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(female) Other questions that you all have,
if you can think of other questions. Okay.
[laughter] (male) I know from my experience some of the
things that I learned, in fact,
I don’t even use at my job.
And so, for you guys I want to know what your employers
expect from you and how much do you guys use your
[inaudible] that you’ve learned?
>>I think that’s a good question.
You’re asking a great question.
I feel that all the lower, lower division classes like
the chemistries and the biology,
the generals--they’re important to build a base for
yourself.
So yeah, I do this course because it’s important.
Because you’re working up towards the higher division
classes, which use some of the things that you’re learning,
like the mathematics or the biomechanics,
the physics part in biomechanics.
Or just more the microscopic fundamentals,
you probably won’t really need as a professional.
Things that we do now are more hands-on,
more locational, towards the career path that I’ve chosen.
So I don’t know exactly what it is with the ladies here,
but we’re working more with patients,
so the academia isn’t really necessary with what I’ve
learned in general chemistry, but the higher level
chemistry, I definitely need it in order to understand how
bacteria works in that sort of diagnosis.
So yes, I think you’re gonna need both.
It all ties in, but the higher level classes definitely help
gain a little bit more ground.
>>I think at this time of your life you don’t necessarily
think that that’s going to help you.
Because I was always taking like,
chemistry, my pre-calc class, I was like,
“When am I going to use this?
I’m just wasting my time.
” But I think once you are out in the world,
or you go to grad school, you remember bits and pieces
that you find in your classes.
So it’s really like a good groundwork
a foundation.
For you, especially a well-rounded person.
It is required for all the students here too,
but they make you take it because,
it’s not just because you have to,
but it’ll benefit you.
And I know you don’t think it right now.
Because I definitely didn’t think it was gonna help me
either, when I was undergrad.
Now I’m in grad school.
I’m learning a little bit about statistics.
Learning a little bit about different theories I learned
as undergrad, in psychology, that I didn’t use.
So you pick up these little things [inaudible].
>>So I guess my question to you is,
what’s your major?
Do you know yet?
(male) It’s human resource development.
>>Okay.
For me my major was sociology and then I went into business
field originally, which I had nothing about.
So, oh my God, what am I doing here?
[laughter] So like Heather and Yang said,
the foundation is just your basics,
I mean, they’re there for a reason. When you get more
specifically into your major, you do use the theories
and the methods that you studied upon.
For me sociology, going to retail world,
was very different.
I didn’t learn the textile, and the
clothes, and everything.
But the sociology aspect of learning how to work in
groups, came in very important.
So it’s not so much, okay, how do you use this equation
to get this? Don’t think of it in that sense.
It’s more, your thought process behind it.
So for example, the thought process of solving a math
problem is what you’re going to be using in the real world.
It’s your critical thinking. So school,
as difficult as the material is, you might not use it, but
it’s the process of how you think about the problem that
is going to apply in the real world. Does that make sense?
Yeah, okay.
[laughter] So yeah, that was my experience.
So I didn’t have any hands-on class about retail.
When it came to sociology, using the understanding,
okay, how do you work in groups?
Or, how do you [inaudible]?
How do you communicate with someone who has a different
personality than you, and group dynamic,
really came in handy for me.
>>I don’t know, maybe it was just me,
but I kind of feel like I used a lot
of the stuff I learned every day.
I work with a Admission Possible definitely not something
you know it’s not a marketing position,
not a public relations position.
But a lot of times when I try to connect with my experience
I’m like, how do I market this event for my students?
How do I reach out for them?
How do I make them come to this event?
Like, we’ll have meetings and I’ll throw out some,
like, terms. And everybody is like, “What are you talking about?”
I think because as you’re learning it,
and as you know it, it becomes so natural to you that
you don’t think you’re really thinking about it.
But you are, in like the back of your head,
you’ll quote something from something you’ve learned in
class, and it just comes so natural.
And definitely you’re not going to use everything that
you learned. Yeah, like a lot of the theory stuff.
They’re theories.
And it’s how you apply that to the real world.
That’s what you take away from it.
So like in a broader sense, you use it.
It’s not, like, in your face, though.
And it really depends on the career you go into,
though. If you’re going to be a doctor or chemistry,
you know you’re using those things
you learned in school every day.
But if your major is more liberal arts,
like psychology, sociology, then to apply the different
theories is just going to be a little different than if your
goals are like, a real technical field.
(female) That question kind of relates to,
you know, taking the information from school and
transitioning it into the workforce.
And kind of on that related theme of transitioning into
the workforce, what would you say are some of the rewarding
parts that you enjoy about getting past graduation?
What are the things that they’ll have to look forward to?
And on the flip side, what have been some of the
challenges of transitioning into the workforce after being a student?
Or in your case grad school or whatever you’d like to touch on?
>>Well I think one of the hardest things,
like my [inaudible] always talk about is how,
like in college, everything was so flexible.
My work was flexible, my classes were flexible.
But once you get into the work field,
you were set 40 hours. Like, either 9 to 5 or 8 to 4.
And it’s weird. At first it was just kind of like,
my days, like the same every time.
And it’s kind of like, man, what am I gonna do to make it
more worthwhile. And I think that was one of the hardest things.
Like, I’m on a constant, repetitive day schedule.
And so I developed a [inaudible].
But I don’t know, like, I was telling Zer earlier,
like, once I graduated I’m like, anti-school.
I’m so glad to be in a work field.
[laughter] And I liked school, I loved my majors.
But to be working, I just feel so much more accomplished.
When I work with students, and I get stuff done.
So, I really like my job. I really like what I do.
I was lucky and I found a really good atmosphere that
fit me and fit my personality. As repetitive as my days could be,
I always kind of look forward to going to work, though.
So, yeah.
>>For me, my transition was a little tougher.
And I think the reason was, looking back when I was
younger, [laughs] I was so naive.
And I think that going from the academic setting to Target
Corporation, which has a very strong corporate culture,
was a culture shock for me.
But the transition for me was very hard.
Like the first two years I thought,
do I even belong here? There were things, social things
that I didn’t know that Target did that I wasn’t aware of.
So for example, just something for example,
like a happy hour. I didn’t know what that was.
And going to such a big corporate culture was hard for me.
And I didn’t want to make that transition from college to the
real world. I really missed school.
And out of my close group of friends,
I was one of the first ones to graduate.
So all of them were still here at the U of M still hanging
out and being at class. I was already out there working.
And it was hard for me to just find someone to call about my
experience at Target and talk to them about these emotions,
things I just felt through that process.
I mean, when you graduate you’re happy,
yes I’m done with school, I’m gonna work.
But once you’re out there in the real world you’re like
wow, it’s very different from what you thought it was going
to be. And like she said, either 8 to 5 or 9 to 5,
it’s repetitive, it’s routine. And you find yourself thinking,
oh my God. When I was in college I was able to do so much more
with my day.
I went to school, I worked, attended different activities.
But when you go and just start working all the time,
it’s a very hard transition.
And you find yourself trying to find other things to do.
Like, okay, now I’m done with work.
What can I do? Okay, I’m gonna go volunteer.
So for me personally I missed that aspect of college.
The fact that you could do so many things in one day.
Compared to working. Now I say, you’re stuck here. 9 to 5,
5 o’clock then you can go and do your activities or
what you want. But other than that, you’re here.
So, like Goshi said, I think that you
have to find your passion. And I think that’s very important.
Because most of the time your passion,
you do a job that you really love,
then that [inaudible] becomes some balancing.
And [inaudible] don’t make work your whole life.
Try to find other ways to enrich life by volunteering or
playing sports. Because that will give you a more
healthier lifestyle.
And I think that’s something I learned the hard way.
My first two years, all I did was work.
That’s all I did.
But then my third and fourth and fifth year I went okay,
it’s not making me happy.
I need to go back to the lifestyle I used to know in
college, which was working but also doing other activities.
Which I have. And now I’m finding myself happier,
more well-rounded as well.