Luckily I am doing Volunteer Hours right now so I was able to interview Chrissie Petersen, who has a Bachelors of Social work from USF. I talked to her about the Social Work profession and the good news is that Social Work is such a generalist degree that there are job open almost everywhere. You can work for the government, public agencies, or private agencies. You can work with almost any population of people and different agencies are always looking for more help.
A problem with being a social worker however is that if you work in a publicly funded agency you are not going to paid that much. To really make a good income you have to get your Master's degree in Social Work which is an extra 3 semesters I will be in school and not working.
If you are working in a publicly funded agency you always have to worry about whether your funding is going to be cut and if you'll have a job for the next year. Even in a private agency with the way the economy is going, no one can be certain that they are going to be able to keep their jobs. When looking to advance in the Social Work field you have to put in a lot of time to gain experience and a lot of time to gain education. There is only so far you can with a BSW before you have to get a MSW, and to go even further you can get you PhD of SW to do more research and teaching or become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker which allows you to do the most in depth counseling with clients.
To ensure success in my career while I am still in school I must get good grades and when I go to do my internship i have to work hard and be a dependable student. If I do well in my internship I could possibly get a job at that agency or use them for a recommendation and experience history when I do apply for a job in the field. Chrissie told me that if I work hard and make connections with different people in the field through my teachers, employers and intern supervisors I will do good in the field because it is about working with people and the more people you know the high up you can get.
Overall I feel pretty secure in the profession I have chose to go into after I graduate. I will be going to school for my Master's degree right after my BSW is completed next year. After that I feel like I won't have a problem getting a job and starting a career, even if it is hard to keep the same job for a long time due to public funding.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Ecological Lifestyle
I looked up my ecological footprint and I take up about 16.1 acres of Earth's productive area and 3.6 Earths. It looks like I can change this by eating less meat, taking the bus more often, and recycling more, even though my apartment complex doesn't have a recycling center. I'm going to work on finding somewhere nearby that I can recycle, having a salad for dinner, and seeing if there is any kind of bus transportation around me. I'll work on it and get back in 24hours.
So I finished my 24hours and I really did look around for somewhere to recycle but the closest are is about a 10 minute drive so I don't know if the gas I use driving makes up for the bottles I put into recycling. Also, there isn't a bus to take me to school and work. I would have to drive about the same amount of time it takes me to get to school to get to the bus stop, so I would effectively hurt the environment because I would be using the bus for no reason. In addition, I like meat and don't want to stop eating it. I already eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and refuse to supplement my meals with tofu instead of chicken. Overall I don't think I am destroying the planet because I try to be very ecologically sound in my decisions, from the car I bought to the food I eat. I did turn off my air conditioning and open the windows but I don't think that will be possible come April.
So I finished my 24hours and I really did look around for somewhere to recycle but the closest are is about a 10 minute drive so I don't know if the gas I use driving makes up for the bottles I put into recycling. Also, there isn't a bus to take me to school and work. I would have to drive about the same amount of time it takes me to get to school to get to the bus stop, so I would effectively hurt the environment because I would be using the bus for no reason. In addition, I like meat and don't want to stop eating it. I already eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and refuse to supplement my meals with tofu instead of chicken. Overall I don't think I am destroying the planet because I try to be very ecologically sound in my decisions, from the car I bought to the food I eat. I did turn off my air conditioning and open the windows but I don't think that will be possible come April.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Challenge
One challenge that my family is currently facing ad will face for the next four years is the state of the economy. Right now, one of my brothers has lost his job because the company closed, my other brother has had his work hours reduced, my mother cannot find a new job after her company closed, and I myself work for a small business that has had to cut my hours and reduce pay because they are not making enough money.
My bills however have not been reduced, and I am continually trying to find ways to pay everything so that I am not in the negative, but as gas prices go down which 'will not last' as the media keeps saying, food prices go up.
This is an injustice because the reason business close is because they don't have enough money because no one is buying their product. No one can afford to buy the products because they are being laid off or paid less, or are stuck in debt because of bad loans. This is a catch 22 and unless something is done soon, we will be in a horrible recession. I think one of the only things to do is to try and help people get out of debt by working on adjusting loans to more affordable rates and getting people spending again. As citizens we ca work with out legislators to express what is happening to us, and to try and manage debt in a smart way so that we do not borrow more than we can pay back.
My bills however have not been reduced, and I am continually trying to find ways to pay everything so that I am not in the negative, but as gas prices go down which 'will not last' as the media keeps saying, food prices go up.
This is an injustice because the reason business close is because they don't have enough money because no one is buying their product. No one can afford to buy the products because they are being laid off or paid less, or are stuck in debt because of bad loans. This is a catch 22 and unless something is done soon, we will be in a horrible recession. I think one of the only things to do is to try and help people get out of debt by working on adjusting loans to more affordable rates and getting people spending again. As citizens we ca work with out legislators to express what is happening to us, and to try and manage debt in a smart way so that we do not borrow more than we can pay back.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Technology
OK well I didn't use my phone, computer, TV etc... but I read a good book. I'm off to check my email.
I didn't have that hard of a time with this project because I worked for most of the day and when I got home I cleaned the house, did some homework, and read a book. The hardest part of the day was not being able to use my cell phone to send text messages to people. I work at a daycare and there is nap time from 1-3pm and I usually send text messages to keep entertained. It was hard to have nothing to do during this time, but I did read almost all of the kids books in my classroom. Otherwise it wasn't that bad. Obviously I couldn't do this forever because I need the computer to check email and do homework, even pay most of my bills, but otherwise it was OK.
I didn't have that hard of a time with this project because I worked for most of the day and when I got home I cleaned the house, did some homework, and read a book. The hardest part of the day was not being able to use my cell phone to send text messages to people. I work at a daycare and there is nap time from 1-3pm and I usually send text messages to keep entertained. It was hard to have nothing to do during this time, but I did read almost all of the kids books in my classroom. Otherwise it wasn't that bad. Obviously I couldn't do this forever because I need the computer to check email and do homework, even pay most of my bills, but otherwise it was OK.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Thesis and Ideas on Paper Direction
I am going to play the game Road Rash in which the player has to street race on motorcycles and the only way to win the race is by knocking off other players by beating them with pipes and chains and running from and beating up the cops. One idea I am thinking about for this game is to show that street racing leads to more serious crimes such as insurance fraud, theft, assault and robbery. In the you have to result to assault and in theory murder to win the game, therefore you go from illegal street racing to a much more serious offense, which shows that what some might consider a minor criminal offense can turn into much more.
Another idea I had about this paper was to show that there is no such thing as a victimless crime. When people street race they can hurt themselves and others, not just the other racers, but the other people in traffic and spectators. Someone who is driving to the grocery store has nothing to do with your race but if you hit them, they are a victim of your illegal activity. I want to explore how people think it is ethical to commit a crime that doesn't hurt anyone else but benefits you and how they do not realize how their actions can truly effect other people.
Finally I could talk about the ethics of crime in general and use street racing and Road rash as an example. Street racers seem to have their own code of ethics, such as secrecy and what they consider OK and not OK in a race. They also have ethics about telling what people have done to their cars or how fast they can run. They have their 'word' about what someone gets when they win a race and consequences if you don't give in after a loss. I feel like this however would be a much harder theory to use while using the game Road Rash as an example.
Another idea I had about this paper was to show that there is no such thing as a victimless crime. When people street race they can hurt themselves and others, not just the other racers, but the other people in traffic and spectators. Someone who is driving to the grocery store has nothing to do with your race but if you hit them, they are a victim of your illegal activity. I want to explore how people think it is ethical to commit a crime that doesn't hurt anyone else but benefits you and how they do not realize how their actions can truly effect other people.
Finally I could talk about the ethics of crime in general and use street racing and Road rash as an example. Street racers seem to have their own code of ethics, such as secrecy and what they consider OK and not OK in a race. They also have ethics about telling what people have done to their cars or how fast they can run. They have their 'word' about what someone gets when they win a race and consequences if you don't give in after a loss. I feel like this however would be a much harder theory to use while using the game Road Rash as an example.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Two Articles on Video Games
http://www.igda.org/articles/rreynolds_ethics.php
In the article, Playing a "Good" Game: A Philosophical Approach to Understanding the Morality of Games by Ren Reynolds, he argues the point that the game Grand Theft Auto 3 is not immoral because the pleasure people get out of playing out-weighs the harm it might cause. He argues this through several different philosophical perspectives, and through his own ethical and moral views. I do not particularly agree with his argument because although he believes that the pleasure of playing the game outweighs the harms of video game violence, he does not have any proof to back up his statement and is making this assumption on his own beliefs. If a mothers child goes our and commits a violent act because he has been playing a violent video game for weeks, she would probably believe that the harm of the game outweighs the pleasure her child got from playing it. Although I do not really agree with his personal view points, it is also hard to argue and opinion that is not support by fact.
http://elearnqueen.blogspot.com/2004/08/ethics-of-video-game-based-simulation.html
In this article, The Ethics of Video Game-Based Simulation by Susan Smith Nash, she argues the point that using a simulation video game to train military personnel is not ethically sound because it promotes the idea that they player is invincible and dehumanizes killing. She argues that because the player can make their character look like anything, and not just themselves, the player does not associate themselves with the killing and makes it more like a game than a real life simulator. I agree with her points in this article because I believe it would be hard to train military personnel in ground combat with a video game. The air force has flight simulators, but you can construct an airplane and make everything very real including sounds, smells, and what flying feels like. It may be harder however to simulate the battle field in Iraq for a ground solider. By putting a controller or fake gun in their hand and letting them shoot at a screen it does not truly simulate the real life situation of killing another human.
In the article, Playing a "Good" Game: A Philosophical Approach to Understanding the Morality of Games by Ren Reynolds, he argues the point that the game Grand Theft Auto 3 is not immoral because the pleasure people get out of playing out-weighs the harm it might cause. He argues this through several different philosophical perspectives, and through his own ethical and moral views. I do not particularly agree with his argument because although he believes that the pleasure of playing the game outweighs the harms of video game violence, he does not have any proof to back up his statement and is making this assumption on his own beliefs. If a mothers child goes our and commits a violent act because he has been playing a violent video game for weeks, she would probably believe that the harm of the game outweighs the pleasure her child got from playing it. Although I do not really agree with his personal view points, it is also hard to argue and opinion that is not support by fact.
http://elearnqueen.blogspot.com/2004/08/ethics-of-video-game-based-simulation.html
In this article, The Ethics of Video Game-Based Simulation by Susan Smith Nash, she argues the point that using a simulation video game to train military personnel is not ethically sound because it promotes the idea that they player is invincible and dehumanizes killing. She argues that because the player can make their character look like anything, and not just themselves, the player does not associate themselves with the killing and makes it more like a game than a real life simulator. I agree with her points in this article because I believe it would be hard to train military personnel in ground combat with a video game. The air force has flight simulators, but you can construct an airplane and make everything very real including sounds, smells, and what flying feels like. It may be harder however to simulate the battle field in Iraq for a ground solider. By putting a controller or fake gun in their hand and letting them shoot at a screen it does not truly simulate the real life situation of killing another human.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Paper #1 Outline and Thesis
Thesis: The McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Cruelty games are effective in conveying information about bad business practices and animal cruelty through the use of ethically and emotionally charged game choices.
Introduction Paragraph:
- Intro sentence
- Short video game description
- Thesis statement
Body Paragraph 1:
- Intro sentence
- Describe game 1 (McDonald’s)
- Describe the game’s purpose
- Explain game choices and animal cruelty
- Give examples from game for support
Body Paragraph 2:
- Into sentence
- Describe game 2 (Kentucky Fried Cruelty)
- Describe the games purpose
- Explain game choices and animal cruelty
- Give examples from game for support
Body Paragraph 3:
- Describe how both games use ethos and pathos.
- Explain how both games are effective in their purpose
- Compare and contrast the different game styles and how each is effective and ineffective.
Conclusion Paragraph:
- Restate thesis and give final thoughts
- Explain what player comes away with after playing games
- Tie up any lose ends from essay and answer all questions
Introduction Paragraph:
- Intro sentence
- Short video game description
- Thesis statement
Body Paragraph 1:
- Intro sentence
- Describe game 1 (McDonald’s)
- Describe the game’s purpose
- Explain game choices and animal cruelty
- Give examples from game for support
Body Paragraph 2:
- Into sentence
- Describe game 2 (Kentucky Fried Cruelty)
- Describe the games purpose
- Explain game choices and animal cruelty
- Give examples from game for support
Body Paragraph 3:
- Describe how both games use ethos and pathos.
- Explain how both games are effective in their purpose
- Compare and contrast the different game styles and how each is effective and ineffective.
Conclusion Paragraph:
- Restate thesis and give final thoughts
- Explain what player comes away with after playing games
- Tie up any lose ends from essay and answer all questions
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Advergame, serious game and persuasive game assignment
For my persuasive game, I played Fat World. This game really made me think about the eating choices I needed to make for my character to ensure that they would not become obese and get a disease or die. Even in making choices like having french toast for breakfast instead of eating a low-fat omelet I was upping the chances of my character getting diabetes. This game really made me think about the choices I make when eating... like going to McDonald's for lunch when I don't have time to do something healthier. I guess everything you eat plays a role in your health, even if you think that one burger won't hurt me, once a week times a year really adds up. This game has really made me think about the eating choices I make, and probably how I need to eat healthier.
For my serious game I played Oil God. In this game I have to try and double the price of oil in less than 5 years using various acts of god (hurricane, tornado etc) and through war, economic and political changes. This game was awful because when I set two oil producing countries to war, gas prices sky rocketed, and through a few acts of god, I was able to raise gas from $1.46 to almost 3 dollars a gallon. Political changes, like going from a republican country to a communist nation really altered the price of gas too. It made me think how economics and politics play a huge role in gas price. When I did an act of god, the effects only last a few days to weeks and prices dropped again however political and economic changes had a much greater affect on lasting price hikes. this game really tries to show how and why gas prices are so high.
For my advergame I played an M&Ms game called green vs. red. You have to trap your opponent and change their M&M color to green (if your red and vice verse) to try and get as many of your color on the board as possible. Who ever has the most of their color on the board at the end wins. This was a fun game because it was addicting and made you really want to win. Every time someone goes they can take more of your color, so the outcome is unknown until the very end. Also, every time red took some of my green M&Ms I wanted to retaliate as quickly as possible. Did it really make me want to eat M&Ms? No not really, but it was fun and I would go back and play again so I guess this game worked in the sense that it will get me back to the website, and maybe next time I will look around and find something good to eat and go pick it up at Publix.
For my serious game I played Oil God. In this game I have to try and double the price of oil in less than 5 years using various acts of god (hurricane, tornado etc) and through war, economic and political changes. This game was awful because when I set two oil producing countries to war, gas prices sky rocketed, and through a few acts of god, I was able to raise gas from $1.46 to almost 3 dollars a gallon. Political changes, like going from a republican country to a communist nation really altered the price of gas too. It made me think how economics and politics play a huge role in gas price. When I did an act of god, the effects only last a few days to weeks and prices dropped again however political and economic changes had a much greater affect on lasting price hikes. this game really tries to show how and why gas prices are so high.
For my advergame I played an M&Ms game called green vs. red. You have to trap your opponent and change their M&M color to green (if your red and vice verse) to try and get as many of your color on the board as possible. Who ever has the most of their color on the board at the end wins. This was a fun game because it was addicting and made you really want to win. Every time someone goes they can take more of your color, so the outcome is unknown until the very end. Also, every time red took some of my green M&Ms I wanted to retaliate as quickly as possible. Did it really make me want to eat M&Ms? No not really, but it was fun and I would go back and play again so I guess this game worked in the sense that it will get me back to the website, and maybe next time I will look around and find something good to eat and go pick it up at Publix.
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