Personal Ethics and the Job Hunt

In applying for jobs, I cannot help but notice a lot of the jobs that are hiring are companies that I don't feel right working for. I know that in this job market I can't always be picky, but its more than just a matter of not wanting to do the work.

As an environmentalist, I do not support a lot of energy companies' practices. I would feel like benefiting from working for, say, a coal company, would make me hypocritical. Or I've seen job ads for various alcohol or tobacco companies, but seeing as I'm pretty against their product, especially tobacco, I haven't even considered applying for any of those jobs.

I guess it all comes down to where I want to draw a line. Sure I may not like brand name drug companies and the way they sell drugs, but am I willing to work for a generics company? For a long time I've tried to support small businesses, but so far that hasn't extended to only applying at local companies that support the local economy.

Running for Office

I found this excellent article on the Website Campus Progress about young people running for office. The youngest candidate I've ever heard of was an 18-year-old (still in high school) who ran for mayor and won. Take a look: http://campusprogress.org/articles/when_young_people_run_for_office/.

How Curriculum Varies by School

When you choose a school, it's not always enough to find out if your major is offered at your prospective school. Often, a program's focus will vary depending on the economy of the area. Take Recreation and Tourism Management (RTM) for example. My school is in a very rural area and many of the students are from economically depressed areas. West Virginia as a whole is trying to improve the economy while not harming the environment. Therefore, Tourism is a huge focus by the state. Therefore, when the school teaches, its focus is on outdoor recreation such as rafting and hiking.

As a business major, I've noticed that we are being prepared for jobs with large corporations. They are the focus of cases in our textbooks. Unfortunately, I disagree with this particular approach. The reason I became a business major was because I planned to start a business. Since then, I have been very interested in small businesses, particularly working for them. I feel that my school would be better served by encouraging us to either start businesses or find jobs working for one after graduation. Like tourism, it is a key part of improving the economy.

I suppose there are other schools that have business programs with more of a focus on small business or even an entire program dedicated to teaching emerging entrepreneurs. At my school, it sort of makes sense that the focus would be working for a coal company, since that's the major source of income for the state, but if a student wants something else, they usually have to leave the area. Many graduates leave the state, which is dangerous since the next generation of workers is a vital part of the workforce.

Many other programs have a certain focus as well. For example, the social sciences at my school seem to have a major emphasis on research and going to graduate school.

Has anyone else noticed something similar at your own school?

Advocacy Makes a Difference in Nike Case

Advocacy and volunteering is a big thing amongst college students, and has been at least since the 1960s. Organizations such as Student United Way, Amnesty International, and Circle K give students more opportunities to volunteer, write letters, and protest. It also insures that its mambers are well aware of what is going on in their country and around the world.

A rally at my school protesting the rising cost of tuition

Because of all of the efforts put into noble causes, its always rewarding to see those efforts make a difference. Universities and an Organization called United States Against Sweatshops put enough pressure on Nike that they finally agreed to pay severance costs as well as health insurance for a year to 1800 workers in Honduras who worked for Nike's subcontractors. They will also give them priority hiring.

You can read the whole artilce here.

Let's get some discussion going here. Are you involved in any advocacy at your school? What kind of causes do you feel are most important? Also, share one of your favorite stories about a protest or volunteering of some kind.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Nike Compensates Laid-Off Honduran Factory Workers (time.com)
• Sheila Shayon: Nike Bows to Labor Activists (huffingtonpost.com)

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  Volunteering in the Off Season

Housing Problems

For the last couple of years (fall of 2008 was the beginning of this trend) colleges and universities across the country have been experiencing record enrollment numbers, and fall of 2010 isn't supposed to be all that different. The biggest problem with having this number of students is what to do with them. Many new students are traditional students expecting to live on campus. Unfortunately, between the sudden influx of students and continuing budget cuts, expanding student living is not always an option, especially for the short term.

A major problem that this leads to is students come to campus for orientation and have no idea where they are going to live for the next few months. Some students end up in triples when the room is meant for only two students, other times up to ten students are living together in a lounge.

Traditionally, colleges accept more students than they can house because they know some students will not show up and the rooming assignments will even out. Unfortunately, with even greater numbers of students applying, there are still too many students without rooms.

Several solutions are possible, and are done. One is to allow more students to live off campus. This works in some towns, but other times there is not enough off campus housing within a short distance. If money for students is an issue, schools may choose to allow financial and scholarships to cover off-living expenses. Another thing some colleges do is to focus on recruiting more non-traditional students. They will still bring money into the school, but the college does not have to worry about housing them. Schools will also turn spaces that are not normally used for living spaces into rooms. This is probably the least advisable option. Finally, schools can simply choose to turn away more students by raising their admissions standards.

Have you ever been caught in the middle of housing overfill? How did it affect the first few days of school? How does your school deal with it? What do you think is the best short-term fix? Reply in the comments section.

http://readme.readmedia.com/On-Campus-Housing-Full-at-SUNY-Canton/1604028
http://www.4029tv.com/news/24263125/detail.html

Liberal Arts Majors

CollegeMonster recently posted an article about high-paying jobs that do not require a specific degree. Check here to see if any of them are appealing to you.

Do you have an unusual major?

Why you shouldn't quit your job search