An Increase in Punishment is not an Increase in Behavior

Since I am having so much trouble deciding what I want to discuss for this week's free write, I am simply going to talk about a topic that has been on my mind this week. This is disparity in the repercussions of criminal actions between young people and the rest of society.
I recently got in trouble with the law, nothing major, don't worry. Yet I have noticed that the there is a grand difference in the treatment and views of young people who get into trouble versus adults, who in my opinion, have less to lose.
What's the deal with the law prosecuting more harshly against those with their entire future ahead of them? If we, college students, are our society's future, then why is this society so trigger happy when it comes to destroying these futures?
It wasn't until the past few years that the law has provided a second chance to those who break the law at a young age. Before the chance of PTI, ADP, etc., once a young person got into trouble, they lost all the work they had done and whatever future they were headed towards. As the incarceration rates increased, so did the rates of criminals, obviously. But then, as the criminal rates increased, society began to believe that our young people were getting worse. When in fact, it was the treatment of criminals that changed, not the criminal acts themselves.
As a result, we have more young people getting in trouble for the same 'unlawful acts' that our parents were doing at our age.
An example of this is how DUI's used to be dealt with. In the old days, if a minor was caught drinking and driving, their parents were either notified and had to come pick them up, or someone else was allowed to drive. Then, both were released. Now, if a minor gets caught doing the same unlawful act, they are arrested, their car towed, they are fined, face jail time, loss of scholarships, loss of driver's license, and may have it on their criminal record for life.
To me, this sounds like e are hindering our youth. We are punishing them more harshly for acts of the same degree. And as a result, we are decreasing the amount of prospects for jobs and college. Is it just me or does this sound like we are shooting ourselves in the foot?
Anyways, before I begin to ramble, I will stop. This is just a little something I've been thinking about. I would love to hear what others have to say on the matter!!!

Writing Cover Letters

Well, damn. After reading the first article about cover letters I must admit I am a bit bummed. Not that it is very surprising that employers scan resumes first, then perhaps read them if they're interested, and do not even read cover letters until after that.
But, it is hopeful to learn that by simply being aggressive and following up on a company that you have applied for can really open doors. I like the idea of seeing yourself as a product and the company as the consumer. This way, you are marketing yourself to a company. They need to know how and why your product (you) stand out from all the rest, and how the consumer (company) will benefit from you.
I think that this is a great way to think of yourself when applying for a job. It makes one focus more on the company than their self, which is good. If you show knowledge and interest in a company, then it will give you ethos that support the idea that they should hire you.
My favorite piece of advice from this whole article is to hand write a P.S. at the end of your cover letter. I think that this is an awesome way to stick out and to gain a prospective employer's attention. This is definitely something I want to do.

Interview Strategy: Telling Stories

My favorite theme that I learned from this article is that an interview should be more like a conversation than an interrogation. I think that this is an important concept for interviewees to recognize because people tend to get nervous during interviews. They may end up saying something they didn't mean or not putting their thoughts into words correctly because they are focusing too much on what the interviewer wants to hear.
If people focused more on interesting stories about themselves and their accomplishments that could build their ethos, then perhaps they wouldn't get mental blocks when asked simple questions. In my case, I have plenty of great answers to offer, but I tend to think too much about the question, that sometimes I can't find the answer I want to use.
I tend to react in interview questions the same as I do for exam questions. I think that if I got the opportunity to decide what topics I wanted to discuss before the interview/exam, then I would be much more secure in my answers and feel better prepared. As long as I find example stories that could answer multiple questions, then I would be prepared for much more.
This article made me stop and think about a few stories that might be beneficial to me in a job interview and it has really made me reflect on what I experience I really do have in the work force. It turns out that I have many crisis situations that I underwent while working as a full time nanny. It kinda makes me excited for the opportunity to talk about these situations in a future job interview.

10 yrs from now

Though I can tell you exactly where I want to be for the next month, almost hour for hour, I am finding it quite difficult to decide where I want to be ten years from now. For starters, I want to have graduated from Clemson University with a masters in Sociology, and perhaps a bachelors in Psychology. From there, I hope to be in a profession with some type of drug counseling. Hopefully this will be a good paying job, but if not, it won’t make much of a difference to me.
One thing I do know is that I am not planning on having kids in the next ten years. Though I do want kids, I am in no hurry and would like to get settled on my own two feet before I bring another life into this world. I would like to think that in ten years I will be married, but then again, there are a lot of things I want to accomplish and places I want to go before I tie myself down to any one person.
I would like to learn sign language fluently by then, and perhaps Braille. I know for sure that I want to travel to Brazil at some point to learn Portuguese. I think it would also be nice to go to Africa and be in the Peace-Core for a few years before I find a real job, i.e. actually grow up.
Before I graduate from Clemson University, however, there are some things I would like to accomplish. Above all, I want to make at least a 3.0 my graduating year. I would also like to become more involved in student organizations. I am currently a member of both Roots for Shoots and Solid Green. I would like to be a part of student government and do something to leave my print on Clemson University, in a positive way.
I would also like to get an internship at a hospital, rehab center, or even with SLED. From there I hope to find the exact direction to suit me, so that I might follow it. I at least know that I want to end up in Oregon to start my family. I love Oregon because it’s not so hot, they have very liberal laws, and also because the scenery is so magnificent.
I know that my plans for the next ten years are broad and iffy, but I simply am not sure what exactly I want to do right now. My biggest hope is that with in the next ten years, I really want to find this out!