UVM Career Services Blog

Doing Good, Doing Well: Making Good!

Posted on April 26, 2012 with No Comments

On Friday, April 20^th, 2012, Billy Parish spoke at UVM regarding his book Making Good: Finding Meaning, Money and Community in a Changing World.

His book covers six steps to take in order to “make good”:

Reflect, Adapt, Connect, Design, Launch and Organize

During his talk, Billy provided some ways to get started:

1. Identify the change you want to make in the world. Now. Think big, think mission, think forward.  Where do you really want to spend your energy “making good?”
2. Choose a skill to master that will most impact this change.  What skill do you want to master in order to bring about this change?  Achieving mastery, according to Malcolm Gladwell, takes 10,000 hours of practice – so how do you want to spend your time?
3. Gain mastery by one (or several) learning pathways: school, apprenticeship, on the job training & the do-it-yourself approach.  What makes sense for you at this point?
4. Identify 5 people to spend time with to move you in the direction you want to go.  Parish commented that we are an average of the 15 people we spend time with.  Who do you want to be with and who do you want to be?  Choices begin with the people with whom you surround yourself.

Need ideas to get you started?  Take a look at TedTalks: Under 30, Doing Good and Yes!’s People We Love.

Need encouragement? Start Close In.  One step at a time, while looking forward.  You are in good company!

~Holly

Doing Good, Doing Well: Four Core Elements of Doing Well

Posted on January 26, 2012 with No Comments

Belonging, Independence, Mastery, and Generosity

While to-do lists and deadlines are important to moving forward in our lives, clarifying our own intentions can move us in the direction we really want to go. The Circle of Courage, a strengths-based development philosophy, identified four crucial elements that may be useful guideposts as you navigate classes, activities, relationships and responsibilities:

Belonging: Relationships of Respect
Mastery: Competence and Achievement
Independence: Personal Responsibility / Inner Discipline
Generosity: Making Positive Contributions

Belonging is one guidepost we use at Career Services.  Core elements of building a sense of belonging are: People, Place & Purpose.

How can this be helpful? Here are some questions to ask in your work/life exploration:

People:
Who is doing work you believe in?
Who would you love to work with? Live near? Serve?

Place:
Where do you have or want to build connection?
In what type of environment do you flourish?  Location? Organizational culture?

Purpose:
What do you love doing?
What skills to you want to use? What is needed that you have to offer?

These questions can offer a larger perspective than your major, GPA and resume.  Reflect, explore and move in the direction that matters to you!

~Holly

Doing Good, Doing Well: Now for Something Different

Posted on December 15, 2011 with No Comments

Time for a well deserved break!  Rest the mind, rejuvenate the spirit, and, well, maybe wonder a bit about the year to come and what you may want to create…

Need some inspiration?  Here are movies with stories about life purpose and direction. So, take a break from the books and enjoy some entertainment that may lead to clues on where you want to put your energy – once you have recovered from the busy semester.

• Pay It Forward
• Local Hero
• Whale Rider
• Freedom Writers
• Lemonade
• Greenfingers
• Billy Elliot
• Danny Deckchair
• Bend it like Beckham
• 180 Degrees South

~Holly

Doing Good, Doing Well: Make Money Doing What You Love

Posted on November 10, 2011 with No Comments

Meaning making & making money?

Are they mutually exclusive or is it possible to do both?  Yes!

Here are the steps:

• Define what matters to you
• Explore opportunities
• Learn from others
• Take a stand, take a step – get involved!

Find out what is possible:

Considering a Non-Profit Career

Learn from the experts:

Idealist.org

Get in the conversation:

Join LinkedIn & their non-profit groups, including:

Non Profit & Philanthropic Job Board
Non Profit Network
Non Profit Professionals
UVM Career Connections: Non Profit & Social Services

Clarify your Mission:

Friday, Nov. 11, 1:30 pm: Creating a Personal Mission Statement & Action Plan,
Career Services L/L E 166.

Get Involved:

UVM is a great place to start

Do a year of service:

Non-Profit Fellowships

~Holly

Internship of the Month: Travellers Worldwide

Posted on November 3, 2011 with No Comments

Intern: Caroline Graff
Class Year: 2013
Major: Psychology
Internship Title: Volunteer at Wildlife Park/Teacher’s assistant to Refugee children learning English
Company: Travellers Worldwide
Website: http://www.travellersworldwide.com/

Briefly tell us about the organization you were with:

Travellers Worldwide is an organization that sends volunteers around the world to work in a variety of different projects. During the time spent abroad volunteers are immersed in different culture where they get the chance to experience life in another country. All programs are at least six weeks long but can be extended to a full semester.

How would you describe the various projects you did in for your organization to someone who is unfamiliar with your field? I worked in two different projects. One was at a wildlife park where I was able to meet the locals as well as travelers visiting the park from around the country and even around the world! I got to experience working with various animals, mainly marsupials and birds. The second project I worked on was at as a Teacher’s Assistant in an Intensive English Center for refugee children.

What did you like best about this internship? What was most challenging?

I particularly enjoyed working with the children at the school I was with. It gave me an opportunity I had never had before. I got to learn about their culture and meet kids from all around the world who came to Australia to make a new life. I gained a great deal from the experience–it opened my eyes to how important it is to have institutions that allow for immigrants to assimilate to their new culture. The hardest part was having to come back home!

How did you gain credit for this internship?

I took the service learning class, EDSS 239, at UVM where I did various readings and wrote papers connecting them to my experience.

What impact did this internship have on your career direction?

As a psychology major, working with the children allowed me to realize I have a love for kids, and it got me thinking about doing something in the psychology field where I would be able to work with kids. Working with refugees was also particularly interesting and I would enjoy doing something like that as well.

What advice do you have for students searching for internships?

Trying an internship in something you’ve never done before or that doesn’t have to do with your major can also be a good thing where you’ll learn a lot and it may introduce you to something you’ll be interested in.

Why should students do an internship?

Internships allow you to gain a different experience than you do in the classroom. Particularly if you usually take large lecture classes, internships allow you to gain hands on experience. I found the internship work to be a relief from some of the classroom stresses of having to take exams. You get the opportunity to work on something you choose to explore more deeply and it can be an eye opening experience.