"What's Your Major?"

 

  Since when is a science major qualified to run a student grant and loan department? How does someone with a degree in music have what it takes to run a community social service and welfare agency? Does a major in art really give one the qualifications to run a business office? I could go on and on with the list but I am sure you get the point.
  I have not been successful in finding any actual studies, but in all the different places I've worked (customer service, retail, distribution, purchasing, marketing, and medical to name a few), I have made this observation;  most people are working in a career that has little to do with their college major. I know you cannot be shocked by this information.
  Generally speaking I don't have a problem with this. I feel that a small part of the downfall of some of corporate America may be due to mismanagement via ignorance. By ignorance I mean that people are hired based on the level of their formal education as opposed to their subject of studies. Many experienced, qualified, and willing workers have been turned down for positions simply because they didn't have a BS or MS degree. This is especially true for non-profit organizations due to grant specifications.
  So I ask you, how is a 25 year old Psychology major going to do a better job as a purchasing agent than the 35 year old that lost his 6 year position in purchasing due to downsizing? All this makes me wonder about something. If one doesn't need a degree in Economics to be a purchasing agent, then why do they require a degree at all? I've heard it said to high school graduates many times; "Go to college and get a degree in something. It doesn't matter what, anything will get you a job with better pay". Why doesn't it matter?
  I feel the need to clarify that I am not against higher education. I believe people should get as much education as possible, especially when it comes to writing skills, communication skills, and general mathematics. I also believe people should put more thought into their college majors, and don't choose a field of study based on what others think is best, or what will be the quickest and easiest to obtain. Also, I am not faulting a person for seeking a job outside of their career studies. Some choices are based solely on the need for survival. I am just presenting something that has crossed my mind a few times and I wonder if I am the only one that has noticed.
  According to this article in The Wall Street Journal the American worker "... [has] held 10.8 jobs, on average, between ages 18 and 42".  No wonder graduates get so far from their original field of study. The way the world changes over the years it is really hard for a person to spend 40 or more years doing the same thing for a living and that is the reason many people evolve into a career gradually over the years and move away from their original field of study. This only proves to me the value of on the job training verses classroom studies.
  Who do I see as working closely withing the scope of their college training? Most people that are involved in patient care from reception to physical and/or occupational therapy to doctors of all kinds, accounting positions, information technology positions, and teachers are all usually working within their college major.
  In my opinion the bottom line is that people shouldn't be hired based solely on their degree, but in conjunction with work experience, and companies need to reevaluate how they choose someone for a position, and grant distributors need to give non-profits the freedom to choose the best person for the job. And as far as colleges go, maybe the Liberal Arts majors are right to stick to the general things and keep the options open for changes that may come along later on while the world itself changes.
 

Joe, Java, Mud.....its all Coffee to Me

  Is it true? Is the best part of waking up Folders in your cup? I believe most people would agree that coffee in general is one of their morning beverages. Part of my usual morning routine includes coffee and Facebook. Every morning without fail there will be various posts in many formats regarding the importance of coffee in assisting people to not only wake up, but also to function in some so sort of civilized and non violent manner.
I am chuckling as I write this because I can relate.
  When I was growing up coffee was a drink for adults only. I woke up most mornings to the scent of coffee brewing in the kitchen, and my favorite aunt and uncle kept a fresh pot all day. I think they had to buy a new coffee pot every year because they wore them out so quickly. Because of my personal experiences with coffee I always viewed it as the all American drink that was consumed either within the home, at a restaurant with dessert, or out of a thermos while hunting, fishing, or cutting fire wood on a chilly morning. As a small child most people used a percolator on the stove top to brew their coffee making it boiling hot. Daddy would pour it out of his cup and into a saucer, then swirl it around to cool it and slurp it from the saucer.

 Imagine my surprise when I discovered that coffee was not only an Arab drink (Yes, I am always the last to know, you probably already knew this), but also a drink made popular in the sixteenth century by Muslims. They actually started the first coffee houses. According to The National Coffee Associations web site coffee got its beginning as a beverage in Ethiopia when a farmer noticed the behavior of his goats after they ate the berries of a coffee bush. This is probably true if you know anything about goats. But then it spread to the Arabian Peninsula and it would never again be a simple "tea".

"Its popularity was perhaps due, in part, to the fact that Muslims, forbidden alcoholic drink by the Koran, found coffee's energizing properties to be an acceptable substitute."

"The popularity of the coffee houses was unequaled and people frequented them for all kinds of social activity. Not only did they drink coffee and engage in conversation, but they also listened to music, watched performers, played chess and kept current on the news of the day.  In fact, they quickly became such an important center for the exchange of information that the coffee houses were often referred to as 'Schools of the Wise.'"  ~ The National Coffee Association

  Although coffee came to the new world in the late 1600's, it never really became popular until after the Boston Tea Party in 1773.
  In early America Ben Franklin and others would hang out in Pubs to engage in conversation and plan the future of our country. I am pretty sure they weren't consuming tea or coffee, however many important decisions were made throughout all of history while sharing in some type of beverage that provided an instant link between the persons, and opened the door for the sharing of ideas and opinions. Many people have discussed how to handle a dilemma while sharing a cup of coffee at the kitchen table.
  What about our health? Web MD says coffee in moderation will help ward off many things from Type II Diabetes to some forms of cancer. According to other resources such as Living Strong, coffee can have negative effects on your cholesterol, blood pressure, and cause caffeine addiction, to name a few. I think with everything moderation is the key and if we make smart choices we will be able to reap the benefits of all consumable foods and less likely to suffer from the negative aspects.
  Either you love coffee or you hate it, but to think of it not being a part of our society is unimaginable. Despite its beginnings far far away, the uses for coffee have changed little and I will always consider it the all American drink as its use here is as old as America itself.