What is Digg?193 Comments
- PiGuy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+178Uh, no *****?
- thelastcivilian, on 10/10/2007, -9/+102We have the same hesitations at my current company, for which I'm somewhat involved in the HR planning... If you're doing volunteer work in South Africa, for instance, instead of getting a summer job, all that tells me is that your family is likely rich and that you haven't developed any real skills. Volunteering is fine, but it looks a little suspect if you can't back it up with work experience.
We've had tons of cocky 20-somethings come in and think they're the best thing since sliced bread because of their worldly and charitable ways, and then not be able to handle simple tasks because they've never held a job before. - lordtyros, on 10/10/2007, -1/+80In related news, water found to be wet.
- theshizzler, on 10/10/2007, -1/+56This was encouraged at my high school.
- resta6, on 01/12/2009, -2/+55thats exactly what my sister did..and she managed to end up in a top 5 university.
According to her, her grades and SAT scores were FAR below all of her friends. So she knows the only reason she got in was because of extra curricular activities(which she worked on from junior year)
1-volunteered at Red Cross
2-was on a school junior varsity team,(worst team at high school, but joined just to have sport participation on record)
3-had a family member write her in as an employee for a period when she couldn't find a job
4-used that "fake" job experience(technically she was employed, just never at work), to get another job
Result? She ended up in a much more powerful school than what she could handle...she graduated recently, and ended up with a gpa..that was barely above the 2.0 minimum. She was on academic probation a few times for being below 2.0 gpa. But she spent her college years, doing those extra curricular activities: joined sorority, clubs, worked jobs every summer and winter break.
And even though she graduated with a HORRIBLE gpa(I mean honestly...waste of 160 grand), she managed to get a job at a TOP company for her field. Beating out all of those people who had good GPAs. Why? Because when you graduate from a top school...your GPA means NOTHING...in fact out of 10 or so interviews she managed to get...half didn't even ask her GPA. - V1be, on 10/10/2007, -1/+34Not to launch into philosophy/biology 101 again, but what do we really do that isn't for ourselves in some fashion?
- resta6, on 01/12/2009, -1/+30and what percentages of college students actually go into engineering/math/science? 5-10%? For majority ...college is just a 4 year camp during which you put off real life for 4 more years
- romistrub, on 10/10/2007, -2/+31I don't mean to be a bitch but... not all degrees are created equal. Same goes for job experience. If your resume is as good as you make it sound, then there is a reason the companies you choose to apply to turn you down, and it's not because the world is out to get you. It could very well be your "presence" in an interview. Come off as creepy much?
- guydudeman, on 10/10/2007, -19/+46I kind of think that if you're putting your charitable contributions on your resume, you're not really contributing in the true spirit of charity. Which makes it B.S. in my book, and makes me wonder about your real motivations as a human being.
- azzageddi, on 10/10/2007, -4/+29Altruism is just doing something because you'll feel better than if you didn't do it. There is no such thing as true selfless generosity.
And what is wrong with that, anyway? What is wrong with doing a charitable act that also results in you getting something out of it? You still helped those people, right? They're better off, hopefully. So what if you did it so you could get into a better college? I'm a university lecturer, and I'd rather my school accepted students who were doing charitable acts, even out of selfish motives, than students who weren't doing charitable acts.
And if they do such acts and don't put it on their resumes, how would we know they'd done them? - ddxChrist, on 10/10/2007, -0/+24It might be because colleges seem to want you to Save The World. I constantly had teachers, counselors, and friends saying I wasn't "selling" myself enough during the admission process. Screw that. I just did what I felt interested me most and whatever else I was required to do. In the end, it worked out for me. I'm glad to be studying chemistry at a research university with all that nonsense behind me. But damn, the obstacles they throw at prospective students...
- quez, on 10/10/2007, -0/+22Shocker. I can't believe what the world's come to. Next people will start getting jobs to earn money.
- rabidsnail, on 10/10/2007, -1/+19The problem with colleges in the United States is they don't know whether they want to be businesses or charities. These people are not applying for a job, or for some sort of aid, they're applying for the privilege of giving the school obscene amounts of money to provide a service. When I go to buy a hamburger, I don't want the guy behind the counter to grill me on my extracurricular activities, I just want the damn burger! Why can't schools scale like any other business, increasing capacity to meet demand?
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -2/+19this is one of my biggest issues with the college application process. most people can come up with a seemingly heartfelt reason for taking on an activity, but there's not a foolproof way to know their motivations.
- aukxsona, on 10/10/2007, -3/+19Yes but when you have someone with tons of work experience and no degree do you even give them a second look? I have tons of experience AND a degree AND charity work...and no one will even look my way for a job.
- DiggMasterJ, on 10/10/2007, -2/+17Mine too! I didn't listen. Community college for me, and I droped out cuase it's *****. Now I work a ***** job. *****!
- xnviews, on 10/10/2007, -5/+18That crap might work for PR/HR/Journalism/Sales/Liberal arts because seriously those jobs don't need a college education. What you learn in college will transfer very little to your occupation. However, if you're in the situation of barely made it by in the sciences or engineering, you're at a serious disadvantage because your education actually means something in the job you'll be doing.
- quomen, on 10/10/2007, -6/+16win-win..
win - inspecality, on 10/10/2007, -1/+11Well I'm glad. I just got a job in high school to buy *****.
- ploop, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9I'd hire someone with real-world experience over someone with a degree any day. I've interviewed far too many people fresh out of school who don't know anything about anything.
- azzageddi, on 10/10/2007, -1/+10As above, I don't really care about their motivations. I care about their actions. In doing charitable acts, they rise in my estimation. Hopefully they'll enjoy the feeling it gives them and continue doing it throughout their lives. Everyone is motivated by self-interest, even if they don't admit it to themselves.
- ChromaVita, on 10/10/2007, -1/+10I'm looking for a summer job, but i promise it's not to make my Community College application look better...
- anteyekon4myst, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8I've been in several volunteer organizations for 14/24 years of my life and I can't stand people. Being a good person doesn't necessarily mean you like people. Point is, even long term stats can be deceiving when it comes to people.
- Cwo655321, on 10/10/2007, -2/+10i'm gonna hate you instead
- darkstar949, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9The problem is that a good deal of resumes get filtered by people - or even programs - before they even get to the hiring manager. As such if you don't have a degree you might not even be considered for an interview because of that.
- dhbanes, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8Out of curiosity, did you attend a public high school or private?
- MewTwo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7Yeah, going back to the "no *****" comment earlier... they were totally like "blah blah looks good on your resume"
So many ***** people do things 'for the community' just for the points. Interesting to see that people actually recognize that. - gmprunner, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7My high school required it. 100 hours over 4 years.
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6I have always seen this encouraged throughout the years.
- kuzotz, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6my sister graduated from an HBCU and she was able to get into a top notch law school and a decent job. Mcgill University has a world class law school. Ivy League in the US is overrated, and bloated. Many students in non-ivy league schools can and do compete on par with ivy league students. The only difference is how rich is their alumni.. This is where ivy leagues win. Money plain and simple so you can shove your elitism up your ass.
BOOMER SOONER. - brufleth, on 10/10/2007, -2/+8They're probably one of the actual workers who HR sends potential employees to for an interview.
- RoadWarriorX11, on 10/10/2007, -7/+13This article is *****, why would anyone question anyone motivations when their willing to give their time and energy to another because it's not in the 'true' spirit of charity. Behind every altruistic motive a human is looking for a reward rather it be satisification or admission to a college.
Buried as lame - funkyjunk3, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6120 hours here, and that would be public.
- djnick, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Cant believe you guys are complaining about people trying to well round themselves or makes themselves appear different than every other student. In the world of competition you do anything to get ahead, even if its not for personal enjoyment. If we all did things that we loved we'd all be broke.
- kuzotz, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5I don't know hwy the truth gets dugg down. Humans respond to incentives. Thus to get into college which is an incentive you must volunteer.
THank god I'm already in University though. It was a pain in the ass, and then I got accepted to 6 universities. I had to choose, but damn. I just went to the college that gave me the full ride. - havesometea, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6How dare these teens take jobs away from undocumented workers. Congress needs to step in and do something about this...
- markgl, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5yeah cause most college's are liberal, so freeing the whales or hugging a tree is just extra cred. It's called brown nosing.
- kuzotz, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5I'm in a university and I take courses at a community college to transfer back to my university because its cheaper. Anyway I should've done community college first. Get gen-ed out the way then get my Associate degree. Then goto a 4 year University, and go into my respective field, and get a Bachelor's, and then goto graduate or law school.
Community College isn't a bad thing if you know how to work the system. Plus if you do it the way I described. You will have an associate degree, and a bachelor's and maybe a masters. Which means more degrees. And of course your internship experience is great. - Toast1185, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5ZOMG! 3?? Can we be friends?
- stevejnotjobs, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5What are you trying to get into? Not all jobs are equally distributed either - some places you'll find it harder to get into Career A rather than Career B, simply cos there are far far fewer openings in A, so they can be pickier.
- ladyarcher85, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6I think the things that go in your resume should only pertain to the type of job you are applying for.
Does it really interest your future employer that you spent 6months in some depraved part of the world or in your neighborhood?
The deed is admirable, if you went there and tried to help unfortunate people. But what does it have to do, say, when you are applying for an office job? - kuzotz, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6btw I fail to understand why you think students don't bust their asses day and night. Most work hard and most college students today come from a declining middle/working class. My god when many get out and find that they can't even get a job. Man its depressing because they spent years studying/working/internships/barely scraping by. Only to be slapped in the face by generation X and the babyboomers(the ones who had it easy).
- yensed, on 10/10/2007, -4/+8WTF is wrong with teens these days? Whats next? Voting, Responsible Credit Management, Jobs that help the world as a whole? Ugh. Makes Me Sick.
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Well think about it - you're in that situation. Now, if you thought you could help him, wouldn't it tear you apart to think that you just let him die? That's probably what was going through Wesley Autrey's head at the time. "There's a good chance I think I can save him, so I should. Otherwise, if I don't, knowing that I probably can, I'd have to live with that, which outweighs the small chance that I won't make it back." There are things worse than death, you know, and besides which, certain situations can cause one to ignore certain outcomes.
- tchawla, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4There is one argument for putting charity work on your resume. If I interview someone and I notice a 3 month gap on his or her resume (especially for kids of out college) I wonder what they did to occupy their time. I will usually ask, but some interviewers may not and assume the worst.
It's kind've a damned if you do damned if you don't situation. - rightmindx, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4It's good to see that Ivy League colleges are admitting illiterates now.
- AceLy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Mine required 80 hours over 4 years. I did 0. :P They still let me graduate.
- kwoff, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Also: politicians might sometimes be fibbing.
- almondfilter3, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4With how much higher schooling costs these days, and its only climbing, how can you fault anyone for taking whatever advantages they can?
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