CGHS Library

Motivation

Last week, Dan Ariely asked an interesting question in a TED Talk: “What makes us feel good about our work?” The TED Blog responded with the post “7 fascinating studies about what motivates us at work,” rounding up research — from both Ariely and other psychologists — that speaks to some of the surprising factors that influence how we feel about our jobs.

I am pretty sure the same things motivate us in school.

CareerSighted Teaser from CareerSighted on Vimeo.

Job Hunting and Careers

Channel One has some good resources on choosing a career path and finding a job including a Complete Job Guide, jobs with the lowest unemployment rates, opportunities, career choices, managing your money, personal habits and characteristics you can develop that lead to success, and employment trends.

What It Takes

Conan O'Brien talked for over an hour to Jack White last week, and they discussed creativity, success, failure, work, books, authenticity and a host of other things. Even if you don't like either of these guys, their conversation is well worth listening to because they have thoughts and know how to express them.

Campus Bird Helps You Find College Information

After you tell Campus Bird a few details about what you are looking for, it produces a list of colleges that meet your criteria. When you pick one of the schools, it kicks back its location with Google Earth, along with specific information about majors, admissions data, expenses, majors, students, athletics, special programs, and weather. When brainstorming possible college plans, Campus Bird looks like a great place to start.

No Fear

College Admission

In October, the Washington Post published Seven College Admission Myths. Even though admission to most Kansas colleges is a relative breeze, I thought a few of the myths were worth reprinting here.

"3. The admissions department adores you.

Many schools dump lots of money into transforming their campus visits into personal experiences, building connections through social media and making average students feel aggressively recruited. They also flood mailboxes with personalized invitations to apply, and are sometimes even willing to waive the application fee. Don’t think this makes you special. Realize that this is all strategic marketing. Despite the overly personal facade, admissions departments are receiving numbers of applications and the evaluation process is often a technical, impersonal one.

4. It’s best to crowd your application with a volume of extracurriculars.

In most cases, admissions staffers are not impressed by long lists of extracurriculars that fill in every single line on the application. In asking about your out-of-class interests, colleges usually want to hear about your interests, passions and leadership. Rather than spreading your time and dedication over a dozen activities you care a little about, focus on a couple that mean the most to you.

5. It’s better to have a high GPA than to take difficult classes.

It’s always better to challenge yourself, even if it means a lower grade. Just don’t fail.

6. Essays don’t really matter much in the end because grades and test scores are so dominant in admissions decisions.

Don’t believe it. A poorly written, typo-filled essay can kill any application, and a beautiful piece can lift a student over another who looks similar on paper. Yes, college admissions officers can often tell if a student didn’t actually write the essay. Some compare the writing with SAT and ACT essays. And no, don’t think every subject will work as long as it is well written: Admissions officers have no interest in a student’s love life, brushes with the law or the trip to Costa Rica to fulfill a community service requirement in which the applicant wound up learning more from the locals than the locals got from the applicant."

Courtesy of: Schools.com

What If You Don't Know What You Want To Do?

Channel One has published a set of videos and career planning that you might find interesting if you are trying to decide what you want to do with your life. Additional videos include a Career Finder Quiz, and information on High-Tech Manufacturing, Teaching, Biotech, Truck Drivers, Video Games, Software Engineering, Google, Green Collar Jobs, Medicine, and Heart Surgery.