Tag: college

Learning about critical thinking

Taylor BurianLeave a comment

Share a story about someone who had a positive impact on your life.

Where I went to college, the teachers were typically industry professionals who taught courses related to their experience. Teachers who taught computer networking or C++ programming worked locally for companies in positions that required them to be knowledgeable in those fields. It made sense! Real working experience being shared with prospective individuals who they might work with in the future. There was one exception to this that comes to mind. A doctor working as a mental health professional who worked directly with prison inmates.

This doctor taught a class that was like an introduction to critical thinking and problem solving, and they were incredibly fascinating! It took a long time to get to where I’m at today, but I likely wouldn’t have reached this far in my life without their class. One lesson in particular always comes up in my mind when I think about them.

They shared a story about a murderer who would leave dolls behind that were dressed like the victims. With only the limited details provided, the question posed to us students was simple and went something along the lines of “How would you go about figuring out the murderer’s identity?” The answer was one that most of us didn’t register until it was spoken out loud. If the murderer’s signature was a doll, then check with local toy stores that sold those kinds of dolls to see who was buying them. Once we heard that answer things started to click, and everything was downhill from there.

I’ll never forget that lesson.

Career plans?

Taylor BurianLeave a comment

What is your career plan?

I don’t think I’ve ever truly had one. I have, more or less, just kind of fallen into whatever I stumble into or the odd opportunities that have come to me.

Unless I’m mistaken, most colleges offer some kind of career counseling where they help you, you know, PLAN and even maybe track down opportunities related to your degree path. My particular experience with that was very disappointing and underwhelming. Prior to graduating I met with a “career counselor” at most twice before they started to cancel meetings with students. Post graduation, the only support these folks gave was a weekly email of job listings in a table format with related degrees listed next to each item. That was several months after graduation, and I was immediately suspicious because I had no further contact with them prior, so I dug in a bit. Looking at the jobs listed in the email, I compared the list to the local news employee ad section. Sure enough, it was the same. So much for that job hunting assistance and career planning.

Outside of that terrible experience, I didn’t look particularly hard. I just needed to get my foot in the door somewhere and then I could (hopefully) start working my way up and deciding an actual plan. I would occasionally check that email because it served as a reminder to look, then I’d also look on Indeed.

So, beyond all of that, I never really had a “career plan” and really still don’t. That’s part of why I’ve stayed in my current job for the last eight years or so.

Maybe I could consider the writing/authorship desire to be a “plan” but I don’t have a solid timeline for trying to achieve any major goals. I’ll just get there when I get there.