Personal Philosophy, Career Goals, & Academic Opportunities

Ryan -

As time goes on and the years go by I always tend to think about what I want to do with my life and how successful I think I can be. In my personal life I am currently in my last semester of college. My philosophy is that if I earn my Bachelors degree which I should then I will hopefully start working for a large company and work my way up to being extremely successful. I have high expectations and I want to be the best so that just makes me want to try harder.

My philosophy is definitely related to interdisciplinary in which the fields that I am studying are the most important things because it determines what job I get and what career I will have. I am glad that I studied three areas rather then just one because it allows me to make more choices in what I want to do. Another very cool thing about this major is that you can mix and match your areas of study. This is great when you have a job and they need someone with knowledge from both areas that you are familiar with.

My career goals have changed allot throughout my college years. When I first came to college I had my mind on being a professional golfer. I knew that I was good enough and many people thought that I had the potential of doing so. At that time I was going towards an Business Administration degree and was unhappy with it so I switched to interdisciplinary studies. After being in this program for about 2 years now I really am happy that I changed. I love it allot and hope to get a career in the Hospitality or Marketing fields. My hopes on being a professional golfer kinda fell through but I still play and enjoy it allot.

Kaitlyn-

I seem to have two polarized professional philosophies.

The first is DREAM BIG. This attitude tells me that life is whatever you make it, so why not do absolutely anything you want? Passion is something that's unmistakable, and it will definitely take you places. And your life is a long one, is it not plausible that you can get there someday?

My second philosophy is a little more thought-out, and it starts in the Great Depression. Back in the day, there wasn't all the glitz and glamor of specialization (at least not much further than what you can do with your hands). When you were old enough, you went out to work. There was no questioning if your job gave you a deep sense of purpose, you just cared about whether or not you would eat that night. It's so interesting learning from my 93-year-old great aunt, because the world she grew up in is so much different from ours.

Now, the norm is going to college after high school, most often to "find yourself". We have options; we're allowed to dream. Why does it seem like so many of my peers have dealt with depression or "soul-searching", in some way? It's because we have time to. We're tricked into believing that there's some perfect career out there waiting for us. We want to believe we have a calling. And we want that to be what defines us.

But you know what? This is wishful thinking. Sure, there are plenty of people who discover their dreams, but for the most part, that's not what working is about. Work is work. We do it because we have to. When it comes down to it, that is our lot in life and maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to chase our dreams on our own time.

So where do these two, very differing philosophies leave me? Again, it comes down to integration. The second was a shot of reality I definitely needed. I have to stop searching for that "dream job" and see that my career isn't going to be quite as romanticized as I'd always imagined. But at the same time, the DREAM BIG part is still with me. There's always those hopes, and like I said, life is long. I have all the time in the world to pursue what calls to me, which, in all honesty, is ever-adapting. I really feel that, someday, I may go back to school for that doctorate in Statistics. I can see myself leading a research team for cancer treatments, or the EPA, or somewhere else that can really make an impact. Or maybe there will be some other big dream for me, who knows? But for now I need to do what I need to do (dare I call it settling?). I realize that you can't make everything happen all at once and besides, if I did, what would I have left to dream about??? :)

What about you all? Which side of the fence do you sit on?

Cover letters and Resume

Ryan Kaye-

The resume that I have put together really highlights everything that I have done as a student growing up and the things that I have accomplished throughout my college career. The classes that I have taken can really highlight my intersisciplinarity as well as all of the other things I have done or participated in over time.

The questions that I always have about cover letters include the following: What would be the most important thing to write in the body of the cover letter. Should I include references in my cover letter? and What is the biggest mistake that people make when writing a cover letter?

There are many different resources you can use and places to go when searching about cover letters and resumes. I usually go to the UCF library and check out books that they have which help you put together a cover letter or resume. There are also many websites that you can use that will guide you through the steps to make a cover letter. I recommend you use the most important information that you have accomplished over the years and make sure its enough but not to much. If anyone has any questions about any of this I will be glad to answer them for you.

Kaitlyn-

My best advice for writing a cover letter is to not spend too much time reading samples from other people. Yes, there's a format it should pretty much follow, but aside from that, the worst thing you could do is produce something formulaic. I usually just sit down, and pour out everything (with revisions, of course) that I would say in person, if I were to meet them. Why am I contacting them? What is it about the company that makes me interested? Then, what is it about me that fits with this? This is your chance to show them they need you, even if they don't know it yet. I think many people see a cover letter as a formality, something you "just have to do". I feel strongly that the cover letter is everything. Everyone is going to have a similar resume, as (hopefully) they wouldn't be applying for a job for which they are not qualified. Your cover letter is what will get them interested. It is what will show them YOU. Use it as an opportunity to showcase yourself. The best you can ask for is to give a hint of your personality--I, happily, have gotten great feedback about my writing style. Actually, a respone I've got made me particularly elated, so I'm going to share.

Since there are pretty much no actual job listings for what I'm looking for, I've been sending out resumes to interesting companies that weren't expecting anything. The last person I went for an informational interview with (because unfortunately they, like everyone else, are not hiring) told me this: "I'm glad I actually opened your letter when I got it in the mail, because when I read it, I had to talk to you. Even if we're not hiring, we're always looking to meet the right kind of people, and you seem like you could be one of them. Either that, or you're just great at spinning". This I found pretty funny. While my letter was sincere, I know I sold myself. So that's my point: make it you, make it personal, and make it good :).

As for the resume, I think there is a surefire way to make the right one. It needs to be neat, organized, and edited so that certain key points stick out. No one wants to sit there and read through a wordy list about yourself when they're looking for one or two specific things. "Concise" is the word I'm looking for here. The most important thing is your experience, and you want to include just a couple reasons why each job qualifies you for the field of your choice. Simply listing your day-to-day duties is not going to be very impressive: "Okay, so you used to answer the phones and sort the mail.... Great!". Even if there's not much to say about a previous position, I bet you can find a way to spice it up! For my last job, which was little more than being a receptionist, I wrote "Boosted efficiency by facilitating research, funding, and travel initiatives". Find whatever it is that made and impact, and illustrate that!

One piece of advice I've gotten from workshops is to begin each line with a good action verb. Think "created", "designed", "led"--these show what YOU did and the influnce you had. Things like "I ran reports" or "I made these changes" are fine, but they certainly don't make you stand out. Another piece of good advice is to look for keywords in a job description and make sure that they're included somewhere in your resume. Is data analysis something they've listed as being important? Include it! Many times, employers will electronically scan your resume, and if certain things they're looking for don't come up, you might just be overlooked.

One of the things I love about the IDS degree is that it makes you different. I usually put my education information first, as it is my most qualifying factor right now. Employers are going to look at my degree and not see just plain old "Business" or "Psychology". They're going to see a unique combination of studies and ask, "What is this? I've never seen this before, tell me more". (Trust me, it gives you a good opening to describe yourself and why you're different). I then go on to elaborate my three major points of experience, each illustrating a different aspect of my interdisciplinarity. It shows, I think, how I'm well-rounded and likely capable of integrating different skills that they may find valuable. Initially I had big worries about people thinking that I simply couldn't make up my mind in college, but being able to showcase my interdisciplinarity through a resume has actually come to, as I believe, really make me stand out.

What about you guys? Have you had trouble trying to compose a resume and explain your degree, or have you found it beneficial, like I have?

Professional Opportunities & Job Skills

Ryan-

As I was growing up as a kid I always wanted to do something in the golf industry. I love the game of golf and I enjoy being on a golf course. When I was in high school I worked at a golf course in Miami for 2 years. I did a great job and met allot of people. A few years after I moved to Orlando for college here at UCF. Going to school full time as well as having a job can get a bit rough but I always figured out a way to manage my time and be successful. I currently work at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club here in orlando Florida. I am a golf Caddie which means I help golfers out with anything they might need.

My strongest skill that I have use are my communication skills. I am very good at talking to people especially at work. I see new people everyday I go into work and I get to communicate with these people throughout the day. My weakest skills I would say are being organized. Over the years I have really realized how important it is to be organized and it has really got me to start trying harder. Life would be so much easier for everyone if they were organized at all times.

To improve on my weak skills I can think to myself at all times how important it is to have these skills that I am missing. I let myself know how much more successful I can be if I practice these skills. Ny me telling this to myself I work harder at them and eventually these skills will improve. With everything that you do in life practice makes perfect.

Identify two professional clubs or organizations that are useful to your chosen career.

Deca and AD PR are 2 clubs that can really be beneficial to my career. DECA is a organization that help students with business. We use to go on trips with other students and do campaigns and compete with other students from all over the world. Ad PR is great for people like myself headed into the Advertising field . It really helps you out in which it gives you information about selling Ads and working with others.

Kaitlyn-

I'm hoping my professional life will take off sometime in the near future. As of yet, it's taken a lot longer than I'd expected and hoped for.

I feel like I've been obsessed with doing so for, oh, the past two or three years. When I was a sophomore I began looking for experience with what I was studying: Statistics. I went to Experiential Learning, talked to professors for ideas, and scoured the area for statistical consulting firms. In fact, my inability to find any type of internship is what convinced me to join IDS. My thinking was that another incorporated field of study would get me into an industry where I could at least apply quantitative analysis.

So I adopted an area of Environmental Studies. I began volunteering a nature preserve, which was not only fun but it also got me energized for my new focus. I went on interviews with nonprofits and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Thankfully, I didn't wait too long this time to decide that this path wasn't for me. Any capacity I was able to discover didn't involve much more than filling out paperwork, with little opportunity for the career-long success I was craving. So once again, I changed.

This last time I decided on Business. At least it would open up plenty more job opportunities, right? Sadly, I was wrong again. I have sent out what feels like a million resumes and have got countless "You sound great! But we're actually down-sizing" 's. Now I'm graduating and it seems like I've run out of time. So with a great void of professional experience, I'd have to say my strongest job skill is persistence.

If this sounds pretty depressing, I apologize. But honestly, this has been consuming my life recently, and it feels good to get a chance to vent. My question for you? Please, someone tell me their story of professional development and assure me that there's hope!!! :)

Critical Thinking

Ryan-

After being a student at UCF for the past 4 years I have come to the conclusion that Critical Thinking is extremely important. As we already know Interdisciplinary studies is a combination of 3 different areas. When you are studying more then one area at a time it can get tough but if you think critically and manage your time it shouldnt be a problem. Over these past couple years my critical thinking skills have definitely approved alot. I am using these skills in many different situations that I come across to at any given time. In my future I believe that having these Critical thinking skills will really help me in choosing a good career and being successful in life. I enjoy being an interdisciplinary studies major and feel like it has helped me out allot in accomplishing these skills.

Kaitlyn-

Not only does critical thinking relate to interdisciplinarity--it is a requirement! I think IDS majors are a certain breed of students. They are the ones that realize that the world is not as cut-and-dry as college would lead you to believe. That being said, I believe critical thinking is right at the core.

In my mind, critical thinking means being able to follow a logical transgression, and being able to realize underlying implications that may not be apparent at first glance. For example: social attitude toward economic policy is changing, but WHY is this adaptation taking place? Individuals must be able to observe, analyze, and integrate. These are the skills that will make you an asset to society, and it seems to me like IDS graduates will have the upper-hand. Not only has the interconnected structure of our degree program forced us to develop such critical thinking attributes; our Cornerstone and Capstone classes have taught us to acknowldge and develop these skills.