What the Hell Am I Doing?

What the hell am I doing?

 

 

[Nodding of head]







At least once, if not 10,000 times, in your life you will ask yourself “What the hell am I doing?” Most times this query will come about because you have realized that you are acting on a poor decision or you have agreed to do some favor for someone that turns out to be a rousing blast of boredom. But sometimes this query pops up because you feel overwhelmed, as if you have bitten off more than you can chew. For instance, many of your professors spent the holiday weekend grading a massive mound of papers, and I can assure you that when they realized their friends and families were enjoying themselves with wild abandon that those professors were bent over computers and papers asking themselves “what the hell am I doing?”

You, on the other hand, might have been one of those in the middle of a wild abandon frenzy when you suddenly realized that your final exams and portfolios were sneaking up on you...you know where I am going with this.

The person who slipped us this question did so after being told what college would be like, so we are assuming that he or she was hit with an overwhelming sensation that college would be hard and difficult to manage. And most of you are probably thinking that right about now because you are facing the time of finals and exams. But if you think back to a week or so ago you will remember that all the seemed manageable, that you had gotten used to the rigors of college, that were feeling quite capable.

This feeling of being overwhelmed will come and go throughout your college career. It will most likely hit you at the beginning and end of each semester. Know it is coming and be prepared to calm yourself and stay rational. You have already proven that you are capable college students because you are still here.

So, when you ask yourself this question at 3 am while playing Xbox, after realizing you have a math test at 8 am, you may want to realize you are making a bad choice and need to stop making a bad choice. But when you ask yourself this question during finals week because you are feeling overwhelmed you may want to pull a George Lopez:

 Professor Repentista

Why are there so many hills?

Why are there so many hills?






Because the originators of Chattanooga made an early investment in skateboards.


In all seriousness, Chattanooga is a part of Southern Appalachia.  More specifically, the city lies
between the Cumberland Plateau and the southern portion of the Appalachian Mountains, creating ridge and valley formations throughout the area.  Chattanooga was first inhabited by American Indians, who strive to be at one with the land and appreciate the land rather than bending the land to the will and desires of the people.  As time progressed, rather than flatten the hills to make Chattanooga like any other flat city, the citizens just built their lives in and around the naturally occurring hills, ridges, and mountains.

UTC and Chattanooga wouldn't be the beautiful, scenic places they are without the hills, ridges, and mountains. And, they are great for exercise.

Plus, if not for hills and mountains, how else could you stand in one spot and see seven states?

Prof. Chatterbox


photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/brent_nashville/100740402/">SeeMidTN.com (aka Brent)</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>

How Do I Write the Story I Want to Tell?

How do I write the story I want to tell?

START 

Some people will tell you that there are specific ways to go about telling your story, certain methods, processes. Books have been written about it. Seminars have been given. There are classes you can take and videos you can watch...And you should check into some of those, certainly (especially the creative writing and rhetoric classes offered here at UTC). But I am here to tell you the best kept secret about writing the story you want to tell:

 

Just start writing.

 

It sounds like you have already done some brainstorming and have some ideas. So the next step is drafting, right? Remember the Writing Process that you learned in English 1010 and 1011.

 

 





The Writing Process does not just apply to academic papers; it is applicable to all writing. And all of those books and seminars and videos and classes will enlighten you to the most important part of writing the story you want to tell: START WRITING.

 

Will your first draft be award winning material? NO. No-one's first draft is ever a best seller. But the good news is that you can take what you draft out and turn that into a well-written story in which you can take pride.

 

So, start writing now. And consider a plan of writing at least 1,000 words a day for the next two months. And just write what comes to mind each day when you think about your story. And when it seems like you are creating something fabulous keep writing. And when it seems like you are creating mind-numbing crap keep writing. And when it seems like your thoughts are all out of order keep writing. Remember that you have to revise your initial draft anyway.

 

Revision: it is what all the cool kids are doing!

 

The key to success in writing, as it is in everything else, is starting. Remember, you cannot finish if you never even show up.

 

And when you think you are going to go crazy and that you just want to give up, watch the following hysterical excerpt from The Golden Girls, have a laugh; then, get back to writing!

 

 

Coming to you from the middle of a massive revision of the story I want to tell,

 

Professor Repentista

 

What kind of jobs can a Communications major get after graduation?

What kind of jobs can a Communications major get after graduation?




The better question might be "what jobs can't a Communications major get?"

Consider this: we communicate with people on so many different levels, in so many different ways, mediums, and scales every day, all day.  Communicating with others--verbally and written--is how we get along in the world.  So, it's likely that your Communications degree could take you to any job you want to be in because no matter the job, communicating effectively and clearly is always in high demand. (Hmmm... maybe those crazy professors who make you write a lot and/or present in front of the class are on the something.  Hmmm.)


While some undergraduate degrees may lead to very specific post-graduation jobs (e.g. an Electrical Engineering major is likely going to become an Electrical engineer as opposed to say a rodeo clown, unless he/she really had a lifelong dream of being a rodeo clown), other degrees can lead to many options.

Of course, when people think of Communications majors, the first thought is journalism--print, electronic or television, so if you wanted to pursue that, you could become a reporter, copy writer, or editor.

But the options for jobs don't end there.

For instance, if you wanted to work in Advertising, you could become a media planner, copy writer, media sales representative, among other things.

If you wanted to work in business, you could become a newsletter editor, public information officer, or human resources manager, etc.

If you wanted to work in Communications education, you could become a drama instructor or director, an audiovisual specialist, speech instructor, among other things.
If you wanted to teach at the college level, you could pursue a higher degree in Communications and then teach the same classes you might be taking right now.

And these are just a few fields that are available.  There are tons more listed on this website, or this one, or this one.

And most websites (especially ones for colleges) often tell you what you can do with your degree.

But how about this website that actually tells what people with Communications degrees actually did do and/or are currently still doing.  Plus, I know someone who is currently a morning show producer for a radio show in the D.C. area; her degree was Mass Communications.  Just a few short years ago, she was a lowly paid intern; now, she's a producer.

A Communications degree can literally get you into any field you might consider.

Q: So, what job can you get with a Communications degree?
A: Virtually anything you might think of that relates to communicating with others.

Congrats on picking such a versatile major!

Prof. Chatterbox


photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/3592738910/">Bill Gracey</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>

When is the First Men's Basketball Game?

After last weekend's heartbreaking loss to Samford, you may have begun to wonder:

 When is the First Men's Basketball Game?

Well, friend, you missed it. While you were so busy worrying about football, you missed the first game of the Basketball season. And the second, in fact, but it was an away game, so we'll forgive you for that. Actually, you missed the third game, too. But okay, here we are, and you are wanting to go to a game! And lucky for you, there is a home game tonight. 7 PM. McKenzie Arena. Kennesaw State. Don't want to miss another game? Here's the whole schedule. Given the current status of your bank account, you may be thinking:

Do UTC Students Get in Free?

Yes. Just make sure to bring your MocsCard and "flash" it at the door. The card, that is. Don't flash anything else. Please.
Cheers,

Dr. Y

Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk?

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

           Really?

Alrighty then! The riddle was originally created by Reverend Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) and appears in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Many have guessed why a raven is like a writing desk. Some think it is because they are both black (as at that time Carroll wrote with a pen that had to be dipped in ink and the ink would splatter) or that they both had feathers (as at that time Carroll was likely to have written with a quill pen). In the book, Alice is asked the riddle by the Mad Hatter. When Alice admits she cannot guess the answer, the Mad Hatter admits he doesn't know the answer to the riddle he has asked.

“Have you guessed the riddle yet?” the Hatter said, turning to Alice again.

“No, I give it up,” Alice replied: “What’s the answer?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea,” said the Hatter.

Some Carroll specialists feel that in this verbal exchange the Mad Hatter is like a philosopher who asks questions that cannot be concretely answered. Some feel he is like those people at parties that say things that make no sense. After all, Alice does later tell the Mad Hatter, "I think you might do something better with the time [...] than waste it in asking riddles that have no answers."


 Carroll was asked years later to give the answer to the riddle and he gave this response:

So, the best answer I can give you is this: "Did you ever see such a thing as a drawing of a muchness?" 

Forever in Wonderland,

Professor Repentista

How do you take your coffee?

How do you take your coffee?







As tea.

I'm the type of person who likes a little coffee in my cream.  On the rare occasion that I drink coffee, it's
more like a coffee-flavored beverage rather than a regular cup of actual coffee.  Lots of cream/milk, lots of flavor.  Sometimes as a delicious caramel frappuccino or sometimes as a wonderful mixture of french vanilla cappuccino, french vanilla creamer, and Kona coffee.  Yes, I'm complex like that.


There are dozens of coffee varieties out there, but the most expensive and interesting coffee that I will never try is the Kopi Luwak gourmet coffee that is cycled through a monkey's digestive system.  Now, just how exactly the people of Indonesia figured out that coffee beans extracted from the scat of a palm civet monkey is beyond my understanding and imagination, but I will just trust gourmet coffee enthusiasts word that the coffee is worth it.


Being a person raised in the South, I grew up consuming sweetened iced tea.  I even experimented with hot tea with milk or half and half as a child.  Such a delight.
As I've gotten older and learned about more cultures, namely British culture, I've become a serious anglophile when it comes to hot tea.  Earl or Lady Grey, Irish Breakfast, English Breakfast, Afternoon Tea, P.G. Tips, Twinings ... the list of types and brands could go on forever.  I love a good cuppa in the morning and sometimes in the evening when I'm cold.  Funnily, I like my tea strong and dark, much like a cup of coffee.

Whether its tea or coffee, we're a very caffeinated society.  And while coffee houses like Starbucks are everywhere, tea houses aren't as popular; however, tea houses are making a come back.  So much so that Starbucks (which was originally called Starbucks Coffee, Tea, and Spices) has opened a tea house named Teavana Fine Teas and Tea Bar in Manhattan that only sells tea.  So, yes: you can get coffee OR tea at Starbucks, but only tea--no coffee--at Teavana.

So, whether you prefer coffee or tea, make sure you enjoy every cup you brew.


Prof. Chatterbox.

Scheduling and Advising 101

It's that time, y'all. All your upperclassman friends are blowing up your TL about how easy registering for classes was or how terrible registering for classes was or how they don't have classes on Monday, Friday, or any time before noon. And you? You have to wait. Your scheduled time is Friday, and you will be the last to enter into this terrible and wonderful process. You asked quite a few questions about this stuff at orientation, so this is part 1 of 2, and I'll have the second one up on Thursday. Here we go:

Q. How will I register for classes?
A. Here's the official UTC info. Here's some more official UTC info. Here's a handy official FAQ on the subject. Aaaaaaaand here's some instructions. I found all this stuff (and there's more) through the UTC Records Office. (PS: They're also on twitter @UTCRecords - they probably tweet some helpful reminders).

Q. No, really. I'm not gonna click all those links. How do I register for classes?
A. Oh, right. I get it. Short, sweet, easy to understand. Here ya go:

1. Go to MyMocsNet and sign in
2. Go to Academics
3. Under "Registration and Student Records," click "Register, Add or Drop Classes"
4. Select the SP2014 term from the drop down
5. Enter your Alternate PIN
6. Enter the CRNs for the courses you want to have and then click "Submit Changes"

Q. When can we register for Spring 2014 classes?
A. Check your Academics tab in MyMocsNet for something called "Registration Status." If you are a first-year student, you can register on Friday. Check for the exact time. That may vary. Be ready with all the information you need BEFORE your scheduled time.

Q. Where can I get my PIN?
A. From your advisor. You have probably already met with him or her. If you haven't, do it now.

Q. Who's my advisor?
A. Check MyMocsNet to find your advisor. Many first-years are advised through the Center for Advisement and Student Success.

Q. What classes should I register for?
A. You know, that's kind of a big question. I'll handle that in Part Deux of this post on Thursday. For now, look for things like this:


Cheers,

Dr. Y

How Easy Is It to Fail?

How easy is it to fail?

So very super easy!

 

 

 

 

 

You can easily fail by adhering to the 7 Pillars of Totally Bombing:

 

1) Do NOT show up! It has been said that "90% of success is showing up." And 90% is an A. You do not want to chance making an A, so stay home.

 

2) Hit that snooze button. Think about it. I bet you cannot name one person who qualified for the Olympics and then slept in instead of hitting the starting line on time. People who sleep in do not get noticed and do not succeed.

 

3) Wait until the last possible minute to study or write your paper. Nothing will guarantee an F like an all-night cram session with material you didn't bother reading until the last possible moment or writing a paper when your neurons are misfiring because you are stressed and sleep-deprived.

 

4) Party like it's 1999! (Ooops, you were only 4 then.) But seriously, partying on a regular basis ensures you learn very little needed to be successful in school and in life.

 

5) Do NOT pay attention in class. Put in those earplugs. Play with your phone or computer. Take a nap. Just do not listen to the teacher or read the assignment sheet or, for heaven's sake, know what is on the syllabus.

 

6) Avoid all labs, tutors, and writing centers. The people that work in those things want to help you succeed; therefore, they should be avoided like the plague.

 

7) Never go see your professor during office hours. They will encourage you. And you just cannot have that when you are trying to fail. It's better to hang out with negative people who never seem to want what is best for you.

 

As you can see it is quite easy to fail. But, really, it has been done to death, and I think you should shoot for a much more impressive goal, like getting an A on that next paper.

 

And for those of you who are serious about succeeding and plan to do the opposite of everything that was just suggested, I am sharing with you my pre-teaching fight song:

 

 

 

Stay out of the trenches!

 

Professor Repentista



Will I change the world?

Will I change the world?

You can if you want to.  Do you want to?

We've all grown up hearing stories of heroes and heroines who take on difficult tasks and become
victors.  Harriet Tubman who fled slavery then returned to captivity 19 times to help free hundreds of slaves; Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. who dared to challenge the status quo of the racially and economically segregated U.S., and Tank Man in the famous Tiananmen Square image who literally stood before an army of tanks to try to change the world.

And then there are other real life heroes who see a problem before them--a mountain for instance--and literally decide to dig their way through the problem.  Such as Dashrath Manjhi who spent the better part of 22 years digging a shortcut through a mountain so that the people of his village could access medical care, markets, and neighboring villagers in the closest village a bit easier; Manjhi was prompted to carve out a 360foot long, 30 foot wide road after his wife died because she could not reach a neighboring village to access proper medical care.  The original route around the mountain was dangerous and lengthy.

And then there's Ramchandra Das, who was inspired by Manjhi's actions and spent 14 years of his own life digging through a mountain so his fellow villagers could access neighboring fields and so he could park his truck outside his home; the mountain near his home had prevented both things.  Das carved out a 32 foot long, 13 feet wide tunnel through the mountain.

These men dug through mountains to create something as simple as roads because they saw a need for those things for themselves and others.  Yes, you most certainly can change the world if you set your mind to do so and seek the means to make it happen.  

So, how are you going to change the world?  What are you going to do to make this world a bit better for yourself and the rest of us?

Go out and change the world and leave your last mark.  But begin by knowing this: yes, you can change the world if you so desire.

For some real life inspiration, check out this footage of Tank Man staring down those tanks:

Or

Prof. Chatterbox

Will I Really Be Able to Graduate in 4 Years?

It's advising time, so if you haven't made an appointment with your advisor to get your classes set up for next semester, DO IT! And while you're there, consider the answer to the following question:

Will I Really Be Able to Graduate in 4 Years?

Yes, and here's how you do it. Take 15 hours each semester. That's it. Watch this video (which you may have seen at orientation) for more information:


It's not always easy, but it definitely makes a difference. UTC wants you to graduate in 4 years, but let me be one small voice saying you don't have to be so career-focused that you miss out on taking that one course (or two) that really interests you, even if it doesn't "fit" in your chosen major. Take your classes seriously, pursue things that fire you up, and you'll graduate on time. And when you do, we'll be there cheering you on.


Cheers,


Dr. Y

Getting to Know Y

So... some of the questions you asked at orientation were kind of personal, but in the interest of being friendly, I will answer some of them. Here goes:

Q. How long did you go to college?
A. 4 years for my Bachelor's degree. More than that in graduate school. (Don't believe the lies that you can't graduate in 4. You can.)

Q. Would you teach anywhere besides UTC?
A. UTC is home, so it's not likely. That said, you never know where life might take you, and to pretend you do know is just foolishness.

Q. What made you want to be a professor?
A. You. And how much I love talking about and thinking about my subject. (No, I will not tell you what I teach.)

Q. Do you teach for the love of it or for the realization that you're changing the future of America?
A. I love it. And I love feeling hopeful about the future that is y'all.

Q. What's your favorite color?
A. Blue. No, red. AAAAGGGHH.

Q. What?
A.


Cheers,
Dr. Y

How do I know if everything I do is right?

How do I know if everything I do is right?








You will know that everything you do is right when you become a higher order of being and are no longer human.


Of course, there are those who maintain that doing things the wrong way is still doing it the right way. For instance, Thomas Edison, who tried close to 1,000 to create a light bulb before he actually invented one that worked, said, "I have not failed. I just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

The important thing is not that you do everything right; the important thing is that you try to do everything right. When you end up doing some things wrong you can learn from those experiences. But NEVER give up. Or, in the words of Winston Churchill, "Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense."

And the next time you do something wrong or something doesn't go right, count yourself amongst good company:

 

 

With you in failure and success,

 

Professor Repentista

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
Thomas A. Edison
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/thomas_a_edison.html#qgdCAmfB3hLw7VYE.99

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
Thomas A. Edison
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/thomas_a_edison.html#qgdCAmfB3hLw7VYE.99