A recent college graduate alone in a new city with no job, no place to live and only an unpaid internship as a reason to be there. Not the ideal situation to be in.
Marina Baham, a close friend who graduated from St. Mary’s College with a bachelors in sports management last Spring, was that college graduate. She interviewed and was hired as a new intern at a skateboard company in San Diego.
Baham grew up in Sacramento and had been attending a college in the Bay Area, so San Diego was far from anyone and anywhere she was familiar.
After Baham graduated, she quit her job at 24 Hour Fitness to go back to her parents house because she had no reason to stay in the Bay Area since school was done. She interviewed with multiple companies, in multiple cities so she understandably wanted to wait and see what internships she got before finding a job.
When she found out which internship she got, she also found out when she had to start; in a week. A week to pack and get from Sacramento to San Diego is a daunting task in itself, but finding a job and a place to live as well is virtually impossible. And it was.
Luckily, Baham had a distant second cousin who lived in San Diego, or who knows what she would have done for housing. But she could not stay in her cousin’s small apartment for too long. So she started the search for not only apartments, but roommates. She told me everyday how she had never met so many weird and sketchy people in a span of two days before.
Meanwhile, she was also searching for a job, but in this job market it was not going well. She interviewed at several 24 Hour Fitness facilities, but had no luck. When Baham finally found an a apartment, and roommates that did not freak her out, she still did not have a paying job and had to dip into her savings. She knew she could only go on without a job for so long, and so long came quicker than she expected. She was then faced with a difficult decision.
Baham was working at the skateboard company as an unpaid intern in the field that she received a degree in, but was not making money, only losing her savings more and more everyday. She had a solution. Her brother lived in Los Angeles, about a two hour drive from San Diego, who she could live with rent free; however, she would have to drive the two hours three times a week to do her internship.
Within days her situation took a complete one eighty. She got a job at a 24 Hour Fitness in Los Angeles, and was living rent free with family. From being jobless, paying rent and having no friends or close family near, to having a job, free rent and living with her brother. Every thing that was bad about San Diego was now resolved by a simple move.
Baham did have to give up the internship; however, she is now saving up her money while she can so she can travel before finding that career job her internship promised. The experience of being alone in a new city with no job or place to stay will definitely prepare her for traveling alone.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Slice of Life
What are you going to do after you graduate?
This is a question that is presented to college students constantly, and, it is, for some, an extremely daunting question. Whether it is asked by parents, other extended family members, a girlfriend or boyfriend’s parents, a counselor or simply a friend, it can be a dreaded question to just think about, let alone answer.
A good number of college graduates do not get a career job as soon as they graduate, and an even higher number do not get a career job in their field of study right out of the gates.
So what do they do?
Some have to find a job any way they can as soon as they can because of student loans that need to be paid off. College students all want to get out of school so bad because they have been in school for so long and the cost has them in debt. But once they are out, what is waiting for them besides the debt in student loans they owe? Not much.
There are numerous degrees offered in college, but there do not seem to be the same amount of jobs offered in the real world; especially career jobs in the fields of study a lot of students choose. This fact leads to the overwhelming amount of college graduates who end up working jobs that have nothing to do with their field of study. This is a pretty well known and widely understood fact. Everyone is told at one point or another that most degrees go unused. Unused meaning if one received a degree in biology, they do not become a biologist.
Again the question: What do they do?
Marina Baham, a close friend, who recently graduated from St. Mary’s College with a bachelors in sports management last Spring, is living that question. Notice the question is not what do they “want” to do, because that question can be fantasized and romanticized to no end.
Baham does know what she wants to do in the romanticized sense. She wants to travel. Travel is a verb very commonly used by recent college graduates, usually undergraduates. They want to see the world before settling down into a career or deciding whether or not they want to go back to school and pursue a masters degree.
Baham was fortunate in that she got an internship in her field of study directly out after graduation, and it was in beautiful San Diego. But she was not getting paid and had to support herself. With no luck finding a job in San Diego, she was forced to move in with her brother in Los Angeles, thus, ending the internship. But she did find a job and has free rent. Now all the money she makes can go toward traveling.
Baham is lucky to have a brother who can provide her with free housing, which is allowing her to pursue a life long dream to travel. But after her travels the phrasing of the question changes, but the core will still remain, what do you want to do after you travel?
This is a question that is presented to college students constantly, and, it is, for some, an extremely daunting question. Whether it is asked by parents, other extended family members, a girlfriend or boyfriend’s parents, a counselor or simply a friend, it can be a dreaded question to just think about, let alone answer.
A good number of college graduates do not get a career job as soon as they graduate, and an even higher number do not get a career job in their field of study right out of the gates.
So what do they do?
Some have to find a job any way they can as soon as they can because of student loans that need to be paid off. College students all want to get out of school so bad because they have been in school for so long and the cost has them in debt. But once they are out, what is waiting for them besides the debt in student loans they owe? Not much.
There are numerous degrees offered in college, but there do not seem to be the same amount of jobs offered in the real world; especially career jobs in the fields of study a lot of students choose. This fact leads to the overwhelming amount of college graduates who end up working jobs that have nothing to do with their field of study. This is a pretty well known and widely understood fact. Everyone is told at one point or another that most degrees go unused. Unused meaning if one received a degree in biology, they do not become a biologist.
Again the question: What do they do?
Marina Baham, a close friend, who recently graduated from St. Mary’s College with a bachelors in sports management last Spring, is living that question. Notice the question is not what do they “want” to do, because that question can be fantasized and romanticized to no end.
Baham does know what she wants to do in the romanticized sense. She wants to travel. Travel is a verb very commonly used by recent college graduates, usually undergraduates. They want to see the world before settling down into a career or deciding whether or not they want to go back to school and pursue a masters degree.
Baham was fortunate in that she got an internship in her field of study directly out after graduation, and it was in beautiful San Diego. But she was not getting paid and had to support herself. With no luck finding a job in San Diego, she was forced to move in with her brother in Los Angeles, thus, ending the internship. But she did find a job and has free rent. Now all the money she makes can go toward traveling.
Baham is lucky to have a brother who can provide her with free housing, which is allowing her to pursue a life long dream to travel. But after her travels the phrasing of the question changes, but the core will still remain, what do you want to do after you travel?
Monday, September 14, 2009
Rockband vs The Real Thing
The Beatles. The most recognizable and influential band in the history of music. Did the Beatles ever imagine that, essentially, anyone and everyone in the world would be able to physically play their entire song catalog without any musical knowledge or prowess whatsoever? Probably not.
With the release of the new Beatles Rockband video game, it is possible for people to do just that. Rockband is a video game that gives anyone the opportunity to “play” his or her favorite bands’ music using a fake guitar, a fake drum set and a microphone.
While playing the drums and singing on Rockband is somewhat similar to the real thing, the guitar playing is far from realistic. Without sounding pretentious, I am an aspiring musician who can attest to that statement. Guitar is my main instrument, and after playing the Rockband version I was so disappointed because of its complete lack of realism and how easy it was to just pickup and play. I really enjoy the process of trying to figure out how to play a song. The gratification and accomplishment felt when one finally figures a song out is like nothing else, and Rockband just bypasses that process.
The drums are nothing like a real drum set either, but the physical motions are similar when playing them. A microphone is a microphone. But with the guitar it has a four buttons on the neck and toggle switch where one would strum and pick.
The way Rockband works, for the guitar, is a series of colored blocks, which correspond with the colored buttons on the neck of the guitar, scroll down the screen on an image of a fret board. When the blocks get to a designated spot on the screen, the user must hit the button and toggle switch to create the note played.
Realizing Rockband was created to give people who are not musically inclined the opportunity to play their favorite songs, and to introduce music to kids in a more relateable way; however, it could also give false hope. Music is a language, and playing instruments is not something one learns in a few hours. Rockband’s immediate gratification is probably the only thing more unrealistic than the playing of the guitar.
Numerous people believe they can really play the guitar or drums after they have played Rockband, and when they go try to play the real thing, with all the confidence in the world on their side, they just get hit hard by the reality of it. They are then even more discouraged. This is a detractor of the video game many do not think about and overlook.
As previously said, music is a language, and playing an instrument is something that takes a lot of time, commitment and focus to really have any success at. Rockband may take a few hours maximum to get the hang of, and a couple days to really master. This provides more false hope for those who play the video game. When they try to learn how to play an instrument, and they do not figure it out in a few hours or days or weeks, they give up and go back to the instant gratification that Rockband provides.
John, Paul, George and Ringo. Four names of four musicians who each had a hand in changing the course of music forever. Now they are a part of a video game technology changing the course of video games. Did they ever imagine they would be a part of that? Probably not.
With the release of the new Beatles Rockband video game, it is possible for people to do just that. Rockband is a video game that gives anyone the opportunity to “play” his or her favorite bands’ music using a fake guitar, a fake drum set and a microphone.
While playing the drums and singing on Rockband is somewhat similar to the real thing, the guitar playing is far from realistic. Without sounding pretentious, I am an aspiring musician who can attest to that statement. Guitar is my main instrument, and after playing the Rockband version I was so disappointed because of its complete lack of realism and how easy it was to just pickup and play. I really enjoy the process of trying to figure out how to play a song. The gratification and accomplishment felt when one finally figures a song out is like nothing else, and Rockband just bypasses that process.
The drums are nothing like a real drum set either, but the physical motions are similar when playing them. A microphone is a microphone. But with the guitar it has a four buttons on the neck and toggle switch where one would strum and pick.
The way Rockband works, for the guitar, is a series of colored blocks, which correspond with the colored buttons on the neck of the guitar, scroll down the screen on an image of a fret board. When the blocks get to a designated spot on the screen, the user must hit the button and toggle switch to create the note played.
Realizing Rockband was created to give people who are not musically inclined the opportunity to play their favorite songs, and to introduce music to kids in a more relateable way; however, it could also give false hope. Music is a language, and playing instruments is not something one learns in a few hours. Rockband’s immediate gratification is probably the only thing more unrealistic than the playing of the guitar.
Numerous people believe they can really play the guitar or drums after they have played Rockband, and when they go try to play the real thing, with all the confidence in the world on their side, they just get hit hard by the reality of it. They are then even more discouraged. This is a detractor of the video game many do not think about and overlook.
As previously said, music is a language, and playing an instrument is something that takes a lot of time, commitment and focus to really have any success at. Rockband may take a few hours maximum to get the hang of, and a couple days to really master. This provides more false hope for those who play the video game. When they try to learn how to play an instrument, and they do not figure it out in a few hours or days or weeks, they give up and go back to the instant gratification that Rockband provides.
John, Paul, George and Ringo. Four names of four musicians who each had a hand in changing the course of music forever. Now they are a part of a video game technology changing the course of video games. Did they ever imagine they would be a part of that? Probably not.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Rally Column
Rallies are a waste of time if one really thinks about it. Rallies are like throwing a pebble into the ocean. They cause a little stir for about the amount of time they last, maybe a little longer. But what do they really accomplish besides people airing out their grievances? In the case of the furlough rally held in the main quad at Sacramento State on Wednesday, it remains to be seen, but most likely it will accomplish nothing.
A group of people gathered, some because classes required them to attend, others because they wanted to see what the commotion was about, and others actually cared about the cause. Speakers lead the crowd in short chants that cried out a catchy rhymes, and then said what his or her problem is with the furlough. Every speaker had essentially the same feelings about the effects of the furlough, so more than one speaker was not really necessary. But the more the merrier right?
Anyways, the point of a rally is to evoke change based on the fervor of those leading the rally, and those following, showing his or her support against the issue. But do they ever really accomplish that change? Maybe in some cases, but in the case of the furlough, which has effected so many people for a number of months now, a small rally at Sac State will most likely not cause any change whatsoever. It will just further display the already obvious disgust of those affected.
Those who are spirited and believe the rally, along with his or her words, can make a change, more power to them and preach on. But it just does not seem that whatever they say will really do anything. Everyone knows the furlough sucks and the money people are losing because of it is a shame. But getting up in front of a crowd and saying what is on your mind just seems to be a stress reliever, a release, a form of anger management more than a rally for change.
I doubt the governor and other officials are saying to each other, "Did you hear about that rally at Sac State today? Those people mean business. We better cancel the furlough before they get really upset and things get out of hand." No. They have been hearing this for months, and it has not done anything positive. In fact, it has gotten worse. Some state workers have had to take another furlough day every month.
So what is the point of a small rally at the Sac State campus? Other than showing people they are not alone in being upset about the furlough, it is simply a forum to get things off of ones chest. The only thing that has happened regarding the furlough since the rally, the only significant piece of news heard, has been notifications from teachers confirming the canceled classes as a result of the furlough days that must be taken. I guess that answers the questions posed. What did, and what will the rally do? Nothing.
A group of people gathered, some because classes required them to attend, others because they wanted to see what the commotion was about, and others actually cared about the cause. Speakers lead the crowd in short chants that cried out a catchy rhymes, and then said what his or her problem is with the furlough. Every speaker had essentially the same feelings about the effects of the furlough, so more than one speaker was not really necessary. But the more the merrier right?
Anyways, the point of a rally is to evoke change based on the fervor of those leading the rally, and those following, showing his or her support against the issue. But do they ever really accomplish that change? Maybe in some cases, but in the case of the furlough, which has effected so many people for a number of months now, a small rally at Sac State will most likely not cause any change whatsoever. It will just further display the already obvious disgust of those affected.
Those who are spirited and believe the rally, along with his or her words, can make a change, more power to them and preach on. But it just does not seem that whatever they say will really do anything. Everyone knows the furlough sucks and the money people are losing because of it is a shame. But getting up in front of a crowd and saying what is on your mind just seems to be a stress reliever, a release, a form of anger management more than a rally for change.
I doubt the governor and other officials are saying to each other, "Did you hear about that rally at Sac State today? Those people mean business. We better cancel the furlough before they get really upset and things get out of hand." No. They have been hearing this for months, and it has not done anything positive. In fact, it has gotten worse. Some state workers have had to take another furlough day every month.
So what is the point of a small rally at the Sac State campus? Other than showing people they are not alone in being upset about the furlough, it is simply a forum to get things off of ones chest. The only thing that has happened regarding the furlough since the rally, the only significant piece of news heard, has been notifications from teachers confirming the canceled classes as a result of the furlough days that must be taken. I guess that answers the questions posed. What did, and what will the rally do? Nothing.
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