Professor Elam

Wed Oct 12, 2011

Barcharts offers a variety of laminated summary (cheat sheets) on a variety of topics. This one happens to be on Finance but others are available for Accounting or Anatomy or Reflexology. 

Students often ask if they can bring such an item to class for use on a test. Those students usually expect me or someone else to construct the summary guide. 

The process of high school testing with Principals and Superintendents frantic to show passing grades has gotten us to this point. The point in college  is not just  passing the test only to move on to the next summary sheet, with no real meaning or insight occurring. 

We could easily purchase a series of these things, put them in a box and bingo, for $99.95 you have

College in a Box!  Yes friends don't leave the dorm or apartment without your quick and easy guide to a major topic. 

 

I constructed many of these outlines in my college classes, but that is the POINT, by constructing them myself I learned the material as opposed to memorizing it. 

My point here is that once one completes college, what do you know, what insight do you bring to the table, what is the reason someone should hire you?

Satire is the process of taking a foolish idea to its logical conclusion. Imagine a Saturday Night Live skit, or in another day, Laugh In skit or even earlier a Show of Shows skit. The college graduate arrives on the job, armed with her College in  a Box templates. We might rotate through a few examples…..

Scene-a courtroom murder trial, the DA has just knocked a big hole in the defense witness proving he was not at the card game where your client claimed to be at the time of the murder, 

Judge: Counselor, your turn with the witness

You: Uh, Judge we sure ah er ah need a recess here

Judge: why it is only 10:15 AM

You: I'm a bit rusty on oh you know that confusing stuff about the difference between Manslaughter and Murder One, I mean it was three years ago when I took that class and…..

Defense Client: Faints at the table…..

 

Scene: Operating Room

You are on the gurney but wake up under a spinal to discover that

Surgeon:  Gee this orthoscopic stuff is great but remind me, is that pancreas above or below the liver, I never can find that darned thing, hand me the diagram will ya

Nurse: Rolling her eyes, It's over there on the wall, didn't we go through this last week, here, let me hold that incision open, you got about 20 seconds before we have to close other wise

Surgeon:  Ah, now wait, is that a pancreas or a gall bladder, you would think they could label these things

One of Woody Allen's first comedies was Sleeper. In the final scene he attempts to portray a surgeon with about this much skill….

My point is, you have to bring knowledge to the table to get hired and to stay working and get promoted 

When  you finish college what will your skill set be?