Post Graduate Studies

Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow. 

William Pollard

Perhaps you wonder whether it is fair to ask about future post graduate studies now, when you are just undergraduate freshers studying at the university. Some of you are still evaluating your current career, wondering if you have chosen wisely.

(UK, postgraduate student = USA, graduate student)

The fact is that we live in times of haste, changes, progress, specialisation, ... Society is changing so fast that we need to be prepared and be flexible enough to adapt ourselves to new demands...

Some decades ago, Master and PhD degrees were a luxury that some privileged professionals could afford. At present, most universities have a Graduate School that offers graduate studies in the form of Diplomas, MS and PhD degrees... and these studies are becoming a necessity in various fields. 

Time flies and sooner rather than later you will have to think of having further studies on a specific subject. After four year of successful study, you will have a major in a discipline and then you should decide to go on after a professional degree (ie. Biochemist, Pharmacist, Chemist, Food Engineer...) and/or go on after a Master, PhD degree and do research.

Summing up, you will have a display of possibilities that will certaintly have an impact on your future:
Professional degree (Chemist, Pharmacist, Biochemist, Food Engineer...) is awarded by a university after completion of the professional programme;
Diplomas : usually short programmes given within the year to professionals or majors.
Master degree: usually a 2 yr long programme, is an academic degree awarded by a university (MA, Master of Arts; MSc, Master of Science; Master of Education; Master of Engineering; MBA, Master of Business Administration).
PhD degree: usually a 3-4 yr long programme given to applicants having a major or a professional degree

Higher specialisation has become a necessity in almost any area; however, sometimes technological advance leaves some specialities obsolete and newer specialisation is required to face novel challenges. On-line learning, following a well-designed program and suitable supervision may become a serious alternative to make the most out of your time.

Thus, it seems wise to start thinking of promising post graduate studies as soon as possible to have a wider range of attractive working fields of your liking at your disposal.

Now tell me about a post- graduate course(s) that you would consider taking in the future.

Include:
- Reasons to do the course
- Subject(s) you would like to study
- Where you would like to study (Chile or abroad)
- How you would like to study (distance learning, blended system, part-time course, etc)
- Any other relevant ideas

- Make comments on 3 of your classmates’ posts + a comment on your teacher's post.

- Word Count: 220 words

My future job

"If you think you are too big for small jobs, maybe you are too small for big jobs"

The Ingalls family

Little house on the Prairie was a TV series of the 1970s and early '80s based on the life of the Ingalls family who lived in the nineteenth and the turn of the 20th century in the USA. The everyday activities of this charming family give us a glipmse of their way of living in the new world.

Apart from surviving in a sometimes hostile surrounding, finding a job was not then a big deal: people worked as farmers, as fishermen, as craftsmen, as woodworkers, as handymen, bankers, silversmiths, furniture makers, traders... 

The probabilities of moving from one place to a distant one to find a new job offering greater possibilities for personal growth in a new attractive surrounding were limited, not always an easy decision, nor a feasible choice.

Downton Abbey's butler, housekeeper, maid

By then, in England, the butler and the housekeeper were common jobs, less glamourous than we want to believe after watching BBC series; the butler was the chief of servants in a household, while the housekeeper ran the house with the help of maids,  cooks, gardeners...  Many young people were moving from the countryside to the cities in search of a better future; some of them working in textiles, clothing, ... and leaving farming, mining, and other heavy activities behind.

At present, research and development, R&D, in various areas account largely for the continuous progress of mankind, internet being probably the most important breakthrough in our growth; and innovations in different areas are a challenge for today's man.

Inserting samples into a freezer - Nutrition Study
Credits: NASA

Thus, finding a good job nowadays is becoming a complex issue. After studying a significant number of years, you want a well-paid, comfortable, challenging job ... with modern (research) facilities in a healthy and friendly environment. In addition, globalization now permits mobility to work here and elsewhere and usually calls for a fairly good command of another language, mainly English.  

Our civilization becomes more demanding and we  have to be prepared to improve our abilities to adapt ourselves to this brave new  world since novel fields of work are open to your participation.

Luckily, we can use internet resources to find the best possible job and also to keep updated in our field of work. Some people have on-line jobs... maybe a future trend...

Free lance on-line job

I would like to have an on-line job in the near future. Technology is becoming a wonderful tool to work indoors and earn your living, thus it would be challenging to have a new start in a different environment...yet, I think that writing professional issues is gaining space in my mind.

At present, the once unreachable institutions, like NASA, are ready to offer new opportunities of job to capable professionals like you will become.

So how will your future be? I cannot but expect the best for you all.

Now, it's your turn,

- What kind of job would you like to have? How do you imagine it?

- Outdoors /indoors?

- Would you like to travel a lot in your job?

- What about the salary?

- What major are you studying /are you thinking of taking? Explain why

- Add any other related ideas.

Total Wordcount: 210
Remember to make comments on 3 of your classmates´s and the teacher's posts.

Music in my life

Music produces a kind of pleasure that human nature cannot do without 

Confucius

Have you ever wondered about the kind of music, melody, song, tune ... you first listened to? Most likely you were not born yet. Women use to sing to their unborn babies during pregnancy and some are fond of playing music from the radio (eg classical music for the Mozart effect) to let him/her enjoy music from the very beginning.

Most newly born babies happily eat, sleep and listen to music; when they are a few months old, they start clapping the rhythm of the melodies with their hands; and when they can walk, they have original ways of dancing the music they listen to.

When you are a young adult, you have developed preferences that are far from those in your childhood; however, you may sometimes feel comfortable with the "childish" music you have to hear when you are at a birthday party of some relative's or friend's son or daughter.

As we grow, we change our preferences and we develop our own taste. If you have parents fond of classical music or any other kind of music, you might have developed a liking for such kind of music. Have you ever found yourself humming a song that you don't like? ...the music you listened to when you were younger was recorded by your brain and sometimes it leaks out ...

Einstein on Mozart's music

I enjoy almost any kind of music. Depending on the mood, I listen to classical music such as Symphony 40, Mozart, or "Remembrance from the Alhambra" played by any famous guitarist; sometimes Calypso music (from Jamaica folklore) by Harry Belafonte; Rock and Pop music, such as songs from Bee Gees; Salsa, from a wide variety of famous singers and bands; Jazz from many players; or the Dutch symphonic metal compositions of EPICA. Like most of you, my preferences vary widely, since music is part of the joy in our lives.

Music in films is also essential, not only in musical films, such as The Sound of Music and Chicago; but also as the background score that gives a special atmosphere to a film, such as the movie soundtrack of the Lord of the Rings. Analyses of the musical scores of each of the films of the trilogy have been made to uncover hidden messages that certainly enrich the story.

The guitar, the piano, the violin are my favourite instruments; however, I must confess I play none of them. I enjoy dancing a bit of rock and roll and  salsa... I wonder if I would enjoy watching a ballet, I have never been to one. 

To my surprise, I enjoyed watching the musical films Mamma Mia and Les Miserables; both have wonderful musical scores and interpretations.... and the former is still on stage right now...!!

As you may have noticed by now, I love music.

Now, it's your turn

Write about

The importance of music in your life
The kind of music you like most
Instruments of your liking
The singer, band or group of singers you like
The kind of music that you do not like now, but you liked when you were younger.
The music of films that you remember
Any information you find pertinent to music appreciation

Wordcount: 200 words
Make comments on 3 of your classmates' posts and the teacher's