![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yesthattomBusinessWeek ranked the most ideal places to work for undergraduates and they were (1) Disney, (2) Google, (3) U.S. Department of State, (4) FBI, (5) CIA, (6) Microsoft, (7) Apple.
A co-worker responded:
> I’m actually more horrified that so many undergrads apparently want
> to work for the government.
Working for the government is a great way to serve ones country.
If I may go off on a rant...
The middle part of “Of the people, by the people, and for the people” means that our government is made up of people (like Soylent Green, but better.)
That’s a fairly radical statement when you consider that historically governments were made up of deities (or people that told everyone they were). It also means that (despite public perception) the government isn’t made up of “someone else”. It’s made up of us!
The U.S. government is as good as we make it. Whether that’s by voting, running for office, or by being employed by it. You can’t just say, “it’s beyond fixing... I sure hope someone else fixes it” or worse, “
Think about the Google culture of openness that lets us take 20% of our time to fix/improve the things that we care about here. Citizens have that 20% with respect to the U.S. government. Being on your local school board is usually a 2-nights-per-month commitment. Certainly less than 20% of the average person’s spare time. There are plenty of other ways to get involved too. Undergrads that want to work for the government are usually looking to dedicate 100% to improving things. That’s something we should all encourage.
Yes, government workers have a stereotype of being “clock watchers”, lacking creativity, or special skills. If you want to fix that, do something about it. Don’t have time? I recommend the following: Figure out how much you make per hour (hint: there are about 2000 hours in the work year) and donate twice that to a candidate or organization that believes the same way you do. That’s a lot like donating 2 hours of time each month.
Just like at Google, problems don’t fix themselves so “don’t wait for someone else to act”.
A co-worker responded:
> I’m actually more horrified that so many undergrads apparently want
> to work for the government.
Working for the government is a great way to serve ones country.
If I may go off on a rant...
The middle part of “Of the people, by the people, and for the people” means that our government is made up of people (like Soylent Green, but better.)
That’s a fairly radical statement when you consider that historically governments were made up of deities (or people that told everyone they were). It also means that (despite public perception) the government isn’t made up of “someone else”. It’s made up of us!
The U.S. government is as good as we make it. Whether that’s by voting, running for office, or by being employed by it. You can’t just say, “it’s beyond fixing... I sure hope someone else fixes it” or worse, “
Think about the Google culture of openness that lets us take 20% of our time to fix/improve the things that we care about here. Citizens have that 20% with respect to the U.S. government. Being on your local school board is usually a 2-nights-per-month commitment. Certainly less than 20% of the average person’s spare time. There are plenty of other ways to get involved too. Undergrads that want to work for the government are usually looking to dedicate 100% to improving things. That’s something we should all encourage.
Yes, government workers have a stereotype of being “clock watchers”, lacking creativity, or special skills. If you want to fix that, do something about it. Don’t have time? I recommend the following: Figure out how much you make per hour (hint: there are about 2000 hours in the work year) and donate twice that to a candidate or organization that believes the same way you do. That’s a lot like donating 2 hours of time each month.
Just like at Google, problems don’t fix themselves so “don’t wait for someone else to act”.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-05-11 07:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-11 08:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-11 10:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-12 03:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-11 11:14 pm (UTC)Nothing!
rant
Date: 2006-05-12 02:54 am (UTC)soylent = soy + lentils.
they didn't grind up people for real.
"it's made of people" (in the novel anyway) was meant to represent that over consumerist culture that we see even today. metaphorically that we were basically eating ourselves away and eating others in our society -- think of it like soul sucking.
creating soul sucking jobs, relationships and other situations that basically leave us as empty shells.
today i feel there's such a sense of entitlement that folks have. be it that they believe that the world should be handed to them on a silver platter or that others should worship them for creating the silver platter.
both are deadly forms of non-participation. the first because it breeds an and cements the expectation that others are responsible for our pleasure or life in general. the second because it is rooted in a philosophy that things are only worth doing if others worship you for it. i'm not saying a little recognition isn't warranted...(tangent to another rant)
back to non participation or apathy or entitlement.
how many folks actually take the 20% and do something with it?
many people i meet wonder at the fact that i am an artist working in corporate america. they wish that they were more creative. i tell them to take 10 minutes a day to do a project. doodle, sew, dance, sing, jump up and down, i don't care, just take 10 minutes and do something! they look at me like i am nuts (and i may just be a mighty oak one day)
point being, i agree, if you wish things were different, in government or your artistic life or school board, you are completely empowered to go start doing something about it. complaining for 10 minutes a day doesn't count as consciousness raising...
Re: rant
Date: 2006-05-12 03:01 am (UTC)"New Soylent Green: Now with 10% more GIRL"
no subject
Date: 2006-05-12 12:36 am (UTC)Of course, the White House propaganda campaign for an unrelated, "elective" war in Iraq would have been even more galling than it was if I were then in the process of remaking my life to serve my country ...
no subject
Date: 2006-05-12 02:49 am (UTC)(Well, okay, not the Soylent Green bit, I mean, seriously, what do you have against the proper use of resources?)
no subject
Date: 2006-05-12 03:05 pm (UTC)