What do you do and where?

[Endie]

Somehow I got on a list for nurses and the last two weeks I've been receiving a barrage of nursing type emails.  So now I'm a nurse.  Feel free to ask me any sort of medical advice. 

Sweet.  Do you have a uniform?

[Sky]

Somehow I got on a list for nurses and the last two weeks I've been receiving a barrage of nursing type emails.  So now I'm a nurse.  Feel free to ask me any sort of medical advice. 

I like nursing.

I rather like some of the t-shirts here: I got my mum - a librarian herself - a "What would Dewey do?" one.

We like the Unshelved strip around here. Apparently I'm the spikey-haired tech guy. I keep getting strips with him in it in my mailbox.

I'm a college dropout and I've worked a series of government jobs because they're the best pay and benefits I could get without a degree. That said, I wanted to work at a library the way that Homer Simpson wanted to work at a bowling alley... I could win the lottery tomorrow and I wouldn't quit. 300,000 books at my fingertips. No pressure, no late fees.

I guess I'm a repeat college dropout, been in three times (result of a gypsy life). I'd probably go into gov work if something happened here, but I feel the same way you do, I love my job, the worst part of it is that I have to get up in the morning. Posting here at f13 is just a bonus perk, working with folks without technology and having access to thousands of books, as well as people who can answer just about any question I can think of...it's a dream job. Pay could be better, but to me it's not as important as the rest of it, my dad spent his whole life making a lot of money (which he doesn't share with me, thinks I need to earn my own way and I agree), but he was never happy. I'll take happy over money any day.

[Lantyssa]

Somehow I got on a list for nurses and the last two weeks I've been receiving a barrage of nursing type emails.  So now I'm a nurse.  Feel free to ask me any sort of medical advice. 

If we should get a boo-boo will you take care of us?

Pay could be better, but to me it's not as important as the rest of it, my dad spent his whole life making a lot of money (which he doesn't share with me, thinks I need to earn my own way and I agree), but he was never happy. I'll take happy over money any day.

I will, too.  It's why I work at a university instead of the corperate world.

[Signe]

Yes.  I will perform nursing type antics on all your boo-boos.

[Sky]

I like to nurse on boo-boobs.

[pxib]

We like the Unshelved strip around here.

- I helped prevent an unplanned pregnancy at work today.

= Cool, recommended some books on sex education and family planning?

- Nope.

= Uh... I don't want to know what happened?

- Yup.

[HaemishM]

You remembered to pull out?

[Cheddar]

I am whoring for a telecom now. 

[Calantus]

I'm 23 and work as a programmer. It doesn't get too much more specific than that, though I've been doing more web development work than anything else recently. I do contract work with most of my work coming through development companies, so I rarely work with the end user and work on a large spectrum of projects.

[lovecraft]

Age: 29

Registered Nurse in Ann Arbor, MI

[Hanzii]

Since we have an official library mafia I'll derail with a story from my short spiel as a liobrarian.
I was young, dropped out of college and lived on welfare - I was then forced into accepting a job at the college library in order to keep my money. It was quickly discovered that I was way more skilled than some of the drones working there so I was given more responsibility than my lousy pay warranted and sent to the department in a cellar under the university hospital. Here I was to sit all alone and collect and organize all the medical journals and ship them of for binding. One day I found a porno mag on one of the shelves, better yet the magazine had the exact same dimensions as The New England Journal of Medicine.
I still smile, when I think of the look on the face of the professor/med. student opening the bound 1995 NMJ and finding that... Yes, it was a boring job.

Rerail:
Returned from CES only to tell my boss, that I quit. 1st of march I'll be covering gadgets, computers, games and related issue for the consumer section of my countrys largest tabloid - I'm looking forward to beeing a reporter again, but I'll miss all the hardware that used to pass by my desk.

[Raging Turtle]

I'm a server at Chili's.  It's every bit as glamourous as you've imagined.

Actually, I like the job.  Almost any social, active job is better than sitting in an office, imo.  I'll be doing this and teaching sailing (once it warms up a bit) until the fall, when I'm going abroad to teach again.

[Furiously]

I'm a server at Chili's.  It's every bit as glamourous as you've imagined.

Actually, I like the job.  Almost any social, active job is better than sitting in an office, imo.  I'll be doing this and teaching sailing (once it warms up a bit) until the fall, when I'm going abroad to teach again.

Do you have to wear flair? Or am I thinking of TGIFs?

[Yegolev]

TGIF.  I think we're lucky if the Chili's people wear a polo shirt.

[Jayce]

Actually, I like the job.  Almost any social, active job is better than sitting in an office, imo.  I'll be doing this and teaching sailing (once it warms up a bit) until the fall, when I'm going abroad to teach again.

I can tell you that working in an office may not be active, but it's frequently social.  Too social sometimes, as I like to get work done once in a while.

BTW, why do all you Euros (talking to Hanzii now) often say "my country" rather than the name of the country?  I'd have to dig for more examples but it seems like a trend to me. 

Just curious.  For some reason I think you're in Germany, though I might be wrong.

[Strazos]

Denmark.

[NiX]

I'm back in school now. IN CANADA, EH! HOW ABOOT THAT?! ... Fuckers.

[Margalis]

Social and active is my job nightmare.

[Hanzii]

Actually, I like the job.  Almost any social, active job is better than sitting in an office, imo.  I'll be doing this and teaching sailing (once it warms up a bit) until the fall, when I'm going abroad to teach again.

I can tell you that working in an office may not be active, but it's frequently social.  Too social sometimes, as I like to get work done once in a while.

BTW, why do all you Euros (talking to Hanzii now) often say "my country" rather than the name of the country?  I'd have to dig for more examples but it seems like a trend to me. 

Just curious.  For some reason I think you're in Germany, though I might be wrong.

Do we?
I wasn't aware. Either I did it because I'm vain enough to expect people around here to remember which country I'm from and that Europe isn't an unified nation. Or perhaps it's my natural disdain for the average Americans knowledge about the world outside the US, that just leads me to believe that should I say Denmark instead of 'my country' most would think "I kmow Denmark, it's the capitol of Germany and located somewhere northeast of Kiev...'

[Endie]

Or perhaps it's my natural disdain for the average Americans knowledge about the world outside the US, that just leads me to believe that should I say Denmark instead of 'my country' most would think "I kmow Denmark, it's the capitol of Germany and located somewhere northeast of Kiev...'

That one's a weak shot that us snobby Europeans play up a lot, but I'm not sure it's justified.  The huge majority of Europeans would get the locations of Montana or Utah wrong on a map, too, which are fair parallels (sovereignty aside) of Denmark.  Even if they did better, a lot of that would be because we all watch the (largely superior) US media exports.

I once saw Michael Moore giving a talk where he played that game too, by asking Americans in the audience to name the UK defence minister, and British people the American one.  Then he said "oh how great  you europeans are in comparison".  Bollocks.  Rumsfeld was barely out of the news and even a political junkie like me had difficulty keeping check of Blair's mediocre cabinet.  It was a cheap, lying trick (and not the only one that night: I went along eager and went away detesting him).

[Jayce]

Actually, I like the job.  Almost any social, active job is better than sitting in an office, imo.  I'll be doing this and teaching sailing (once it warms up a bit) until the fall, when I'm going abroad to teach again.

I can tell you that working in an office may not be active, but it's frequently social.  Too social sometimes, as I like to get work done once in a while.

BTW, why do all you Euros (talking to Hanzii now) often say "my country" rather than the name of the country?  I'd have to dig for more examples but it seems like a trend to me. 

Just curious.  For some reason I think you're in Germany, though I might be wrong.

Do we?
I wasn't aware. Either I did it because I'm vain enough to expect people around here to remember which country I'm from and that Europe isn't an unified nation. Or perhaps it's my natural disdain for the average Americans knowledge about the world outside the US, that just leads me to believe that should I say Denmark instead of 'my country' most would think "I kmow Denmark, it's the capitol of Germany and located somewhere northeast of Kiev...'

I have the impression that it's a trend, but I can't point you to any specific examples without a lot of searching (which I'm entirely too lazy to do). 

It is hard to keep track of everyone's nationality precisely BECAUSE Europe likes to cling to this "multi-country" model :) , but I know where a few of you are from.  If I see it 1-3 times I usually remember.  VIKLAS is Italian, Der Helm is (duh) German, Ironwood is Scottish, etc.

[Driakos]

I never noticed this post.  For some reason I always show up late to the (!) threads.

I do worldbuilding/game design.  San Mateo, CA.

[Righ]

That one's a weak shot that us snobby Europeans play up a lot, but I'm not sure it's justified.  The huge majority of Europeans would get the locations of Montana or Utah wrong on a map, too, which are fair parallels (sovereignty aside) of Denmark.  Even if they did better, a lot of that would be because we all watch the (largely superior) US media exports.

That's funny. Most Americans don't know where Montana or Utah are these days either (fully half of current 18-25 year olds can't even manage New York state, and a third can't find the pacific ocean). A great majority of a whole generation of Americans has grown up without taking a single geography class at high school or college. Surveys generally acknowledge that among first world nations, the United States has the highest incidence of geographic ignorance. And enjoying highbrow educational media from Hollywood is not reason enough to delude yourself into thinking otherwise.

[Damn Dirty Ape]

That's funny. Most Americans don't know where Montana or Utah are these days either...

That's because Montana and Utah keep moving due to plate techtonics.

I'm in a travelling freak show as the tamborine-tapping ape.  But some woman with PhD certificate on the wall and a sad smile keeps telling me I'm an IT tech in a university hospital.  She's crazy, I tell you.  Whoever heard of a monkey pushing buttons in a lab for a living?

[Endie]

That one's a weak shot that us snobby Europeans play up a lot, but I'm not sure it's justified.  The huge majority of Europeans would get the locations of Montana or Utah wrong on a map, too, which are fair parallels (sovereignty aside) of Denmark.  Even if they did better, a lot of that would be because we all watch the (largely superior) US media exports.

A great majority of a whole generation of Americans has grown up without taking a single geography class at high school or college. Surveys generally acknowledge that among first world nations, the United States has the highest incidence of geographic ignorance.

Kinda a specialist area for me, here.  Which studies did you have in mind?  The most authoritative source I can cite offhand is the National Association of Educational Progress, which reviewed geography last in 2001.  Only 12 percent of students did not intend to take at least one course in geograph at 6th, 7th and/or 8th grade.  A long way from a great majority of a whole generation, and a 33% reduction (ie improvement) in the same figure from 1994.  In fact, almost half intended to take three courses in the subject.

In any case, while ignorance is never a good thing, if you have to be ignorant of a subject, geography is the one.  In the UK, higher education funding in geography has been falling for years, and many geography departments have been closing, while others have been aligning themselves to take advantage of the funding currently available to any subject so long as it can include "Global Warming" in the title (except those pesky astro-phycisists and their sceptical alternatives...).  It is unusual for Scottish or English/Welsh students to take geography past age 12 as well, although coverage is better than in the US.

[Righ]

Kinda a specialist area for me, here.

ROFL.

[Endie]

Kinda a specialist area for me, here.

ROFL.

Ok, put another way: I worked for the curriculum development body here for a few years, and would probably work in something related to this day except that my father pretty much won that field.  No point even trying to compete when the nearest country whose curriculum development efforts weren't in some way shaped by him probably speaks Arabic (mild, but only mild exaggeration), so I did my own thing.  Anyway, you were going to point me at all those studies.

[Signe]

The Scots fight too much.  Maybe it's because they know exactly where they are.

[Righ]

Anyway, you were going to point me at all those studies.

No I wasn't. Go Google them yourself, you obviously Googled the government one that didn't support your rebuttal (8th grade isn't high school) unless you know the URL of PDF files 'offhand'. Or claim victory in an Internet pissing contest if you want. I honestly don't care. The UK and Canada are close behind the US in terms of ignorance with respect to geography, but that's no reason to be proud of wanting to eliminate the subject from the curriculum or to think that TV and film will fill the gaps. High irony.

[schild]

I submit that - despite winning Geography Bees in school - that geography just isn't important. Period. if it's part of what you do as a job, then sure. But like anything else, just trivia otherwise. Now, those kids who don't know their locale are just stupid and won't get anywhere in life. If kids in New Hampshire know nothing about Arizona though, who cares?

Sure, it could be called ignorant, I suppose. But knowing what I know about geography tends to be a waste of memory space imho.

[Endie]

Anyway, you were going to point me at all those studies.

No I wasn't. Go Google them yourself, you obviously Googled the government one... unless you know the URL of PDF files 'offhand'.

No need for google there: that's basically the federal equivalent of the old HMI system over here, so it was just a case of going there and checking what their latest report on geography said.  You're right, though, that i didn't read your qualification about high school minimum.  In which case, although I don't know, I imagine that you'd be able to say the same thing about most of western Europe.

What is it you want taught to the majority of students - and to high school level - in geography, though?  The ability to point to the Belgium on a map?  What their primary exports are?  The difference between lateral and terminal moraines?  Which of the current compulsory curricular elements would you take the time from?  I'm really not trolling: I'm interested.

The Scots fight too much.  Maybe it's because they know exactly where they are.

Not to mention the distance to the sun and the emptiness of youth.

Edit: fixed a terribly-placed comma.

[Sky]

I submit that - despite winning Geography Bees in school - that geography just isn't important. Period. if it's part of what you do as a job, then sure. But like anything else, just trivia otherwise. Now, those kids who don't know their locale are just stupid and won't get anywhere in life. If kids in New Hampshire know nothing about Arizona though, who cares?

Sure, it could be called ignorant, I suppose. But knowing what I know about geography tends to be a waste of memory space imho.

Schild = George W Bush?

[schild]

I submit that - despite winning Geography Bees in school - that geography just isn't important. Period. if it's part of what you do as a job, then sure. But like anything else, just trivia otherwise. Now, those kids who don't know their locale are just stupid and won't get anywhere in life. If kids in New Hampshire know nothing about Arizona though, who cares?

Sure, it could be called ignorant, I suppose. But knowing what I know about geography tends to be a waste of memory space imho.

Schild = George W Bush?

[Righ]

What is it you want taught to the majority of students - and to high school level - in geography, though?  The ability to point to the Belgium on a map?  What their primary exports are?  The difference between lateral and terminal moraines?  Which of the current compulsory curricular elements would you take the time from?  I'm really not trolling: I'm interested.

That all sounds good. Despite the fact that it will probably be used least in the future, basic knowledge of glaciation features, cloud formation, etc will serve people well. However, its absolutely vital that people know enough about the world they are living in to understand the meaning and reasons for what is happening in it. So that's where countries are, fun stuff about their economies and key differences in how people live. Obviously you can't study every country in the world at depth in high school, but you can study a couple in detail, and teach people how to find out that level of knowledge themselves. Because otherwise, they never will. The bulk of young adults in most of the countries fighting in Iraq can't place where it is on a map. If it were just that, it would be bad enough, but they know nothing about the country, and the pressures that made it what it is. That's despite it being on the news almost every day for four years. Some of these people are going to end up in jobs where they really ought to know enough to build a framework of understanding about how a country works.

What subjects do you prune to 'squeeze it in'? All of them. Its as important as anything else you are teaching people at high school age. Surely by high school, O Grade level or whatever, we have loftier goals in education than just teaching people reading, writing and arithmetic?

[Endie]

That's cool, though I'm not sure geography is really where I'd put it: you really can't teach every kid where every country is, down to Uzbekistan and Kirghizstan, but I agree that some degree of "look, lots of countries are different and here are some important and/or interesting examples.  And look at how different their economies and clutures are."  I'd skip the moraines bit and leave it for those that take geography proper.  It probably ends up getting called Foreign Studies or something.

What subjects do you prune to 'squeeze it in'? All of them. Its as important as anything else you are teaching people at high school age. Surely by high school, O Grade level or whatever, we have loftier goals in education than just teaching people reading, writing and arithmetic?

Oh, you're preaching to the converted there, and the Scottish education system has for a long time had a generalist bias.  But reading, writing and arthmetic are important and core subjects because they provide people with the tools to learn other stuff.  If I was going to add to the core elements of the curriculum it would be by adding more "tools" like those.  Particularly analytical tools like philosophy and epistemology.  I think that learning about other cultures is a really important second-order subject.  However I also think that an awful lot of what is taught in technical, high-school physical geographical studies (ox-bow lakes, moraines, delta-formation etc) is ultimately important only in the way that knowledge is a good in itself.