event but, as adults, can feel that their experience is not valid because it "isn't scientific" Philosopher Huston Smith has pointed out that science can only deal with scientifically verifiable phenomena things that can be measured and tested repeatedly under controlled conditions. However, the scientific method is an inappropriate tool for use with other kinds of phenomena-matters of faith, E.S.P., or any purely subjective experience. A good philosophy of science course will explain how science can describe much of what exists, but cannot explain why others do not. To do so would be to make claims not supported by scientific evidence. A Feel For The Underlying Issues The issue is abortion: one person cites the Bible and laws about taking human life. Another focuses on the right of women and cites the Constitution. Who is right? Philosophy peels back the layers of argument and forces examination of questions such as. "What does 'human mean, and who decides?" "What is meant by 'rights' and how are these determined?" "What arc the conflicts between the rights of the individual and the rights of the community, and on what docs either base its authority?" "How can people discuss such issues as one party insisting on the absolute authority of the Bible and the other seeing the Bible as myth?" The Ability To Evaluate Messages Based On Statistics If you read a newspaper or watch television, you probably read or hear statistics derived from experi ments every day. Some reports are commercial: "Four out five doctors surveyed recommend..." "..reduces acne 300 more than just soap and water." Some reports have a greater impact on society. "Your chances of catching AIDS are...," "Statistics show that blacks...," "The president's plan will reduce pollution by..." and so on. But can these claims be taken at face value? They shouldn't be. Do you know the difference between reliability and accuracy in a scientific study? How big a sample and what kind must be studied to ensure that the results apply to a larger population than the sample? What is the difference between correlation and cause-and-effect, and why is it so important? What docs it mean to you personally that two people out of one hundred will experience bad side effects from a prescription drug you are taking? How do you know that an experiment measures what it is supposed to measure, and not another factor? If you don't ask these questions or don't know what the answers mean, you can be misled on important social, political, and health good experimental psychology course will provide the seminal points without the math. The Tools To Approach Your Own Questions Ever look at a blade of grass and wonder what the essential stuff in the universe is, down beneath the green, the atoms, and the sub-atomic particles? Just have to know how dolphins think? Have the urge to write just one play? Too often graduates say, "I wish I'd taken some of that while I was in college, but I had so many other requirements..."If the questions that have nipped at your heels since you were ten years old aren't already being addressed with courses in your major, but you don't want to make a career out of answering them, you may want to deal with those questions later, when your career is stable and you have the time to contemplate them. Take at least one class that is satisfying for its own sake. Any future is subject to the rise and fall of economics, intellectual fashions, technological surprises, and political regimes. Imagine that at some point you will be stranded alone on an island, with only the contents of your mind. Don't take an extra class to "get ahead" in a shifting world at the expense of one that will build a permanent room lor your dreams. 111111 issues. Check the college catalog for a course in statistics, especially a course associated with the social science. A Professional Training Program in Speech-Language The American Indian Professional Training Program (AIT) in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at the University of Arizona is proud to congratulate the following students on their recent graduation on May 12, 1990: Walt Allery (Chippewa), M.S. in Audiology, Bobby Daw (Navajo), B.S. in Speech and Hearing Sciences, Janice Jones (Navajo), M.S. in Speech Language Pathology, Patricia Morgan (Lumbcc), M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology and Susie Sigman (Navajo), M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology. These students successfully completed their degrees while maintaining their commitment to their tribes, their families and their culture. As part of the AIT program, all have participated in special activities in a tutorial program, have assisted staff in recruiting Native Ameri cans to the university and have shared aspects of their culture and heritage to enhance communication with mainstream students and faculty. Their work, their commitment and their personalities have touched many people, Indian and non-Indian alike. These outstanding students offer encouragement to others and serve as models of professionalism. The AIT currently welcomes inquiries for applications for the 1991-1992 academic year. The program offers financial, personal and academic support for Native . Americans who are interested in careers in Speech Language Pathology or Audiology. If interested, please contact: Marilyn Pipes or Lucy Weeks American Indian Professional Training Program Room 301, Speech Building University of Arizona Tucson, AZ. 85721 (602) 621-1969
