SHARE OR DIE. just graduated

Wow, Share or Die voices of the get lost generation in the age of crisis is an eye opening book. I haven’t read much of the book but, it’s hard to put down. The book is a collection of stories from a selection of different newly graduated people in their life after college. There are two stories in particular that I really like in the book: Heartbeats and Hashtags: Youth in Service, and The Janus-faced Craigslist: Comedy, Tragedy and Video Games.

The first story Heartbeats and Hashtags: Youth in Service is a story of a girl and how she is managing to stay alive in New York with a 25 dollar stipend every week. Hannah Brencher was a volunteer in New York for one year after college. She gave 8 hours of her life each day for an entire year, I find this incredible. I find it hard to imagine giving so much of my life to helping others in need, you can call me selfish but, I bet there are others out there like me… unfortunately. Hannah was volunteering in Manhattan for six months until she started with Sister Margaret at her community life center.

Ever have those moments when you go online and try to find information on a shop only to find that they don’t have a website or they have a very poor one? That happens to me a lot and usually my search ends there, unless they have a phone number. That is how Sister Margaret’s website looked. Well, Hannah (like most of us) knows her way around the computer and decided to really make and impact. Hannah set up a complete website, detailed, and integrated with social media.

The next story The Janus-faced Craigslist: Comedy, Tragedy and Video Games, is a story of a newly graduated boy moving from DC to Seattle with friends. It starts with a road trip across the country to an unknown town. Ryan Gleason’s story is mostly a story of trying to stay alive by keeping a constant income. Ryan stayed alive by getting free items on Craigslist and finding jobs on Craigslist. Ryan jumps from job to job only moving to another when being fired.

These are two completely different stories only being tied together by two things hard times and the internet. Hannah and Ryan both went through rough times but, they both made it through safely and dealt with it in two completely different ways. You may call me naïve but, I believe that this really says that as long as you have an optimistic outlook on where you are in life then you will be OK. Now, as for the internet, IT IS AMAZING! There are so many outstanding things the internet can do and here are just two ways of the millions out there.

I am going to keep reading this book and I suggest reading it to anyone out there. I think this book will benefit anyone reading it, even if it is just getting a kick out of some silly stories.

Why college isn't good enough

I believe that college is NOT good enough for everything. I think that where you go to college and what you study is important but, I believe that the person behind that degree is more important. As stated by Noam Chomsky, public education is a great achievement; “One purpose was to prepare independent farmers for life as wage laborers who would tolerate what the regarded as virtual slavery.” I like this quote because, that’s how I think life after college is going to be. We are going to be shackled to a desk somewhere doing paperwork.

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I have my doubts about college at times. I often wonder, how much do people actually learn in college or am I ever going to use this information besides on the upcoming test? I am usually astonished though, there are times where I won’t know what some completely random medical term means and my dad will know 99% of the time. So, if you are like me, you might wonder; how do I retain information from class better? Here are some tips from Carol Rzadkiewicz on how to soak up information better.

• ·         Concentrate on what the professor is saying.

• ·         Try to get the main points and not every single word.

• ·         Don’t automatically assume you know what the professor is going to say before he or she says it.

• ·         Focus on the professors words, not how he or she delivers the information or looks that day.

• ·         Become self-aware of what you are doing wrong. Commit to improving on your listening skills.

• ·         “Listen for cues: If an instructor says, ‘This is important,’ ‘Pay attention to this,’ or ‘Remember this,’ that means the chances are great that the information will be needed for a test.”

• ·         Ask questions

• ·         “Develop note-taking skills: Students must learn how to take notes. Most students, though, are lousy note-takers because they don’t know what to listen for or how to take notes efficiently. Instead, they jot down an occasional random fact they think “might” happen to be important or else they desperately try to write down every word uttered by a professor, regardless of its relevance."

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I do believe that everyone should have an education and almost everyone should have higher education. A good education system can only make a country better. If someone is working a job they hate and they believe that a higher education will lead to a job they like more and pays better than do it. However, don’t just focus on school and jobs, family and friends come first. I know this may sound corny but, I still believe in this very strongly! I don’t meet many people like this still but, Gretchen Oltman really inspired me by saying, “When life hands you circumstances that need you, then go. Be in the moment, and accept the consequences of late work, missing grades or deducted points. I once had to accept a lower grade in a class because I attended the funeral of a close friend. I do not regret that grade, and every time I see it on my transcript, I am reminded that I chose what mattered most at the time. Always, always choose to be in the moment with those who need you.” This is a really nice thing to read because, recently my sister broke both of her arms so, my family and I really have to be there for her. I had to skip the beginning of a class in order to get her ready for high school one morning and I am proud of my decision.

I think that who you get to know throughout life is very important. It is what we all do, we socialize and network. I would bet that more people get jobs just because they are good friends with the employer than because they had a better degree than the next guy. One opinion I like is from Jack Vincent, he says a degree no longer sets you apart from everyone else. Experience is a door opener and it’s hard to get a job without experience but, you can’t get experience without a job. “Regardless of your major or the type of position that you are seeking today’s candidates must have more to offer than just academic achievement.” This is extremely true and it is quite discouraging to me as a student because, I know I will have very little experience when I graduate and it will be hard to find a job.

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Networking is a great thing; it makes everyone’s life easier by combining ideas and work to get the job done easier and quicker. We do have to answer to our superiors however, it’s not all black and white. Our bosses need our help and we need theirs but, this isn’t something that is shown in schools. “Consider first the emphasis schools have on authority. Schools are hierarchical: The teacher is the authority in the classroom. Principals or deans preside over teachers and professors. Seniors "rank" higher than juniors, and so on,” says John Coleman. This happens in every school, and I know I participated in this hierarchy. I remember being cut so much slack just because I was a senior and how the lower grades always looked up to the seniors.

I think that a degree isn’t good enough and that we all need people to account on for help. We don’t know everything and most of the time if you ask a peer or a superior they will be able to help. I think networking is one of the most important things in life and the only way to be able to network is by being a good likeable person.