Waves of Public Policy

Unleash Your Inner Animal, Part 1

2010-11-24T13:07:00.000-08:00

Having Trouble Finding Your Path in Life?
: Let Your Inner Guide-dog Lead the Way

You know, I’m not at all sure what I want to do after I graduate …”
I’ve heard this often in the past few weeks, always from a student slouched down in the side chair on the other side of my desk. Usually, it's accompanied by a look of sheer misery.

SMILE! Help is at hand.

I have the seeds of an answer, thanks to a random email blast from my sister. She asked me the timeless question, "What kind of dog are you?"

Don’t yap back at me as though this is some kind silly off-color joke. I mean, really – what breed are you?

This turns out to be an important question, because almost nobody below the age of sixty can look at his or her image in the mirror and see, with any clarity, what kind of person looks back. That said, any one of us can watch a dog in action and see instantly the personality traits that make a dog of that breed perfectly adapted to what it was what born to do. Human have spent more than ten thousand years carefully engineering wolf genetics to produce more than 200 unique breeds, each crafted to exalt some traits and submerge others, making it perfectly fit for one particular job in one particular kind of place.

For example, America’s most popular breed, the Labrador Retriever, was made to be imperturbable under gunfire, strong enough to withstand icy waters and riptides, and loyal enough to fetch a duck without eating it first.
In contrast, the Pekingese was bred to warm the silk slippered toes and loose-sleeved arms of the Chinese royal family. As such, it is small and sturdy, hairy and warm - and able to lie motionless for hours at a time.

Just look at the difference to see how perfectly crafted each breed is for its job and environment!

So what are YOU made for? Take the Dogster quiz and discover you inner canine: href="http://www.dogster.com/quizzes/what_dog_breed_are_you/quiztaker/456751">http://www.dogster.com/quizzes/what_dog_breed_are_you/quiztaker/456751

Can you guess what I was?

Okay, since I’m a breed with little patience, Ill tell you. A Jack Russell Terrier. Just like my good buddy from the MuchLove Animal Rescue, Luke Duke:

There was a time in my life when I would have utterly rejected the idea, insisting that I must be one of the “nice” breeds like the always lovable Cocker. Not so – I have serious “Jack” genes. If I don’t have enough useful work to do, I’ll dig until I find it. Have you noticed how I track you down? I'm not good at routine and I don’t run in a pack. That said, I’ll defend my clan to the death. All you SPP Waves are my family and you know you can always count on me.

To understand the Jack in action, check out this hilarious, and hugely popular, YouTube video of Jesse the Jack. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9Fyey4D5hg.

Thankfully, not everyone is a Jack. When my husband took the quiz, he sat up sputtering: “I am not!”

“What aren't you?” I inquired, my head cocked like a curious Jack.

“I am not a poodle!”

“Sure, you are, Sweetie,” I replied with equanimity, “A Standard Poodle.”

And he is. Highly intelligent – almost to a fault, a very quick study, witty and outgoing, but a bit aloof with strangers. He has a huge heart and he always opens our home to strangers in need, yet he will defend it against intruders without a hockey stick.

Like the poodle in its origin – pudle, or water dog, in Germany - , he’s a fearless and powerful athlete on the water, excelling at two Olympic sports. And, like the poodle, he wears his hair a little long and, maybe, he's a little vain, but he’s so lovable, that like the poodle, any faults are easy to overlook. Oh, and did I mention he doesn’t shed?

Is it any surprise that my husband did well as an Intelligence officer in the US Navy, but after a few years, chose to leave for a more liberating environment where he could stretch his legs, and his influence. Today, he’s a finance executive for a successful, mid-sized non-profit.

So, tell me, who are you? Take the quiz and let me know what it says. If you don't, my inner terrier will hunt you down until we find out. You can shoot me an email if you want to keep it quiet, but it's more fun for everyone if you leave it as a comment.

I guarantee that you’ll find some aspect of your inner self that will give you strong hints at the kind of job you really should be doing after you graduate. And, what you should not.

Happy Holiday!

PAYING IT FORWARD

2010-08-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

One of the joys of working with public policy students is that every single person came to Pepperdine because he or she wants to make a significant contribution somewhere in the world. Sometimes, it’s a mission to Mexico; others, it’s simply getting the vote out in Ventura, but whatever moves them, our master’s degree candidates get themslves off campus and dig right into the trenches of public service.

That is as it should be. After all, Pepperdine was founded on the principle of “giving back”. The university’s motto is “strengthening lives for purpose, service and leadership". In 1937, our founder, George Pepperdine expressed his view succinctly at the first graduation when he directed the new graduates to: “Go forth and be useful!”

So it is that every year, shortly after school resumes in the fall, the entire university participates in STEP FORWARD DAY, a single day of volunteer service to the community. Imagine it - 8,000 people going forth to be useful!

This year, the event falls on Saturday, September 11th. As we have every year since 2008, Pepperdine will commemorate the date by setting up hundreds of flags in a memorial grid on Pepperdine’s sweeping front lawn. Each of the more than 3,000 flags honors someone who died on 9/11 – and students begin two weeks in advance, laying out the grid, erecting the poles and raising the flags. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by. Come at sunset. Don't just drive by - stop, get out of your car and walk among the flags. Just stroll through as they tower over you and flutter in the breeze, a silent reminder of the day that you’ll remember for a very, very long time.

Although School of Public Policy students are welcome to participate in the flag raising, the project is usually over-subscribed by the time school starts. Don’t despair – there’s loads to do to be useful in LA.

For me, I spend a few hours almost every weekend working with Much-Love Animal Rescue (www.muchlove.org), a ten-year old non-profit that has taken more than 5,000 dogs from the highest kill shelters and found them “forever homes”. We have about a dozen, huggable, mostly mutts every week – and it makes my heart soar to make a match. After all, who wouldn’t love a goofball like this over-grown puppy we call “Ronaldo”? Mostly Plott Hound, a breed known for its courage, loyalty, eagerness to please and downright indomitable nature, he’s thrilled every moment to be alive.

Or take little “Luke Duke”. He’s a Jack Russell-Poodle mix with wiry-soft curls and one blue eye; the other brown, as though he’s winking at some great joke. Luke’s happy, high-spirited and a total one-family/ one-dog lover. Interested in fetch? Frisbee? Flyball? Luke’s your guy.

But enough about me and my personal, giving-back passion. What about our students? Some have done policy work at a related organization, the Found Animals Foundation (www.foundanimals.org). They’re a grant-making body dedicated to the same cause – minimizing the number of shelter “kills”. I was interested to find out whether all our hours were making an impact so I spoke with Dr. Jeremy Prupas, the City of Los Angeles Chief Veterinarian. He told me they’d seen a sharp decrease in euthanized pets over the past 12-18 months, almost entirely because healthy pets are now being adopted – half by individuals who come into the shelters and the rest by rescue groups like ours.

One of the most interesting success stories might be called the “Flight of the Chihuahuas”. These tiny dogs were clogging the shelter system a year ago – 30-40% of the dogs were not Pit mixes, as you might think, but Chihuahuas. Thanks to Katherine Heigl who personally paid to fly 68 dogs to New Hampshire where there are waiting lists for tiny dogs, the number left behind is manageable. If you’re interested, here’s a sample story: http://www.famouschihuahua.com/chihuahua-news/chihuahua-rescue-operation-project-flying-chihuahua/. You might want to contact Virgin Air; they’ve been offering half-price fares to the east coast for volunteers who will travel with a shelter pet.

Helping the homeless is not all about pets; most students work with people. Virtually every year, the School of Public Policy has a course covering homeless policy and Pepperdine students are frequent volunteers at the Union Rescue Mission (www.urm.org) and at PATH – People Assisting the Homeless (www.epath.org). There, they do everything from legal casework to doing everything cooking and serving meals to helping plan new PATH facilities for abused women and children or homeless vets. The president of Women in Public Policy, Miriam Keim, is looking at spearheading a September 11th project for all SPP students at PATH – look for news to follow.

Something else to thing about is a non-profit that one of our recent alums, Alison Tolladay, helped found last year: Just Like You (www.playjustlikeyou.org). They teach schoolchildren to understand children from other lands by playing games and sports from other cultures. Alison organized the 2009 SPP Step Forward Day project, an elementary school outing. She tells me she’s planning a similar project this year – watch for more news.

Finally, if you’re still looking for something to do, check out the Pepperdine Volunteer Center, where hundreds of opportunities are posted: http://www.pepperdine.edu/volunteercenter/. You can work alone or in teams, but either way – go forth and be useful!

What did YOU do on your summer vacation?

2010-07-07T17:39:00.000-07:00

Summer vacation? You're kidding, right? We're all here working.

Ah, don't I wish I were a kid again?! Not really.

But I do wish I could go back in time and become one of our public policy students, especialy those who are summering overseas at fabulous internships from Poland to Palau and a dozen points in between. For weeks now, I've been so engrossed in reading their blogs that I haven't tended to mine. Their reports have been fun, fascinating and inspiring. I thought I should share their news with the rest of you.

For those of you who aren't aware of where our first-years scattered when school let out in April, one out of five went abroad. Here's a list of international travelers:

Edwin Afriyie RWANDA http://eafriyie.wordpress.com/

Edwin's working for the Rwandan Ministry of Local Governance (MINALOC) doing internal and external audits of infrastructure projects contracted to private and foreign firms.

Asmaa Ahmed JORDAN http://aahmed1231.wordpress.com/

Asmaa has a highly sensitive position with the United Nations RWA - Relief and Works Agency for Palestninian Refugees. Asmaa's research is zeroing in on issues of alleged criminal misconduct and the general administration of the UN's refugee camps.

Ryan Donohue SWITZERLAND http://rdonohue.wordpress.com/

Ryan works for another UN agency, the World Health Organization, or WHO, on a new initiative that reaches out to youth across social media. Called the UN Health Academy, it's an online center for health education - and Ryan was hired as chief advocate for the summer.

Jose Fonseca DUBAI http://www.fonseca.me/

Jose is the Research Associate for Dr. Susan Grotty at the Dubai School of Government. They are working on a study to assess hierarchies at work in Arab and multi-cultural teams.

Megan Garth DUBAI http://starauset.blogspot.com

Megan also works as a researcher at the Dubai School of Government, for Dr. Khalid Al Yahya, a consultant in governance reform.

Jeremy Grunert ISRAEL http://lawmedia.pepperdine.edu/glazerinterns/?paged=2

Jeremy works in Jerusalem for an NGO looking at humanitarian issues in Israel and the Middle East.

Keyla Herrera INDONESIA http://kk1011.wordpress.com/

Keyla is with HOPE International, a humanitarian non-profit that has undertaken an anti HIV/AIDS initiative targeting youth in impoverished regions of the country. She is studying the issue sand producing education programs.

Chad Higgins PALAU No blog; shoot him an email.

Chad has just returned from working with the Ministry of State as an historical researcher assessing political and diplomatic pacts in the past and making policy recommendations for future foreign policy.

Tom Just POLAND http://tomjust.wordpress.com/

As most of you know, Tom was supposed to work for the President of Poland this summer, but the tragedies of last spring caused the government to revise his assignment. Tom has been researching Polish foreign policy in the Middle East, particularly focusing on Israel and Iran.

Miriam Keim ISRAEL personal: http://israelsummer2010.wordpress.com/ and public - the same as Jeremy's. Miriam works in Jerusalem with Jeremy at the same NGO. Due to the sensitive nature of their work, their blog tells much about their travels, but does not disclose much about the internship.

Jillian Kissee INDONESIA http://jkissee.wordpress.com/

LIke Keyla, she is working at HOPE, but her work is analytical. She is conducting quantiative and qualitative research into the sexual and drug practices of Indonisia urban high school students.

Nikhil Mathur JORDAN http://mathurnikhil.wordpress.com/

Nikhil is another UN employee this summer, although his work is very different. He is working for the United Nations Development Programme on environmental sustainability projects.

Katie McAfee RWANDA http://kmcafee.wordpress.com/

Katie is working in the same government agency as Edwin, but her projects require a lot more work in the villages themselves. She has been conducting a very interesting series of program assessments, looking at the work done by community collectives.

Grant Tang TAIWAN No blog yet.

It turns out the city of Taipei has grown so large, it is being redistricted this summer. Grant is in his home town, helping manage a mayoral campaign.

Janet Valencia ISRAEL Same blog as Jeremy Grunert.

Janet is in Tel Aviv, the nation's capital, working at the Shimon Peres Peace Center to develop and produce multicultural tolerance and peace education programs.

Charlotte van Heurck HOLLAND http://cvanheurck.wordpress.com/

Charlotte is working for the Dutch Ministry of Finance, although with all eyes focused on the World Cup, it's unclear how much work is taking place in the Netherlands. Just joking - Charlotte is doing legislative research regarding post-recessionary financial reforms and EU recommendations.

In addition, Bohdan Kosenko left for COSTA RICA after he wrapped up his campaign internship and rumor has it he is working there with an NGO or a non-profit. Artem Zastoupailo chose a trade internship with a wine importer, Megawine, Inc. He's on a business trip to RUSSIA. Hope he blogs.

With another quarter of the class in Washington DC and all the LA-based students hard at work on internsips (or, so they tell me), it's been very quiet around here. Stop by if you're in town!

ALUMNI TIPS - How to Land a Federal Job

2010-04-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

I’ve written several blogs about Federal jobs. Lately, the only folks seriously hiring MPPs seem to be the Feds – and, yet, these are the trickiest jobs to land. I doubt that the government intended making the process difficult; it’s just that in being fair to all applicant, they have bent so far backwards that the process has become twisted beyond repair. There are guides and resume templates posted on Pepperdine proprietary career database, EPPIC, and if you’re a student or alum, go check them out. They’re proven to work.

But you might not believe me, so I asked alums who have successfully navigated the Federal hiring labyrinth to share their experiences.

Here’s what they had to say:

[From a 2008 grad who wants to stay anonymous]

Hi Jody,

I've applied for several Federal jobs and the hiring process is still very, very long. I can tell you about my most recent experiences. I've had two interviews with the Government Accountability Office in the last 10 months. I just had an interview last week which came 4 months after the job posting closed, and it will be 2 more months before I hear about the outcome. Everything I've learned so far has been that it is almost arbitrary in how people are selected for Federal jobs, but there are some things that can be helpful.

1. It is beneficial to go to job fairs and meet with recruiters and get a rapport going, because that is how two of my friends received their Federal positions.
2. Try out on-site government contracting, often that is a good way to get your foot in the door and can lead to the position being converted from a contract one to a Federal one. Also, even if they don't convert you to a Fed the experience you gain in a Federal job setting is extremely valuable when applying for those jobs
3. .When applying for Federal jobs, it is vital that all keywords from the job announcement appear on the resume and in any KSAs that have to be answered or your resume will not make the CERT.
4. Networking is also vital when applying for Federal jobs, this is because when you are applying for a specific job it helps a lot if you can find someone in the office in which you are applying to have HR pull your resume out of the pile and take a second look.

Hope this helps!

[From Kim LaGree Ross (2001) who worked at the White House Office of Faith-based Policy]

… I have applied for and received federal job offers and was an appointee. I actually took a class in how to write KSAs which are the Knowledge Skill Ability sections for government hiring forms. The key is to be very thorough and very repetitive and not rush these sections because the computer screens (and score) the individuals. In addition, it is important to apply for a position that one would be able to qualify at the highest skill on all questions and then explain how their skills/abilities apply...

[From Todd Silverstein (2007) who had civilian positions with the Department of Defense]

Hey Jody -

I'm not sure how accurate my perceptions are for what worked and what didn't, as the Federal Government is notorious for not providing feedback to applicants (which is understandable given the amount of applicants they receive). That said, here are my thoughts on what I felt helped me, and what hurt me, as well as what most frustrated me:

What helped:- Reading the position positing from start to end, researching the agency and position (online), and tailoring the application to hit as many keywords as possible (while remaining truthful)
- Submitting lots of applications. Lots and lots and lots of applications.
- Trolling websites and applying for positions up to 12 hours each day, every day
- Using friends, classmates, former instructors and staff as both sounding boards and placement advocates (i.e. I asked them to help me if they were willing/able)

What hurt:
- Not having an address in or near the city where the position was being offered
- Lack of knowledge about the process
- Lack of significant relevant non-academic experience

What was the most frustrating part of the process:
- Not knowing what it was about my application that fell short
- The feeling (unknown, if true) that I was a very strong candidate but unable to get in the door b/c I didn't know the right keywords to use
- The lag time between application and decision

Hope this helps!

-Todd

P.S. None of the above applies to NCIS. Had I not had a medical condition which precluded me from applying for the position of NCIS Special Agent, I feel confident my experience with the Federal Hiring Process would have been much different. From what I recall, former NCIS interns are guaranteed an interview, in addition to the on-the-job experience and contacts they gain from their time volunteering for the agency.

[From Kodie Sue Ruzicka (2003) who has held jobs with several Federal agencies, including a White House appointment]

Jody,

Hope this helps...

Federal Hiring Process
I have been hired for three federal jobs and the most important thing to getting an interview is understanding how the process works. There are several layers of screening you need to make it through in order to get an interview, the first being an electronic scan of your application looking for certain buzz words in order to find the best matches for the position. When filling out an application and answering the KSAs, remember to use the exact words and phrases used in the announcement in order to increase your chances of making it through the initial screening.

After making it through the initial screening, your application is scored and those with the highest scores get interviews, so make sure that you are answering every point in the vacancy announcement. The higher your score, the more likely you are to get an interview.

In my experience, if you make it to the interview level, you are part of a pretty short list and it is likely that your interview will last only 30-60 minutes. I have never had a second interview for a government job because they always hired after the first interview so bring your A-game.

While you cannot usually negotiate for a different grade level than the one you applied under, there are 10 steps (salary levels) in each grade and that makes your salary negotiable (sometimes). Just make sure that if you are promised one salary and then get an offer letter with less than you were expecting that you do not sign anything until you get the offer letter reflecting the correct salary.

It is not uncommon to be offered a job with very little information about it. The person contacting you with the job offer is usually not in the office you will work in and therefore cannot give you a lot of information. Make sure to ask as many questions about your position as possible during the interview. Also realize that it is not unusual to report for your first day of work only to learn that you have been reassigned to another position.

Write all of your KSAs in a word document and keep them for future applications. Most positions ask the same basic questions and your previous answers can be tailored for each application.

Be aware of the length of time the announcement is open. Because of the laws governing how positions are filled in the government, many jobs are posted as open positions, but in fact, the office already knows who it is going to hire. If a job announcement is only open for one week that may be an indication that they already know who they are going to hire and are only posting the position in order to satisfy statutory requirements. If you suspect this is true, you may want to consider whether or not it is worth your time and effort to apply.

Kodie Sue

Recipe of the Week --

AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE

What food embodies America? The punsters among you might point to burgers and fries as the meal that embodies us and pushes us up the scales, but old-fashioned apple pie has been the perennial American favorite since before the United States had states. Sure, there are versions from France, Holland, England – the colonists’ home lands – but the classic double-crusted version served all over the country is unique to US.

Here’s a quick, simple and delicious version for home-baking as we approach the flag-waving holidays of Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

American Apple Pie
Refrigerated pie crust is so good that I only use scratch ingredients for the holidays or fresh fruit tarts. This recipe is adapted from one I found on the web that also has a nice how-to on pie crust: http://www.cooking-mexican-recipes.com/apple-pie-recipe.html. It’s the closest one I’ve found to my mother’s south-of-the-border trick of maximizing the volume of apples in the pie – cook them first. She often added walnuts and/or raisins to the mix.

One package pie crusts
10 – 12 Granny Smith or Pippin apples, cored, peeled and thinly sliced
1 – 2 T. lemon juice
2 ½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
½ cup white sugar
¼ - ½ cup brown sugar, depends on acidity of the apples
1 T. cornstarch
2 T. butter

1. Pre-heat oven to 425-degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients for the filling. Toss apples in the mix until well-coated. Stir in the lemon juice.
3. Simmer in a heavy pan until the apples are just fork tender – no more or they’ll be mushy about 15 – 20 minutes.
4. Center the lower crust in a 9” pie pan and pierce it several times with a fork. Mound the apple mixture and dot with the butter. Use it all in little chunks.
5. If the top crust seems a little thick, and some are, roll it out until it’s thin as shirt cardboard. Drape it over the top, trim and crimp the edges. Score the top in long slices on all four sides.
6. Crumple aluminum file around the edges so they don’t burn. Put pie on a cookie sheet and set in the oven.
7. After 15 minutes, remove the foil and lower heat to 350-degrees. Bake another 30 – 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden.
8. I think it’s best served with premium vanilla or caramel ice cream, but that’s piggy me.

INTERNSHIPS: SHOOT YOUR BLOG

2010-04-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

How to Bring Your Blog to Life with Pictures

Today, when everybody with a cell-phone is a shutterbug and more serious souls have digital cameras that do all the work, you’d think we’d have reduced the number of words we need to tell a story. After all, Confuscius says "a picture says a thousand words". Unfortunately, most photos are mute.

Scan the Facebook pages of your friends. What do the photos really tell you? For example, what does this one of graduation tell you? Do you think you can do a better job than the average blogger? You betcha!

Years ago, I took a class at UCLA Extension taught by Albert Moldavy who worked for National Geographic. Collaborating with Erika Fabian, he published beautiful coffee-table travel books that told evocative stories about the world, primarily in photos.

I looked around the web for some images that might help me illustrate the best tips I learned from him, and I borrowed a few from Getty Images. They're watermarked, but I think you’ll get the idea from the compositions. Because uploading onto blogger is a little tricky - use Wordpress if you're photo-happy - I'll be posting tips on photography in multiple blogs. Here's the first one - on the most important aspect of photography: light.

LIGHT: One thing Moldavy said that stuck with me was the derivation of the word, photography: it's Greek for "drawing with light". Too often, when we shoot a photo, we take light for granted; there’s either enough or there's not. But paying attention to light makes all the difference in the emotions evoked by your picture.

What’s your light source? Is it behind, in front, or beside you? What’s its quality? Bright, fading or artificial? Each creates a different feeling in the viewer.

Front light, where the light is over your shoulder, produces the brightest colors, but the least depth. It can make for a very dull image, but it will help you tell a straight-forward story.

Check out this candid photo from Israel of an Arab woman walking past T-shirts proclaiming the celebration of 40 years of peace. It needs no interesting angles or tricks of the light to make an impact - to tell the story. Note that the woman is walking off the frame – that’s an intentional part of what the photographer chose to say.

Side light is different, it brings out the texture and form. That’s why many of the most beautiful photos are filmed early in the morning or late in the day.

This Indonesian child looks all the more poignant for the shadows falling over his shoulder and obscuring his home – a refugee tent.

Backlight yields silhouettes – it’s dramatic! If you want to identify people in the foreground, you’ll need to supplement with artificial lighting in front of them. Use fill-flash or ambient artificial light (as below).

This photo shows a demonstration bonfire in a Geneva street protesting the G8 conference. The story is effectively told by silhouetting the young protestor and centering him in the frame.

[Note for you in the tropics: noon produces a bright, harsh light – wait until later in the day if you can or find shade.]

Artificial light. When you're indoors, your pictures can be as flat as though you were using front-light - since often, you are: flash. Most point-and-shoot cameras have flashes with a short throw range – the light is bright, but only for a few feet. Usually, you’ll need to fill with ambient side light to get a decent photo.

In this photo of Queen Rania of Jordan, there is flash bouncing off the front of the table and the side of her face, but plenty of light in the room so the story is clear.

There are --

FIVE RULES FOR BETTER PICTURES:

1. THINK ALIVE. Things that are alive draw the eye – people and animals. If you have a big mass like a building or a landscape, try to have something living in the foreground to create a more interesting composition.

2. THINK IN THIRDS. The center of interest shouldn’t be the center of your composition

3. PLAN AHEAD. To shoot a moving subject, focus on a spot ahead of it (making sure the focal point is correct; for example, focus on the pavement right in front of where your subject will be) and wait until the subject enters the frame – click.

4. SHOOT A LOT. Shoot the HECK out of every scene – shoot from multiple angles; go high; go low; zoom in; zoom out. Never settle for one shot and walk away. What do you think “Delete” is for?

5. REMEMBER - PEOPLE RULE. No matter what, people pictures are your most important travel photos – and the hardest to take well. The most boring – and least evocative – are the stiff, smiling, mid-frame at the camera. You have to make a conscious effort to take good shots of people – and, in foreign countries especially – they may be loathe to cooperate. Watch for the blogs telling you how to do this well.

And a sixth - DON’T WORRY – BE HAPPY!

FOR MORE TIPS, go to National Geographic: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-tips/travel-photography-quick-tips/

You, too, can takes photos like this – Mount Sahyinyo in Rwanda

HOW TO GET A JOB TODAY

2010-03-24T17:07:00.000-07:00

It’s three weeks and counting until graduationat SPP. The question of the hour has been coming at me from two directions: those soon-to-be alums and hopeful prospective students:

ARE THERE ANY JOBS OUT THERE?

The simple answer is:”yes”. Last year, the answer was more like “maybe” or “it depends where you’re looking.” It some cases, it was even, “maybe you should take the summer off." But this year, the job climate is getting measurably warmer and our whole school and alumni cohort is getting smarter about navigating the marketplace.

It turns out the rules of the road are simple:

1. You’re faster off the mark if you’ve got one toe on the line before the gun goes off: get an internship before you graduate.
More than half the graduating class who already have jobs got them either as a continuation of an internship or an enthusiastic referral from an internship employer. That’s why we encourage students to sign up for an internship during their second year OR continue an international or DC internship via the Internet once they return.

I can hear you nay-sayers now: “But those internships don’t pay!” Maybe not, but look at the economics. The most that most of you could earn during the last three months of school would be about $2,500 working part-time at a retailer or a restaurant. Your starting salary as an MPP is likely to be at least $48,000. Assuming you converted your internship into a full-time job, you’d start immediately. In less than three weeks, you would have made up that $2500 you “lost” from not working.

In today’s market, you can expect it will take 90 – 120 days to land a good job. Every day you’re not working is $132 that’s not lining your pocket. Every month, four thousand dollars. Ponder that.

2. The very worst thing you can do is nothing – even if you need to temp or intern after graduation, DO it. This rule is a corollary to rule 1. Think of it as traction – you’re honing your skills, gaining momentum, building your resume (and by the way, your network), and proving your worth. Just as with rule 1, many of these less-than-real-jobs will convert. This is particularly true in Washington DC where “try before you buy” is a respected way of life.

There’s one more factor to consider. When employers look at your resume, do they see a person who takes initiative, works hard and has workplace-proven skills? Is there a growing gap between your last employment or internship and where you are now? After typos, gaps are the worst resume offenses; don’t let them collect.

3. If you might want a Federal job, apply the year before you graduate. I know that sounds crazy, but you can file up to a year before you're available. If you are called up, you can defer until graduation. In many cases, it will take the Federal government a year for the basic hiring process, especially if you need clearances. When you wait until the filing cycle that begins in February of your graduation year, you'll start working the following fall at the earliest. Not all bad, if you want a summer break, but you can do better.

There’s another reason to apply for a Federal job a year early – it takes awhile to master the Federal resume. Starting a year in advance gives you time to figure out what will pop your resume to the top of the lists. I teach three or four workshops a year in getting a Federal job, and some of you have attended; still, practice makes perfect.

4. Work your network. Some of you are cringing. I have heard every excuse not to network. “I don’t want to beg.” “It’s cheating.” “It’s abusing the relationship.” Wrong. How would you feel if someone you knew and liked came up to you and said, “I know you have a lot more experience working in this field than I do and I’ve always admired your business sense. I’ll be graduating in a few months and I wonder if you could give me some advice.”

Would you say “no” and walk away? Of course not. You’d ask the all-important follow-up question: “What can I do for you?”

Several member of the Class of 2010 have already tapped into their networks and found jobs. People are basically kind and they like the feeling of being regarded as an expert. Networking is a simple quid pro quo with an implied pay-back. Your network friend expects that you will be just as supportive of someone else in a year or two when you are in position to offer expert advice. This brings me to a twin of number 3:

5. Work Pepperdine’s network. The School of Public Policy is young, but we’re 385 strong in alumni. Most would not hesitate to help you. Every week, they email four or five strong job leads. Those are “hot” – don’t let them cool. If I send you an email or drop a notice in your box, often it’s from an alum who is holding open a slot for an SPP student or alum.

In the last two years, alumni have shepherded students into Booz Allen Hamilton, the Library of Congress, the Federal Election Commission, the City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, Human Rights Watch, Cerrell Associates, the State Auditor, Capitol Hill plus a wide variety of less well-known entities.

Maybe none of those employers appeal to you. Okay, cast your net wider: check out the online Pepperdine Alumni Network and search for university alums who are working, or have worked, at places that interest you. Check the Pepperdine Groups on LinkedIn. Look at the MPA-MPP Group on LinkedIn or Facebook set up by NASPAA, the trade association of schools like ours.

When you reach a contact, remember - you're not asking for a job; you're seeking advice. If the two of you click when you talk, request one or two leads.

6. Treat your job search like the most-important job you’ve ever had. It just might be that. Although your first job after graduate school probably won’t last more than a year or two, where you start your career is the place you learn to be a professional. Make it one you love and you’ll do a great job. You’ll be promoted and sought after by other departments and employers. Settle for "just a job" and you might get stuck.

So, make it a habit to check EPPIC every couple of days and search the archives and Seaver listings. Look up the employers and click through to the websites of those that interest you.

Whenever you’re ready to apply, I’ll be happy to check your cover letters and review your resumes. If I think we might have a lead that could help you, I’ll connect you to that person. So will anyone on the faculty or staff. Just ask.

CARROT-GINGER SOUP

This is so simple I’m embarrassed to include it, but it’s so good Sheryl Kelo has been begging for it. I make it every couple of weeks when I’ve got a chicken carcass that needs to be turned into broth, but it’s even easier and almost as tasty with a low-sodium package.

2 yellow onions, peeled and chunked
2 T. olive oil (or one each of butter and oil)
2 T. honey
Knuckle of fresh ginger, peeled
1 medium package of peeled baby carrots (or peel your own)
1 seet potato, peeled and chunked (optional)
2+ cups of chicken broth (amount varies – see below)
Pinch of nutmeg and a dash of red pepper flakes
Half-teaspoons of herbs – your choice (thyme, basil, tarragon)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Melt the oil and cook the onions over medium heat, stirring until transparent. Add the honey and continue stirring until the onions turn golden – maybe 10-15 minutes. Add the ginger and cook to coat.

2. Dump in the carrots and pour in chicken broth to cover. Bring to a boil.

3. Add spices and herbs and lower heat. Simmer 30-45 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
4. Using either a blender or a food processor, puree the soup in batches until it is as smooth as you want it. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve.

It's equally good hot or at room temperature.

Looking Good on LinkedIn

2010-02-10T18:00:00.000-08:00

Will you be my friend?

Every day, I get emails from students and alums asking me to be their “friend” on Facebook, LinkedIn or Plaxo. And, almost every day, I am found by a friend I’ve almost forgotten I had, people from a long-distant workplace or neighbors I knew “back when”.
Then, once or twice a week, someone I don’t know contacts me to connect . Usually, this is someone looking for someone to hire or wanting a reference for someone on my list.

Welcome to the brave new world of online social networking!

If you’re not already on a site, you’re either a recluse or a misanthrope. What’s wrong - are you hiding out from your colleagues? Or, perhaps you’re a throwback to some, ancient pre-mechanized past: a Luddite. Do you handwrite your lecture notes and pass on a mobile phone?
Seriously, the web is where your future lies.

Simply canvassing the major sites proves my point. Only a very few alums – maybe 10% - are not on Facebook, and more join every day. Fewer SPP Waves have discovered the virtues of LinkedIn, but that list is also growing fast. Of our 385 alums, 200 are among LinkedIn’s 43 million registered users. And, did you know there were 130,000 people registered on the site as recruiters?

If you’re in the market for a job or a project, LINK-IN. LinkedIn is the platform of choice for working professionals. Sure, Facebook boasts more users, but that site is truly social, a space for brags about weekends and co-misery about right-brained feelings.

LinkedIn is a left-brain domain specifically crafted to make you a standout in your field.

So how can YOU look good on LinkedIn?

You need a PROFILE – your definitive professional image. One perfect for today, that you can tweak any time you feel it’s not pulling for you.

It can be as long as you like – and lard it generously with keywords that you think might be search terms used by somebody trying to find you. The system allows you to cut and paste your standard resume – and that’s okay for the experience section, but be more creative in the “blue”, that space at the top of the profile, highlighted in pale azure. That heavenly shade is the only section accessible outside the LinkedIn firewall so every keyword there can boost you high on a Google search, as well as any searches within LinkedIn itself.

There are Four Main Sections:

I. Headline Lets the world know what you’re doing right now
“The Blue” –a slogan for your personal brand: in a nutshell, who are you?

1) Job Title: for many students, this is a descriptor rather than a job title: “Policy Analyst”, “Program Manager”, “Team Leader”, “Community Organizer”
Or, it might say, “Master’s degree candidate 2010” … at [employer or university – since this might be a search term]

2) Location: “Southern California” may yield more matches than “Malibu”; but “Los Angeles area” is a strong option. If you’re open to relocation, mention that here

3) Industry/ Sector: Think keywords: Use this to highlight sector expertise or particular skills such as “public affairs” or “environmental sustainability”.

4) Photo: Although many people leave this out, a friendly professional-looking photo makes you seem more approachable – and remember, a professional web photo can be taken by a cell phone. Digital reproduction on the web negates any need for a professional shot.

II. Summary Your “elevator pitch”.
Write the best 140-character “tweet” of your life and paste it here

Specialties – list the unique qualities that make you most valuable as an employee or contractor. People search on these terms.
List and then search-test your keywords. The summary is the only searchable section outside the LinkedIn firewall; exploit it.

HOT TIP: Link to your LinkedIn profile in your regular email signature line to improve your visibility and at the end of your blogs
HOT TIP: If you’re job-searching, enable Google access by selecting “Full View”

III. Experience The work and/or internships or volunteer experience that qualifies you

1) Organization/ Employer: For students, the employer is often more impressive than your job title; leverage the “halo effect” of major entities

2) Organization line two: If the employer is not well done, explain what it does; give it scope and mission. Include the industry or sector.

3) Title: If you’ve been interning, give yourself your functional title and put (intern, (paid or not) in parens) as in “Research Assistant (Paid Intern)”.

4) Dates: Include the months with the years since it gives you more time in service when recruiters .

5) Resume summary: Briefly summarize your duties, but make sure you showcase your accomplishments.

HOT TIP: Don’t forget to include non-profit board and advisory positions; leadership positions in volunteer work

IV. Education Degrees, sure, but add whatever helps you sell yourself

· Areas of academic excellence – majors and specializations; honors and awards – GPA if over 3.4; relevant coursework
· Publications – theses and capstones, major research projects, team projects, formal presentations, editorial, blogs, professional writing
· Activities – especially those where you were held a leadership role
· Credentials and licenses; continuing education units

HOT TIP: Join all your collegiate affinity groups – your school has one; your fraternity or sorority does. Look around LinkedIn for connectors

ABOUT Recommendations
· Collect them – from employers and faculty, absolutely; from peers on project teams and colleagues who know you work
· Screen them before posting – you need never be dinged on LinkedIn

HOT TIP: Recommendations dramatically boost your search rankings

ABOUT Connections
· Collect them – but only from people you know and trust
· The more connections you have, the more you are assumed to be an authority
· Like recommendations, connections boost your rankings in the search algorithm – people with 20 connections are 34 times as likely to be reached as people with 5

Additional Information
· Public Profile: Use your linked-in URL and replace the number with your name
· Add website links - if you have a blog, look at the LinkedIn section entitled “Applications”; you can dynamically update snippets from your blog.
· Add activities and interests

HOT TIP: Use your public profile URL as a tag to your regular email address – it allows people to link directly to your credentials
HOT TIP: Include mini-reviews of professional books you’re reading or conferences you’ve attended
HOT TIP: LinkedIn Mobile – There’s an iPhone app so you can access your LinkedIn network anywhere

Contact Settings Customize why you want to be reached.
· Be specific – you can change this at any time
· A Word about Contact Information: use your good judgment on posting phone number, email address and personal information

Groups and Associations

HOW TO JOIN A GROUP: Your school has a group – look for it and ask to join.
· Find an alum to act as a mentor
· Post news and updates regularly to the group – it keeps you “top of mind”
Note: In your Profile, Groups are LinkedIn Groups. This list is automatically generated whenever you join one. Keep that in mind when you want to look professional.
Affinity Group. You can create your own for any professional purpose. For example, share job search tips or review resumes.

QUESTIONS and ANSWERS Become the expert – or find one
· Ask - under a group, in “Discussions” – enter a topic or question
· Link to a news article, and start a discussion about it
· Post jobs on the job board – notices will go out to your group
· Answer a question – the initiator may choose yours as “best” and boost your search ranking

For further tips:
· Guy Kawasaki’s “Ten Ways to Use Linked In” and then see his own “Extreme Makeover”
· The yellow book primer: “LinkedIn for Dummies” by Joel Elod
· A networking’s pro’s free download: www.how-to-really-use-linkedin.com by Jan Vermeiren. He also has a book for $17.
· A savvy site for business users: http://LinkedIntelligence.com/smart-ways-to-use-linkedin
· Profile Tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsXZ5ET9-bA&feature=related
· LinkedIn for Dummies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV_7yAPnkFw&feature=related

SAUSAGE LINKS and SPINACH PASTA
Thinking about links to me straight to sausages. Thinking about quick results took me to straight to this fast and easy mid-week supper – it’s a favorite at my house, even better the next day, if there’s any left. It’s a classic Tuscan dish, perfect for a rainy day, since most of the ingredients are pantry or freezer staples.

Serves 4

¾ pound fusilli (dried corkscrew pasta – or use penne)
1 onion, sliced thin
2 T. olive oil
½ pound kielbasa sausage, quartered lengthwise and sliced into 1/2” thick pieces
3 t. minced garlic
½ cup dry white wine (optional)
1 package fresh spinach or kale, sliced
1 small can chopped tomatoes or chicken broth (optional)
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Toasted pine nuts (optional garnish)

1) Cook pasta in large pot of lightly salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. Drain and lightly rinse pasta in a colander.
2) In a heavy frying pan, caramelize onions in the oil by cooking over medium heat until they’re transparent and then covering the pan until golden and sweet. Don’t let them burn because it will make the whole dish bitter. Add a pinch of sugar if the onions are still too sharp.
3) Toss the kielbasa in the oil to coat and cook 3-4 minutes. Drain off excess oil.
4) Add garlic and cook another minute. Deglaze with wine, if desired – boil off the liquid.
5) Stir in spinach with ½ cup cooking water, chicken broth or canned tomatoes. Simmer partially covered until greens are tender.
6) Toss with the pasta and cheese. If it’s too dry, add more pasta water or a splash of cream. We never make enough.

2010-01-26T11:10:00.000-08:00

Every January, students face the shock of first semester grades at about the same time they see the reading lists for spring. Panic sets in. Ignore it!

Breathe and follow these directions:

HOW CAN I GET AN “A” IN GRAD SCHOOL?

For the most part, your basic intelligence isn’t what’s stopping you. If you were admitted to the school, you’re smart enough to do the work and make the grade.

So, what’s stopping you?

Why are you just scraping by when the guy or girl sitting next you is breezing along with a GPA of 3.6?

Looks effortless, doesn’t it?

Well, it pretty much is. You just need to practice a few, simple techniques.

Be there – or be square. Just sitting in class – preferably near the front – on-time and alert, gets you out of the grade cellar. Even, if you do nothing else.

Contributing one useful, critical thought each class session boosts you right up the grade scale to some form of “B”, assuming you hand in all the assignments. Even, if you sort of blow them.

This begs two questions: 1) How do you come up with something useful to contribute every time?

And, 2) What else do I have to do?

After all, I promised you an “A”.

Clean up your Communications. Most of what flows into your in-boxes is waste. Let your mental bilge pump suck it out and plug the holes.

If you check Facebook more than once a day – and spend more than 15 minutes on it when you do, you have wasted fifteen minutes of your Life that you will never, ever get back. Same thing with tweets and TMs. This is your Life; prioritize it – allocate a certain amount of time each day to staying in touch and shut it down when the ceiling is hit. As Nancy Reagan once famously said, “Just say no.”

Instead of transmitting and receiving a thousand nowhere messages a week, block out “quality time” to spend with the people you care about – and set the start and stop time parameters before you meet. You’ll have closer relationships – and lots more time.

Slice the Salami. This is a cute reminder that the way to get through anything daunting is to chop it up and digest it in chunks. This applies to studying, reading and writing.

Even if you plan your time well, it’s obvious that you cannot actually read every single word in every book you’ve been assigned for the semester. I’ve looked at the reading lists. More than half your professors assign a book a week and then they hand out articles in class. That’s four books a week to read on top of class time, commuting, your part-time job or internship and a little bit of sleep and personal hygiene.

Here’s the secret process to “reading” a book in 90-minutes:

Hint: Most of your contemporary books on policy were articles once. Google the author and subject and read the article first. [Yes – you still need the book!]

Have a scribble pad and a packet of post-it flags by your side.

Start with the Covers – what does the inside flap tell you the book is about? On the back flap, who is the author? Google him or her. With luck, Wikipedia has a summary that tells you what s/he’s all about.

What about the back cover blurbs? Are there authors you know offering recommendations? What does that tell you? Jot it down. You may have a good question for class based only on what you’ve read so far.

Scan the Table of Contents. What is the book's structure? In modern writing, books are structured as inverted pyramids with the thesis statement first; supporting arguments in order of importance; a separate section for refuting arguments; and a conclusion. You should be able to quickly determine the arguments.

Check out the Index. Note any words or phrases with large chunks of content. These will be the critical examples that support the arguments. Jot them down.

Read the First Chapter. Find the thesis statement. Very often, all the arguments will be summarized here. Jot them down. What is the tone of the book? Who do you think the book is trying to influence? Why? Another possible question to ask in class.

Scan the Last Chapter. The conclusions should be obvious and the thesis restated. Does the author suggest a Call to Action? What do you think of that?

Skim the Book. Read the first paragraph or two of every chapter and then skim it, looking for examples. When you reach one mentioned in class or on the syllabus, flag it. When you reach one you find compelling, flag it. Remember to write on your flags for you can find them again.
On the Refutation. Every good modern author knows it is essential to build your case by destroying your opponent’s. Read the opposing argument carefully and really think about whether the author makes his/her case.

Read Reviews. After you think you have a handle on the book, read the reviews. Most will summarize the book – it’s a great way to ensure you understand all the most salient points. Remember that every reviewer has a point of view that is unlikely to coincide (exactly) with that of your author. Don’t believe everything you read in a review, but consider it in light of what you now know.

Flock together. If you can do it, meet with a small study group before class to discuss the readings and assignments. Establish a structure and stick to it. A study group is best if it is fewer than 5 people to keep it manageable – two is usually too small (and gossipy). Try for three or four and stay on target.

NEXT WEEK, I’ll tell you how to ace the papers.

FAST FOOD

If you’re pressed for time – and who isn’t – you’ll need all the time-cutters you can get. That said, it’s a real mistake to head to the fast food chains for dinner – everything you swallow is loaded with salt and fat and heavily processed carbs. The heck with that!

Here’s how to eat faster and healthier so you can get back to chunking through all your readings. Since you’ll have most of ingredients on hand, stopping to pick up one or two items at the grocery store takes less time than McDonalds.

Feed-a-Crowd Tri-tip
1 2-3.5 pound tri-tip roast
Garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper
An instant-read meat thermometer
1. Preheat oven to 450-degrees.
2. Rub seasonings all over the roast and let it rest 15-20 minutes while you keep reading your assigned books.
3. (Optional) Sear fat-side down in a non-stick (preferably cast-iron) skillet before roasting.
4. Put the roast in the oven and heat on high 15-minutes, then turn the heat to 325-degrees. Test with the thermometer at 30 minutes. When the meat reads 125-degrees (medium rare), pull it out of the oven. (Obviously, if you like it done more, keep it in).
5. Let the roast rest 15 minutes before slicing, at an angle to the grain.

Crab Cakes in a Flash – or salmon, on a budget
1 can flaked crab meat or salmon (pick out shell and bones)
1 T. mayonnaise
3 T. minced onions
1 egg
1 T. Old Bay seasoning (or use Emeril – it’s spicier)

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
2. Mix ingredients together with your hands and, when well-mixed, form patties about the diameter of an apple and 1 – 1 ½ inch thick.
3. Place on a non-stick baking sheet and cook ten minutes.
4. Flip and cook ten minutes more.
Serve hot with lemon and a quick tossed salad.

Quick Home-made Honey Vinaigrette
1 t. Dijon mustard
1 squirt of honey from the bear
2 T. olive oil
1 T. fresh lemon juice or balsamic (or sherry) vinegar

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard and honey.
2. Whisk in the oil and add a splash of lukewarm water. Beat until it thickens – 15-20 seconds.
3. Blend in the acid – juice or vinegar.

Season packaged greens with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper and toss with the dressing. Great, quick add-ins: crumbled Feta cheese, dried currants or cranberries, toasted pine nuts, chopped hard-boiled eggs, crumbled bacon. Use your imagination.

The Absolutely Best Brownies You Can Buy
1 package Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix (canola oil + egg)
3 T. Ghirardelli cocoa or Droste’s unsweetened cocoa
1T. butter
1 package chopped pecans (optional)

4. Use butter to grease an 8” x 8” pan.
5. Follow package directions in the mix, adding in the extra cocoa and pecans (optional). Forty strokes only.
6. Cook approximately 35-minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out dry. Do not overcook.
Cool before cutting. They’re addictive!

2010-01-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

This week, I’m not answering a question as much as responding to a gripe. It’s one I hear two or three times a week – and if you’re one of the gripers, read on:

I THINK I’D LIKE THE WORK, BUT I DON’T WANT TO DO THE JOB ALL THE REST OF MY LIFE …

This is not a problem!

The Department of Labor reports that the current crop of graduates – that’s you – can expect to have 10-14 jobs by the time they’re 38.

Only 1 in 2 employees have been in their current jobs more than 4 years. Looking ahead ten years, the ratio will be 1 in 4.

There is no more cradle-to-grave job protection in the United States. Forget about it. It no longer matters what your first – or even, your next, job is you won’t be doing it very long. What really matters is that you develop skills that will be invaluable in the next job. And then, the next.

This knowledge whacked my cerebral cortex this morning like a sharp slap to the forehead when first-year student, Nikhil Mathur, sent me an email that rocked the socks off my feet.
Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY.

The video clip was developed by Sony for a private presentation at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Intended for an invitation-only executive conference comprised primarily of Wall Street analysts and high-level strategic partners, the video found itself onto YouTube. There, this 5-minute exploration of the post-information age has already garnered more than 9 million hits and a 5-star rating. The message ? We “live in exponential times” and the statistical support Sony provides for their assertion will stun you with its public policy implications.

I picked up the stats I just quoted from the clip. Another startling revelation I found was that technical information is developing so quickly that it has only a 2-year lifespan. Think of it. For undergrads getting a 4-year technical degree, half their knowledge is obsolete before they graduate.

That doesn’t apply to you. What you learn here has more to do with skills development than knowledge per se. The actual factual information you get from your coursework about countries, policies and leaders has a half-life shorter than a frog, but critical thinking skills are timeless. So, hone your ability to ask good questions and question the answers. Ponder the ethical and societal ramifications of public policy as much as the financial. Ethics is forever and societal change is slow. These are the things to carry with you into a job.

This brings me to internships and your first, apprentice-level, jobs. The pay is likely to disappoint you. Most of you will not start at more than $55,000 and some will receive far less. Fear not, most alums find that their salaries five years out are anywhere from 40 – 100% (or more) higher than the starting pay.

When you begin your career, the hiring assumption is that you don’t know much, but you’re bright and you have proven learning skills and subject interest. As much as you feel you are taking a risk by investing your time in an unpaid or low-paying job, so too does the employer perceive he is taking a risk in you. If you do well, you both prosper. If not, the risk was low on both sides. Move on!

That’s the way the thinking goes in a buyers’ job market and a decade of exponential change. You can beat the odds and make the situation work for you, but only by shifting your perspective:

Cast your net wide. Consider any job that looks interesting and that promises to develop critical skills you don’t yet possess.
Stay as long as you can in a job - as long as you’re still learning and stimulated on a daily basis. It’s a resume-builder – anything more than 90 days begins to look good. For a first job, stay two years, at least.
Build bridges – and never, ever burn them. Everywhere you work you’ll make friends and allies. Cultivate them. The traditional job search techniques worse less well every week. It is becoming a world of, “who you know” and “how to access your options” rather than any knowledge you possess. Remember: knowledge is transient.
Plan for change. From your very first weeks on the job, start looking around for projects you can take on that teach you new things. Ask for growth. After about six months, start looking around you for opportunities where you can apply the new skills. Never stop learning. Very often, the best opportunities to grow are in the same organization where you currently work or in another one in which your job brings you into daily contact.
Position yourself to be picked up when new positions open up. The approach you use with everyone is “I truly love my job, but I’m always open to hearing about new challenges”.

TIMELESS MAC ‘N CHEESE
Adapted from “It’s All American Food” by David Rosengarten

Since the days of our founding, Americans have swallowed their anxieties in gobs of pasta and cheese. It was on all pub menus in the colonies and gained a popular resurgence during the Great Depression. When Kraft introduced the orange facsimile in the familiar blue box, it was almost instantly popular for its convenience, but there’s nothing like the real thing. Try this – it feeds a hungry dorm room with leftovers. You’ll never go back to the box.

Serves 6 to 8

3/ 4 stick butter
3 T. dry bread crumbs
3 T. grated Parmesan
2 T. minced parsley
2 t. fresh thyme leaves
3 t. sweet paprika
1/ 4 c. flour
2 t. dry mustard
1 t. sea salt
Pinch nutmeg, to taste
2 1/ 4 c. milk
2-3 peeled garlic cloves
3/ 4 c. crème fraiche (or cream and sour cream mixed in equal parts)
1 package grated sharp cheddar, I used Kraft
1/ 2 package grated cheddar + Asiago (again, Kraft)
8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked al dente, drained and rinsed

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Melt 2 T. butter. Toss with bread crumbs, Parmesan, herbs and half the paprika. Set aside.

3. In a medium saucepan, melt remaining butter. Whisk in flour, mustard, salt, remaining paprika. Whisk until smooth and bubbling lightly. Cook until it starts to color and become fragrant. Slowly, whisk in milk. Add garlic and simmer until thick bubbles form, about ten minutes. Be careful not to let it scorch. Remove from heat and beat in crème fraiche and all but about half a cup of each cheese. Discard the garlic cloves.

4. Butter the bottom of a baking dish and dump in the cooked macaroni. Stir in half the cheese sauce, making sure each noodle is well-coated. Sprinkle with half the bread crumbs. Pour on the rest of the cheese sauce, then remain crumbs and top with reserved cheese. Dot with butter.

5. Bake about 20 minutes, until toasty brown and bubbly. Serve hot.

2009-09-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

Query of the Week: “How do I get a Federal Job?”

RECIPE: Snickerdoodle Cookies

During the month of September, you’ll meet representatives from Federal agencies with lots of great jobs just designed for people like you – State Department, the CIA and FBI, DEA and DHS, and oh, the IRS. A whole alphabet soup will be offered and you’re probably wondering how to get these jobs and internships.

In my last blog, I talked about worthy goals always having obstacles in their path. A Federal job must be the worthiest since you’ll be forced to climb small mountains in order to secure an appointment. Alums who have ascended swear it’s worth it – and they’re willing to help you. The recruiters will, too, and you already know my door is open.

The rewards of Federal service are many:
· service to your country
· job security
· normal hours for most people
· competitive salaries
· wonderful medical benefits
· generous vacations
· attractive – and early – retirement options

Still, the real reason our MPPs have found Federal jobs irresistible is a factor few think about, looking at the bureaucracy. The work is interesting; even, fascinating – and important.
Not one of our almost sixty grads in Federal employment has ever copped to being bored or feeling like “just a cog in the machine”. Instead, they talk about what a “privilege it is to serve”.
So, how do you get one of these jobs?

This year, the Federal government will hire 127,000 new employees. Getting one can’t be impossible.

Here are your steps:
1. Find the Opening
2. Submit a Competitive Resume
3. Ace the Test
4. Ice the Interview
5. Pass the Clearances
6. PATIENCE!
7. Hit the Ground Running on Day One – and don’t be dismayed if the job you thought you had is different from the one you’ve now got. It will work out.

For today, I’m going to focus on the first two steps, since you’re nowhere without them. That said, take a deep breath and prepare for a process that will try your patience and weaken your will. Keep breathing. Remember the rewards are bountiful.

FINDING THE OPENING
First, create an “agent” on www.USAJOBS.gov.

Some keywords I recommend are:
· California
· Analyst
· Specialist
· “Career Intern” or “FCIP”
· Management

If you’re just starting out, check every week for new openings that are in the GS-07 to GS-09 range, knowing that you’re leaving out hundreds of openings that are not in the government’s standard Civil Service database. Some agencies use a different classification scheme, so check for jobs in the same salary range, roughly mid-forties to high fifties. (Don’t worry, our MPPs move up fast).

Now that you’ve got your agent, about half the jobs – and virtually all the internships – you want will not be posted on USAJOBS. “Gee, thanks” I can hear you mutter. Do not despair.
Team up with your classmates and set one of you to keep track of openings on the agency websites you care about. Scan for jobs that might say “MBA Fellows” or “MPP Fellows” or even, “MPA Fellows” or graduate interns – these are all full-time jobs at competitive salaries with one to two-year terms. They’re the fast-track paths. You WANT these. Watch for them. We’ll post them on EPPIC when we find them, but don’t count on our scans. Find them yourselves.
When you do, file for the job right away. Even if the deadline is a week in the future, Human Resources may decide to stop reviewing after the first hundred applications. You won’t want to miss out.

WRITING THE COMPETITIVE RESUME
There’s a detailed explanation of “how to” in the online EPPIC Document Library, but here are some critical tips:

1) Use the space available to you. These resumes offer you lots of room to write about your accomplishments in each and every relevant experience. Don’t limit yourself to the skeletal bullet points of your standard one-pager, but stick to the word or character limit. Anything longer is truncated.

2) It’s not just about Employment, Internships, Academic Programs and Volunteer Experience count. List not only the jobs for which you were actually paid, but anything that led to your acquiring the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) the job specifies. Although the government is officially phasing out KSA’s as screening tools, the principles still exist in masked form (see below).

3) Those dreaded KSA’s. Here’s what they are:
Knowledge – Factual learning gained either on the job or in school. You may be knowledgeable about Federal regulations in some particular issues area. If it has any relevance, put it in, especially if you are expert.
Skills – These are tools in which you develop proficiency through use, usually languages and technology usage, of some sort.
Abilities – “Soft skills” or things you’re born with that you have developed through experience, such as team-building or leadership, presentation, writing.
In the past, government applications had a section entitled KSA’s in which applicants were asked to answer questions about requisite KSA’s, giving examples of where they had been used. For a variety of reasons, mostly having to do with manpower, this approach was abandoned in favor of computer screening. Now, computers seek out the KSA’s (see below).

4) Keywords in Context (KWIC). Since your resume will first be screened by a computer that crawls through your words looking for specific keywords, make certain every keyword you can truthfully insert is in your resume. It will boost your score. Also, if you have reasonable fluency in a critical language – Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Pashto, Russian, Korean – put it in. It may not be relevant to this particular job, but you might get bonus points for it. Veterans and ROTC/ National Guard members also get bonus points.

5) Do NOT hit submit until you’re ready. Preparing this resume is a cut-and-paste exercise. Prepare carefully crafted Word snippets just the length you want with all the keywords you need. Copy and paste into the federal application slots. Just keep hitting “Save” as you fill in the form. Before you submit, print it out and review it – and, have your friends and counselors check it over. Never hit “Submit” until you’re happy.

Note that some agencies, including the CIA, only give you 72-hours to start and finish the resume. Make sure you start it on a weekend when you’ll have plenty of time to work on it.

6) Don’t lie – or, omit any important details. This should be obvious, but it catches up even the most honest applicant. On their one-pagers, most people leave out lots of jobs that don’t seem relevant. For the Feds, include every job for which you were paid with an IRS record. One of the first checks the system makes is for non-disclosure. That can get your application tossed. If you’re male, you must have applied for Selective Service. Check the box. If you don’t, your application will be tossed. If you had a traffic ticket you forgot about and it went to warrant, include it. In most cases, the ticket won’t disqualify you; the omission will.

7) CCAR - Challenge, Context, Action, Results. This is all you need to know to boost your scores. Familiarize yourself with both the duties and qualifications sections of the Position Description. Jot down key words. Now, look at each “job” you’ve held and think about how you developed the requisite KSA’s in the qualifications. There are stories here.
Distill those experiences into very short stories of 20 – 50 words that describe the CHALLENGE you faced; the CONTEXT of the challenge – sometimes your job title is enough; the ACTION you took to meet the challenge; and the RESULTS, quantified, where possible.

You’re the hero of this story, of course, but if the job you want calls for teamwork, note your role in the team and how the entire team benefited from your actions. It’s simple.

Now, try a few with your own resume, using this skill and ability for practice:
· Experience with creating content for a website
· Experience dealing with an authority figure or elected official

CCAR’s are very useful tools because you can quickly expand the little stories into interview responses. When you’re in the mood, write lots of CCARs even if they don’t fill the needs of this particular job. It’s good to have a stash so you can swap them out for another application when a new opening pops up.

8) The Personal Statement. Often, this is the last block of space to be filled on a Federal resume. Applicants are rushed for time and they skim over it. Don’t! This could the most important essay you’ll ever write. For most federal jobs, it will be the first thing the reviewer sees because that’s the way it presents to H/R.

The Personal Statement is so important, it warrants its own blog, but I’ll say just a few words here. Use the full number of characters allowed.
Make sure your essay does these three things:
1. States why you’re passionate about doing this particular job for this specific agency
2. Highlights your particular skills that make you an asset for this job
3. Explains why this particular job is crucial to developing you for the career you seek

9) A word About deadlines. They’re getting tighter every week. And, although a date is given, the surge in applications for GS-07 and GS-09 jobs is so high that many agencies stop review after a few hundred applications are received, regardless of deadlines. If you see a job you want, act fast! The way to do this is to …

10) … Store Sample Federal Resumes. Once you develop your first Federal resume and you decide you like it, have a friend and a career counselor, check it over. When you’re happy with it, store it on USAJOBS. You’ll be ready with a solid foundation when the next opportunity comes your way. Often, you’ll only have to swap out a few CCARs and you’re good-to-go.

Whew! Are you still with me? You probably need a break by now. Ready for cookies?
There is nothing more American than snickerdoodles. I love the name, and even though the original derivation is Dutch, these are not like anything you’ll find in Amsterdam. Crispy on the edges and tender in the center with a snap of spice – very American. Enjoy with friends!

SNICKERDOODLES
About 6 dozen cookies

1 ½ cups sugar plus 1/3 cup
¾ cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ¾ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1) Preheat oven to 400-degrees.
2) Whip together butter and 1 ½ cups sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
3) Mix together flour, soda and cream of tartar. Stir into butter mixture. Form into a large ball and chill 30-60 minutes, until firm.
4) Mix the remaining sugar with the cinnamon. Roll pieces of dough into 1” balls and roll them in the sugar mix before dropping them onto ungreased cookie sheets* in rows about 2” apart.
5) Bake 8 to 10 minutes until the edges brown and the center is still puffy. Overcooking results in a crispier cookie.
6) Cool on wire racks and store in airtight containers, up to 2 weeks. They ship well, if you want to send a gift to your favorite troops.

I'm confused: What should I do with my life?

2009-09-10T18:44:00.000-07:00

“Follow Your Grail”.

Recipe: Berry Fool

Saturday, I saw the Broadway export, “Spamalot”, at L.A.'s Ahmanson Theater. It was a crack-up!

Based on the equally funny 1975 film, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, the modern musical is full of foolish wisdom under the guise of farce. For example - you public policy folk would enjoy a classical political dialectic worthy of inclusion in “Roots of the American Order” between King Arthur and the about-to-be Sir Galahad. Dr. Gordon Lloyd could use these three pages of script as a springboard for a three-hour lecture on rights of the governed.

A few scenes further on, John Cleese as God, commands Arthur and his knights to “find the grail - and get on with it; the people don’t have all night.”

“God be praised,” cries Arthur. “We have a quest!”

Sir Robin cheers, “To the quail!”

“No, no, the grail. The vessel used at the last supper.”

“They had a boat at the last supper? A sort of dinner cruise?”

Galahad interjects, “The grail is a cup.”

Robin sputters, “God the Almighty, all-knowing misplaced a cup?”

Galahad shrugs. “Apparently”.

“Can’t we just buy him another one?” suggests Robin.

Arthur stands and addresses his assembled knights. “Look, it’s not about a missing cup, it’s a metaphor. We must all look within us. That’s where we’ll find the grail.”

So on, they march into “The Very Expensive Forest”, each person seeking his own personal grail. In no time, the knights paths diverge, each seeking his own route to fulfillment.

Behind them, a chorus of Laker girls pops up singing this very good advice:

“Life is really up to you. You must choose what you pursue.
Set your mind on what to find – there’s really nothing you can’t do.”

So in the way of everone, including well-guided public policy students, Arthur and his knights stumble on, encountering perils and occasional humiliations along the way. They wander down dead-ends, and when they do, they get back to their feet, proclaiming, ”I’m not dead yet!”

As long as you’re still alive, pursue the goal that lies within - and only you can know when you find it. Over the course of your life, that grail may lose its luster. That's perfect - it's the way of things. Go, seek another one.

In Spamalot's finale, another foolish bit of wisdom tumbled out of the mouths of Arthur’s hapless knights: “Always look at the bright side of life.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_tgjj4ieQc.

“When you’re feeling in the dumps, don’t be silly chumps. Just purse your lips and whistle – that’s the thing.”

And, smile – you’ll find your path. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? If you're lost or just cruisin', stop by and say “hi”.

The Recipe: Berry Fool

Fools are favorites of mine. They’re like court jesters, wise enough to admit they “simply don’t know the answers”. That's why there's a smiling clown on my wall.

Fools as desserts are delicious – easy to make and loved by all. The recipe originated, at least, in the late Middle Ages, where it was served weekly at Cambridge University. This 21st century version updates the classic with an infusion of creamy white chocolate.

WHITE CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY FOOL

Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: Best, prepared in stages

4 cups sliced fresh berries – blackberries, strawberries (your choice)
Sugar, to taste (usually about 1/ 4 cup)
1/ 4 cup cassis or Chambord, optional
1 /2 pint very cold heavy cream
4 ounces white chocolate, melted

1) Mash berries with sugar to taste. If using liqueur, add. Let rest 30 minutes.
2) Whip cream plus 2-3 tablespoons sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold in the white chocolate, gently. Stir in the berries, reserving ½ cup for garnish. Be sure to leave pale streaks in the mix for authenticity.
3) Chill for at least one hour before serving.

2009-09-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

Hot Query of the Week: “Tell Me All About Internships” - The Top Ten FAQs

Plus a topical recipe: Groundnut Stew (see below)

A student’s internship is the centerpiece of Pepperdine’s two year master’s program in public policy. Every student – without exception – has to do one, and most people choose to take advantage of the four-month break between the first and second year to do an extended internship during the summer. I think of it as a gift the school forces the students to give themselves since there is rarely a time in life that you can try on something completely new. For almost every student, their internship is a wondrous time of transformation. They go places they never imagined being able to visit, let alone work in, countries like Uganda and Rwanda, India and Bangladesh, Bolivia and Azerbaijan. Last summer, students worked in all of these nations and more. Another small group went to Washington DC. Check out the internship blogs at: http://publicpolicy.pepperdine.edu/admission/student-blogs/.

When those students returned this week, every single one was charged up, passionate about pursuing their careers in public policy. They’ll be recounting their experiences at the Mixer Wednesday night, September 2nd, so get ready for a fun evening.

Every year, there are a few – very few – who made an unwise choice for themselves and picked an imperfect fit. That’s okay. Truly. In fact, you might think of it as GREAT news! Only with an internship can you take a job, work awhile, and if it doesn’t work out, walk away. No harm; no foul. No hole on your resume. No failure to excuse. The internship disappears.

Here’s more good news about a bad internship. While you were working – wishing you were elsewhere – you learned some crucial truths about yourself: what you like to do and what you don’t. Next time, you’ll make a better choice.

Here, in Career Services, we work hard to help you make smart choices the first time out. We study your resume and your interest sheets, meet with you to really get to know you – how you work and how you like to work with others. We offer personality assessments and suggest career paths that might suit your personality and interaction style preferences. Where appropriate, we pair you with a student or alumni mentor who can help guide you to getting (and keeping) the job you want. And, as soon as we’re confident we know where your interests lie, we’ll shoot you email notices when there are openings that might appeal to you.

Every week or so, we have recruiters and alumni panels on campus showcasing career options. This week, Ed Kulakowski will be here from the State Department and, on Monday, recruiters will be here from the CIA and FBI.

Check out the four hundred internship organizations listed on the school’s database and browse prior year students’ comments about working in two hundred of them.

New postings are added daily to the EPPIC database, so watch for news and announcements. You can even check for jobs posted by Pepperdine’s Seaver College and Graduate School of Education and Psychology. The Business and Law Schools have separate proprietary systems.

So, take a breath – if you’re a new student, you needn’t do anything yet – relax and begin to dream.

Because there are always a few questions everybody asks, here are:

The Top Ten FAQ’s about Internships at Pepperdine SPP:

1) What are the requirements?
Every student in Pepperdine’s two-year Master of Public Policy program is required to do a minimum of 240 hours of professional-level work in policy formulation, assessment or execution – anywhere in the world. At least, anywhere that is not on the State Department’s Travel Watch list. That internship must be for a single employer – or, for certain international projects, on a single project with no more than two organizations and a single supervisor who can evaluate your work.

2) Is this just a summer thing? When should I do it?
You can do the internship at any time. In fact, more than half our students do two, and most students far exceed the 240-hour minimum on their primary internship. That said, we strongly suggest that you take the first semester to focus on your schoolwork. There is a lot of reading and at least some of the material will be very new to you, regardless of background. After that, many students arrange their electives to allow them two full days on the day in an LA-based internship.

3) Can I work for a corporation?
Sure. The only restriction is that the work must be public policy. Virtually every corporation has public policy issues to grapple with – regulatory affairs, taxation, permitting, foundations and community affairs, lobbying and government affairs, public service announcements, trade, international currency exchange, and a whole host of other activities that come under the purview of public policy. If you have any questions as to whether your proposed job is appropriate, simply stop by and ask.

4) I’ve already completed (name the number) public policy internships. Why do I have to do yours?
The purpose of the Pepperdine internship is for you to apply what you’ve learned at a professional level in a field you propose to work. Before you came here, you did not have the knowledge or skills you’re attaining. Isn’t that why you’re here? Remember, the internship is a gift; not a punishment. Enjoy the opportunity to explore new options or to build your abilities in the same organizations you worked before. You’ll find you do things better.

5) Where can I go?
Anywhere in the world that is not on the State Department Watch List. The university wants you to be safe – and does not want to incur any liability that might accrue is you went to a “hot spot”. If you have any question about a target country, here’s the link to the list: http://travel.state.gov/travel/travel_1744.html.

6) Do you give me one? If not, how do I find one?
No – we are not a placement service. That said, we are in frequent contact with hiring authorities at the many organizations that regularly hire our students. We post their notices on EPPIC and I’ll alert you if you appear to be an exceptional fit for the position. Securing the job is always up to you.

In addition, employers visit campus to talk about jobs and internships that might interest you. Attend these sessions, even if you think you’re not interested. You’d be surprised at what these large employers actually do, and how you might fit in.

Alumni and second year students are great resources. Ask for help and introductions, but be discreet. You can overdo it if you’re not judicious.

Finally, dozens of openings for jobs and internships are posted every week on EPPIC, the Career Services portal. Check at least weekly because many employers cut off review after the first hundred applications, regardless of stated deadline. Remember I said, “Carpe Diem” during Orientation.

7) I’m interested in international affairs, what kind of work can I do in Los Angeles?
This is an interesting question for several reasons. First, you’re here and the school is here and L.A. is a huge, complex international area with 12 million people and a $698 billion economy. That’s larger than most countries.

Of course, if you’re truly interested in international relations, make your summer internship an overseas one, but when you come back, keep working. You can volunteer at an LA-based foreign consulate or at one of the State Department’s local offices. Consider interning for the Mayor of Los Angeles. With a hugely diverse constituency and trade, a big part of the economy, Mayor Villaraigosa has his own foreign policy, handled by the Protocol Office. Check out the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. Or, take a look at the Department of Commerce International Trade Agency. Print and broadcast media news organizations. Corporations. International non-profits. The World Affairs Council. LA-based think tanks. You can learn a tremendous amount about the world working right here in L.A.

8) Are internships paid? Or, do I have to pay for it?
Until this year, about half our students’ internships were paid, but that number dropped drastically when the economy fell. Still, about a third of the LA-based employers pay modest hourly wages or stipends. Virtually no international internships are paid.

Students pay the university nothing – zip, zero – for the internship. It is a required, zero-unit course that is graded pass/not-pass. The reason we gave it zero units was to keep fees lower in recognition of the fact that internships typically cost the student something, at least in housing and travel. Students who invest in international internships universally report it “was worth it”. This is especially true for students seeking international jobs. That in-country work experience is an essential asset on their resume.

9) Are there internship fellowships?
In recent years, the school has been fortunate to be able to offer a few internship fellowships. These fellowships are competitive with awards based on merit – a combination of GPA, essay, quality of the program proposed and faculty recommendations or references. At this point, there is no way of knowing was next summer’s funding will be. It could be nothing. We will try to make it happen, but don’t count on it.

10) From foreign students: The employer pays for this internship but it’s not legal for me to work in the US. Can I get paid?
Yes. During your two years with us, all foreign students are eligible for payment under a Federal program called Optional Practical Training (OPT). Your internship is a requisite part of your degree, so the US Government has ceded you the right to be paid while you work. The internship and the OPT must be pre-approved. Check with Judy Lee in International Student Services for details and paperwork: judy.lee@pepperdine.edu or (310) 506-4246.

The Recipe: Groundnut Stew
What do you eat when you’re interning in Africa? If you read their blogs, you’d think sub-Saharan Africa was an outpost of the Valley since Mike Belina’s stories were replete with burgers, pizza and Coke. Not so, in my experience. Sure, you can get a Coke and, as Mike pointed out, they’re pretty good made with cane sugar instead of the US recipe with corn syrup. It’s a safe drink, too, as long as your skip the ice.

HOWEVER, very few Rwandans, Ugandans or Kenyans eat cow – all that cattle is a sign of wealth and you wouldn’t cull the herd for supper. What most east Africans eat most often is some form of braised vegetables, almost always with squash and plantains, or bananas. Some like it mild; some like it spicy; but everybody likes it.

Here’s a version I tried out on my book club a month or so ago after we read Dave Eggers’ chilling fictionalized memoir of the Lost Boys of Sudan: “What is the What?”. If you care about Africa and what to understand it better, read the book. It’s a profound “read”.

GROUNDNUT STEW

Serves 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 40-50 minutes

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 chicken, cut in pieces
1 cup chicken broth (optional)
1 onion, chopped
4 sliced zucchinis (or 1 cup squash of your choosing)
1 small can crushed tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Pinch cayenne (or more, to taste)
1 teaspoon ground ginger and/or pinch coriander
3/ 4 cup peanut butter (I prefer creamy)
1 10-ounce package frozen okra

1) In a heavy Dutch oven or casserole, brown chicken in 1 tablespoon oil. Add salt and pepper. Add broth or 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and simmer.
2) In a frying pan, brown onions and squash and any other fresh vegetables in remaining oil. Add onions, spices and peanut butter with a splash of liquid. Stir to mix. Add to the Dutch oven. When it returns to a simmer, season to taste, adding garlic, herbs, raisins or whatever inspires you.
3) When the chicken is cooked through, add the okra and cook until the vegetables are firm but hot.
4) Serve over rice with condiments of your choice: chutney, chopped tropical fruits, nuts, hard boiled eggs.

What do you do with a degree in Public Policy?

2009-08-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

Hello from the Career Center –

This summer the School of Public Policy blasted into the blogosphere with eight student internship sites. Those blogs were a great trip into the universe of policy jobs, so this fall, I’ve grabbed a tail fin to hitch a ride into cyberspace.

Every day, students, prospective students and their parents, and even alums, stop by to ask questions. Often, they can be answered with a quick factual outline of what we do and how we do it. More often, and especially recently since the dawn of the great recession, they tend to be philosophical – the queries of searchers. Either way, I find myself repeating myself.
Once I had a parrot, a beautiful blue-and-gold macaw that I loved very much: Cracker Jack, or CJ; and that big bird was devoted to me. He keyed into everything I said, and if I spoke with some emotion – any emotion, at all – I could watch him store the sound and process it in his mind. He’d perch on my shoulder, round, grey eyes dilating and contracting quickly, like quivers in the wrinkled folds that surrounded them. When CJ was pretty sure he had it right, he’d stretch out his brilliantly colored wings and hop to a fresh perch to face me. When he was certain he had my attention, he’d squawk out the phrase in perfect pitch.
“Bad dog!” he’d snap. The sound mimicked my voice so well, the puppy would shoot under the couch, tail tucked tight between her legs.

Sometimes when I answer a student’s question, I see them processing my words with the same concentration CJ gave to expanding his vocabulary. Since students can read, wouldn’t print be a better way for them to assimilate ideas that require this kind of reflection?

So, let’s experiment. Every week, I’ll pick one or two of the oft-asked questions to answer in my blog. That means that you, dear reader, must continue to feed me questions, in person or online. I’m amenable to almost anything, including a request for my legendary chocolate chip cookie recipe. In turn, I promise to feed you food for thought – and I’ll toss in recipes to stoke the fires that fuel your study. Dorm munchies and food to share.

For starters, I’ll answer the most fundamental question first:

What (on earth) do you do with an MPP?

My quick quip is, “Anything you want”.
But, that’s too easy. True, an MPP is the gorilla of graduate degrees since it prepares the alum for virtually any profession that requires ethics and critical thinking, but my off-the-cuff answer is facile. A better approach might be to compare and contrast an MPP with the more familiar MBA.
Both teach essential skills for management – assessing situations and devising optimal solutions; leadership. Courses like Research Methods and Statistics, Finance and Economics, Strategic Negotiation, Business Writing and Presenting are all critical to success in the real world. But the MPP diverges from the MBA in its view of the world. The MBA is narrow, focusing on winning what is essentially a zero-sum game. MBA students learn to beat the competition through concepts like differentiation, unique selling points, SWOT analyses. A good MBA always eyes the bottom-line while grabbing for another point or two of market share.
An MPP is different, a little broader. Public policy examines the complete spectrum of constituencies affected by an issue, looking for an optimal, equitable balance between competing interests. In Platonic terms, an MPP seeks the “public good”.
So, here at Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy, and at a dozen other institutions like ours, students develop the critical thinking skills that enable them to shape, understand and sustain a balanced worldview. We bring together an exceptionally diverse group of students and immerse them in the crucible of highly-interactive seminars where each is challenged to discover his or her own understanding of public good. And, then, we send them into the real world as leaders in public service.

When I look at what our alumni do, they truly do anything. Here’s an example of how broad the choices are:

Professor of Economics Aerospace Executive
Speechwriter at the White House International Elections Monitor
FBI Special Agent CIA Analyst
City Planner Construction Executive
Children’s Education Advocate Oil Industry Energy Analyst
Director of HIV/AIDS Clinics Director at the CDC
Provincial Reconstruction Specialist in Iraqi governance
Program Manager – New Orleans Redevelopment Agency

Starting in two weeks, the alumni will have their own blogspace so you can read what Life is like after the MPP.

If you’re just starting on this journey, Carpe Diem! Seize the day! There will be so many wonderful opportunities open to you; your greatest challenge will be to choose.
A trademark of my writing has long been that I include a time-tested recipe with my essays.

This week, I’m honoring my big old bird with homemade Cracker Jacks. They’re easy – and much tastier than the packaged kind.

Home-made “Cracker Jacks” (serves 4)

4 quarts popcorn, popped
1 cup salted Spanish peanuts (or pecans, macadamias)
1/ 2 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/ 2 cup light corn syrup
1/ 2 teaspoon baking soda
1/ 2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 250-degrees.
2. Toss peanuts and popcorn together in a big metal bowl and pop in the oven.
3. Combine the butter, syrup and sugar in a heavy saucepan and heat over medium heat until it boils. Cook, STIRRING, until the mixture is thick and coats a wooden spoon. Don’t let it burn. (20 minutes)
4. Stir in the baking soda quickly. (Skipping this step just makes it stickier.)
5. Drizzle the caramel onto the popcorn mixture, tossing it lightly to coat.
6. Return to the oven for 15 minutes, stirring gently every 5 minutes.
7. Cool slightly on wax paper. Store in an air-tight can for up to a week.

2009-08-24T18:17:00.000-07:00