A Piece of Advice

This semester has been great with Angie! She is a great teacher, and is always willing to help you out! Make sure if you have any problems or need something to let her know because she is very easy to work with and understanding. I suggest that you do all of your assignments, and turn then in on time. The class is easy if you do what is asked of you. Also, make sure that you attend your cohorts if you take English 304 with Angie online, and participate in the discussions. Angie really wants all of her students to succeed; so complete all of your assignments and work well with your other group members and you will be set! Best of luck to you next semester!

Ethics- Dr. Jack Kevorkian

What little I knew about Dr. Kevorkian was just that he was famous for assisted suicide, but I had no idea of the cruel intentions he has held since he was young. Some of the things the human race does for "the name of science" never ceases to amaze me. It seemed like the more I kept reading about Jack's personal life and thoughts the harder it was to believe that a person could have these ideas. For instance, his lack of concern for a convicted criminal's life. Now, I know they are going to die and have committed a really bad crime, but that does not allow another human to take their life into their own hands. He wanted to perform medical experiments on them because he felt that that was all they were basically good for. Some people like him must just despise the human race, or find sick joy in tormenting and watching torment in other people's lives.

Ethics in the workplace

Of course there are going to be times in every person's life where they have to choose between right and wrong, but in all honesty I think it has to do with what that person thinks instead of what someone else tells them. For me personally, someone could tell me what the company expects and how I should perform, but unless I personally hold those same standards then I'm going to do what I'm thinking. A lot of people in the cut throat world of business choose the option that proves most beneficial to them, no matter the cost. This is definitely sad because of the lack of ethics our country has today, and I think that this article shows how troubled employees are. I do agree with the article concerning the issue of "who to tell." I would definitely see the challenge in who to tell, and how to deal with a situation being a huge issue for companies and dilemmas. It seems there are three kinds of people; those who are out for only personal gain, those with defiant standards, and those that are unsure about everything.

The Web vs. Paper

In today's time there aren't many papers you find that are not connected in some way to a computer or the net. Even though our portal for writing and sharing has changed, the actual intentions of writing have not. When people write they are always going to be expressing a feeling or some type of opinion. Also, everyone wants what they are looking for to be at their fingertips, and therefore like what they are reading to quickly reveal the point. We still reveal the topic of our writing pretty soon in a paper, but having a paper on the web allows for people to search for exactly what they are looking forward. The availability of information has drastically changed with the web. Like everything, the style of writing has somewhat changed. Writing in papers are usually more formal than what you find on the web. Now days, people write everything on the web, and resort to shorthand notations. Also, when it comes to writing on the web many people pay less attention to grammatical mistakes as well. As for transferring a document that is formerly read on paper to the web, you have got to be careful that the layout and design are not changed drastically. Also, if you are typing it instead of scanning something, you have to be careful with small grammatical mistakes and leaving information out. Writing in general remains relatively the same, but as time goes on we continue to add our own flare to our writing on the web.

Challenging

This semester has turned out to be a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, and basically summer cannot come soon enough! SB was just a tease to me because now that I'm back I have no motivation. Plus I know the next month is going to be a crucial hell. I'm an accounting major who has discovered that the finance part sucks! My finance class is ridiculously hard, and now I've basically got to stomp out a B on my final exam just to pass the class! I have never struggled so hard with a class before, and especially have not done so poorly in a class. This is definitely new, and I really don't like it! Summer has seriously got to hurry up!!

Cheating your way out of a job?

I think that the article was very interesting and informative. I never knew that so many people lied about their experience on a resume. I get that someone just out of college might add an extra activity they didn't actually particate in or something, but actually lying about the type of degree you received is just plain stupid. For one, if you exaggerate your qualifications then you probably are going to be expected to complete what you say you can, and then time comes and you look like an idiot because you have no idea what you are doing! Being under qualified for a job and getting it would be horrible because it might be something that you can't just pretend to be good at. I definitely think it is a dumb idea for people to lie on their resumes about major things like education, past job history, as well as qualifications because we live in the world of the internet where employers can check up on you! Not to mention the unethical side of the issue.

Reflection on Choices

My group decided to choose a theme park to put together our business plan for. I think this is a great idea because it seems like something that meshes well with Second Life. When I think about operating a theme park within Second Life, I think about other computer games like the Sims that have theme parks in some of their games. Most of the people who use Second Life are gamers who probably like other computers games such as the Sims, so I think that a theme park would be very profitable. I like this idea because it is something fun, potentially profitable, and a compliment to Second Life.

Reflection

So I had my mock interview Monday at 6, and things didn't start too well for me. I chose to interview for an actual full time position as an office manager at AppleOne. First I spent 15 minutes trying to log into Second Life, and I was never able to do so. So, I had to conduct a phone interview, which was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. I was really nervous that I was going to get stuck on questions, and not have good enough answer. However, I feel like I had relatively quick responses to questions, and thought my answers were good too. Overall I think my interview went really well, and I think I am better prepared for an actual interview.

Free Write

For my free write I've decided to write about what I want to do this summer. My plans for this summer haven't started off as great as they have been. I wanted to start out by studying abroad in Italy this summer for a month, but my parents placed a halt on that idea till next summer. I was really looking forward to it, and was beyond ecstatic about going. I did research on different programs and searched for flights which makes not going worse. For the past two years I have taken a family vacation for a week to Mexico, and this year my papa is sick so no vacation. So, this summer I will be around Clemson and at my house, and hopefully will have a better job than I have now. Working as a student for Clemson doesn't pay the bills to put it one way. I was really hoping to find an internship somewhere local, but it seems that everyone is looking for juniors or seniors. So, now I'm just hoping to get a job that pays more than 6 bucks an hour, and enjoy my free time on what is left of Hartwell Lake.

Cover Letter

I would say that I do agree with the advice given. The job market is very crowded, and to get that one job you have to do everything possible to set yourself apart. This apparently includes making a great cover letter on the chance that that possible employer likes your resume. I would have to say that what helped me the most from the tutorial is the sample cover letter because I always learn best when someone shows me an example instead of just telling me. This tutorial really taught me a lot of things that I didn't know, and probably wouldn't have considered. To be honest with you I didn't think that much went into a cover letter, especially that it was suppose to be all about the company. However, when you think about it, it really does make sense because they do already get a grasp of who you are, and if you're interested then you should know a little about them. I also didn't know that the cover letter is the last thing that an prospective employer looks at. Given that it is shown first I would automatically assume it was glanced over first. Basically, I plan to rely heavily on this website because it is actually a great guide to designing your cover letter.

Virtual Interviews

I think that the idea of having job interviews within Second Life is a good idea. There are still going to be some disadvantages as there are with everything else, but I think that the advantages could possibly out weight the disadvantages. For starters it is extremely convenient for employers to go to a virtual world to recruit future employees because it helps cut out traveling. Also, as the article mentioned it is an excellent way for computer software programmers to interview because it is essentially their world in which they work, and could definitely tell a lot about that applicant. Although, I would say that one big disadvantage concerning conducting interviews in Second Life is that you aren't able to get a great of feel for who that person actually is personality wise. Some people having amazing personalities that nail them the job, and these traits wouldn't be as noticeable there. I think that it is definitely a step into the future having interviews in virtual worlds, and I think that it could prove to be very beneficial.

Persuasive Differences

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in his actual jail cell in Birmingham, AL in 1963. Within this letter King addresses who he calls the clergymen, concerning their personal, yet widely held, belief that racial justice is fair and should be left alone. King has an amazing use of persuasion that one cannot only admire. Through a dignified and educated tone within in his letter he expresses his belief and objective in life that segregation is injustice and affects everyone around. He uses Biblical figures to parallel his mission to bring justice to every American. He answers the questions prompted within the clergymen's letter, and provides powerful answers of honesty. Through his letter King was able to express his belief that injustice has occured in Birmingham, as well as all over, and justice must be brought to every individual through the use of nonviolent protest and civilized reasoning between individuals.
For choosing something to compare, I looked on Monster.com because I'm not set on a company to work for. I found a company called AppleOne which is located in Columbia, SC that has an accounting/mangerial position open. The description was very persuasive to me because it covered all the areas I am and will be looking for. It offers a management position within a small/medium size firm that would allow me to not only lead other team members, but also work a lot with accounting information and procedures. It was persuasive to me because it went into what the actual job intailed, as well as very tempting benefits that are offered.
The two pieces of work are very different in many ways, but in particular their intended audience and subject matter. King uses power symbolism, beautifully assembled language, and a moving subject to persuade his audience. On the other hand, AppleOne is trying to persuade future applicants by appealing to interest and needs, and uses basic language. In the job discription it uses its features to show what they can offer you, and why that job opportunity is different than the rest. Both pieces are persuasive, however still completely different.

Me & 10 years

For me, 10 years from now means that I will be 30; let me first just say wow. As for where I want to be, in all honesty I'm not really sure as to all the details. Personally I kind of know what I want. I'd like to be married and definitely settled down by then, and also have one or two kids depending on when I'm married. I really want to stay somewhere local so I can be close to my family. As for my future career wise, well the one thing I do know for sure is that I really hope to have a job that I find amazing & really enjoy. The thing about what kind of job I want is kind of hard because I definitely know what I don't want to do, but I'm only just a sophomore and have just begun to take higher level courses in accounting. As of right now I'd like to pursue a job in financial or managerial accounting in a medium size company, or I might go to work for my parents. There I would also handle the financials for the business that they are partners in which is a new company that will be opening up May-ish of this year called Crescent Biodiesel. I really wouldn't be opposed to working there because I'm very big on environmental issues. That leads me to another aspiration that I have for the next 10 years. I really want to make an impact on people to get serious about our environment and the condition that our planet is in. I'm not sure how I'll do it, but I'd like to implement a program into small companies and large corporations alike that will not only save them money but use their impact to reduce our emissions and help save natural resources. A big thing for some companies is that it can be very costly to implement new equipment or change product so some companies, mainly smaller organizations, have trouble implementing new procedures without going broke. Basically I'd like to have a happy life at home, a job that I love, be financial stable/well off, and an impact on our environment within the next 10 years of my life.

Web 2.0 Response

I think the title means that the internet as a whole is evolving, hence 2.0. I also think it is trying to display how much we as a society actually rely on the use of the world wide web. Think about it, can you seriously imagine not being able to look up pretty much anything you can imagine and find a response within seconds? The internet has changed society so much, and the change is going to continue.
Web 2.0 I would say affects people who are entering the workforce by showing them some of the possibilities that the internet provides. People who are looking for jobs have numerous options that allow someone to post their resume, provide tips, and more. For people already in the workforce they are reaping the benefits as well with massive databases of information that is readily available at the click of a button, communicating with clients thousands of miles away. The internet is a vital asset to every single person.
When it says that we will have to rethink everything, the only the I can think of is even better capabilities, accessibility, and maybe how we use it. This is kind of unclear to me, but if you think about what we have now, and it is already changing at a rapid pace, the only thing we can do is invent newer and better applications. I can't imagine how much more accessible the internet could be, I mean you can already get it on your phone & iPod, but there will be something else. Lastly, I think that we might have to rethink what we use it for because I think the main thing people use it for is email, socializing, and research. There are so many possibilities that could become available that would be beneficial to work as well as everything else.

Introduction

My name is Ashley Phillips and I am currently a sophomore accounting major here at Clemson. I'm from Pelzer, SC which is a small town on the outskirts of Anderson. During my free time I love the outdoors, some hunting, fishing, the lake, water sports, movies, and traveling. I also love to lay around with my dog. Her name is Molly and she is a 2 1/2 year old long hair Chihuahua. My all time travel destination right now is Italy. So far I've only ventured to the north and south of America. I hope you have a better perspective of who I am, and if you have any questions just ask.