Purple & Proud

I was reading the August edition of Scientific American Mind today. There were some interesting articles in it. For anyone involved in leadership I recommend that they check out this article on leadership. Another interesting article was on the rate of dropouts in post-secondary education in the US. Graduation rates are about 40% for public institutions and 57% for private institutions. Having said that 60% of the jobs in the US requires post secondary education. So the question is.... why do so many people drop out?

According to the article, "Whether a person stays in college can depend on how well she [he] socially integrates into the college community... Students who socially assimilate are generally those whose values, cultural background and academic interests match those of the college they have chosen."

I still remember the first time I laid eyes on the campus for the University of Western Ontario. I immediately felt at home. I was still in high school at the time and was visiting my sister. Even just looking at the architecture and landscaping made me want to go there. And so I did. I went to Huron University College, a smaller college within the university. The smaller colleges allow for smaller classes, more interaction with the professors, but still being able to take classes and interact with a large school. I identified greatly with the school and the beliefs found at the school. I wore the school colours with pride. I still wear the school colours with pride. It wasn't all that long ago I found myself purchasing clothing for Huron University College since it was the first time I had seen them available, even though I graduated 5 years ago. I still long for the leather jacket with a Mustang on it. Each fall I feel a twinge of nostalgia and think of homecoming. The thought of dropping out never even crossed my mind.... probably because I had such a strong identification with my alma matter.

Contrast that to my time at Trent. Unlike my time at Huron I hated it there. I did not feel like I fit in with the community. I wasn't enough of a tree-hugger. I also wasn't a stoner. For whatever reason, I always felt like I was on the outside. Being a smaller school then UWO I also didn't feel like there were as many choices in classes. At Western I got spoiled with my classes on young offenders, thanatology and especially the ones on media studies. With the disconnection it was a struggle to go to class and be motivated there. I was also working full time. When I got sick it made for a great excuse to drop out of school and leave the degree unfinished.

You can also contrast transportation. In London the buses typically run every 15 minutes, except on a few routes. It is pretty easy to get around. For the first 3 years I was able to walk to and from campus if I did not want to wait for the bus. There were buses between the colleges and extra buses on certain routes to ease the congestion. Transportation was great! In Peterborough it's a nightmare. It runs every 30 minutes and is rarely on time. The university is on the ouskirts of town so if you're relying on public transportation you are hoping to be there on time. It's a gamble. And since it's so far away you have to leave long before the classes start.

Even the cities are different and have a different atmosphere. London, ON is a big city but it still feels like a small town. It is the forest city. In spite of it being a big city I always felt safe walking home. Here in Peterborough I can't say the same thing. It's a small town but in spite of that fact I was always reluctant when walking home from work at night.

Community... Integration... Acceptance... Branding.. Even the school you go to is a brand. Either you buy into it and will graduate or you don't and are more likely to drop out and pursue life elsewhere. Reasons why it is so important to check out the college before you attend to get a sense of life there. As for me, "Go 'Stangs go!"

Career Options

My degree is in psychology and I work in a call center. To most people those two ideas don't really go together all that well. Personally, I think that call center employees don't get the respect they deserve. There's too much of an emphasis on temporary employees since the wages aren't going to attract people for the long term. But that was a bit of a tangent. I find that I do use the psychology degree every day. After all my job is to coach and develop the other agents. I also use it when communicating with customers. So it is a useful skill to have in my line of work.

The big issue I have... and the reason I am at a bit of a cross-roads is that there are very few opportunities for advancement at work. They have done away with the team leader position here and with the turnover rate no manager positions will be available on the horizon. And even if there was there is a LOT of competition among all the performance coaches. The most I can make as a performance coach is $15.65 an hour ($32,552/year) and that is after 5 years of being a performance coach. Not to mention the fact you have to meet your metrics to even get a raise, something I didn't do in February. If it wasn't for my student loan it wouldn't be a big deal but that is still hanging over my head.

Steve seems to like coming up with career options to make more money. Now none of his ideas involve me actually leaving to pursue other opportunities. He does know that I applied for a promotion in Niagara Falls so he already knows I am willing to leave. I don't think he was quite so happy about it. So what is his current thought? He seems to think I should start a counselling practice specializing in people who self-injure. He thinks I would do well since I understand the behaviour.

I have a few issues with that thought. As an unlicensed counsellor you are a lot more vulnerable. Self-injury is a behaviour and in order to treat it you have to treat the underlying causes. That's not exactly short-term therapy. You really do have to change thought process and behaviour. It's also extrememly frustrating. There is a reluctance to change. You need a mix... otherwise you risk facing burnout. You just can't deal with the same thing over and over and over... especially when it is a behaviour that is resistant to change. Then there is the whole self-harm behaviour. Generally speaking you have a duty to report any threats to self or to others. So it's a bit of a catch-22. The last thing I would want to do is force someone to sign a no-harm contract.

While I do understand the behaviour and have been there that is only so beneficial. And since I still struggle with it I am not sure I would be the best counsellor. You can treat it as long as you can empathize with the person... which should be true in any therapy relationship. If it's not there then you should be looking for another therapist.

Now I can see me more as an advocate and generating awareness about self-injury. I could handle that. I do think there is a need for that. But as a counsellor... I'm not so sure about that idea. Unlike Steve I try to take a practical approach and not just have the idea of the week.