[ghporter]

This past Monday, I began the first of two internships that complete my professional education in occupational therapy. This is after 30 months of OT-specific academic preparation (which came after three semesters of specific prerequisites that my previous BS didn't cover). I'm working directly under an experienced therapist, and applying all the theoretical stuff I learned. I'm actually coming up with "the right answers" a lot quicker than I thought I would. This "learning by doing" stuff is pretty awesome!

I'm curious how other people's professional preparation-that portion after the classroom work-was structured.

[cszar2001]

I'm in a related field - physical therapy.
You might want to check out my blog at www.matthiasweinberger.de where you can find a few articles on chronic pain and feedback therapy.

Here in Germany PT isn't taught at universities yet - we have vocational schools for that.
After 1 year of classroom education only you start alternating between internships and more classroom studying. That way you can integrate what you have learned much more quickly into your practice.

A job like yours or mine is like taking a driving test: you are allowed to drive afterwards - but there's still a lot to learn. And things like taking a history, handling, interaction with a patient can't be taught anyway - you have to practice, practice, practice.

[mduell]

"Just doing it," training courses by internal and external exports (both during work and after hours (optional)), reading the volumes of practical documentation available.

[finboy]

Originally Posted by mduell 

"Just doing it," training courses by internal and external exports (both during work and after hours (optional)), reading the volumes of practical documentation available.

Learning by doing: I started teaching as soon as I could (master one thing, move on). At the time I was working daily with young and old professors, getting both perspectives. And I listened much more than talked. That was almost 20 years ago, and I'm still "mastering" it.

The key to any profession is attitude. I have plenty of colleagues who hate their jobs, hate the students, hate the admin, etc. Basically, I stuck my head in it long enough to reach a critical mass, and I keep current. Attitude and critical mass. Otherwise, there are no secrets.

I guess having a good understanding of the importance of your role helps too. You gotta know what your job is. In your case, you've probably got to have a good idea of the "thin line" between helping and expending resources to no avail.

[ghporter]

cszar, a friend of mine is a US-trained OT, and a Danish national working at a US hospital in Germany (Landstuhl), and she's passed on how the rehab specialties aren't well regarded by the health community in Germany. That's not the best thing to hear; your countrymen should be getting more help from professional PTs and OTs, rather than "some help from those vocational people."

mduell and finboy, my brother, with about 1.5 years of college, taught himself programming and is now being deluged with money to work his magic (often interface code) for Big Contracts. Must be nice; my first BS was in computer science, and with that sheepskin and $4 you can get a latte at Starbucks. That was one of the attracting factors about health care. If you get the degree (and the license, of course) you are "a professional" and actually in demand. And remaining current and relevant is built into the licensure system, so it's kind of hard to be obsoleted by being involved in only one facet of the profession.

Keep 'em coming!

[Laminar]

After taking 7 semesters of school, I spent 7 months working for a large manufacturing company doing the same tasks you'd see a full time engineer doing. As a requirement of my school, I had to fill out an evaluation. It asked what specifically did I take from my classes and use in the workplace. My only answers were "math" and "engineering." My workplace and day-to-day tasks were nothing I was taught in a classroom, and the experience was invaluable.

[Paco500]

Learned on the job, and faked the rest.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

my brother, with about 1.5 years of college, taught himself programming and is now being deluged with money to work his magic

Didn't know we were related!

[stevesnj]

Originally Posted by Paco500 

Learned on the job, and faked the rest.

Just like George Bush!

[OreoCookie]

@glenn
In Germany, the system of education for non-university degree jobs is very different: we have vocational schools and for many jobs it's mandatory that you have gone to vocational school. That includes hair dressers and such. We still have the apprentice-master system: before you're allowed to open your own shop, you need to become a `master.'

Not all professions follow this pattern (e. g. physical therapy), but many do. However, all share that you need to go to vocational school instead of college. This doesn't sound like much of a difference, but it is, because you need to have graduated with a lower degree from `high school' (of which there are two to four different kinds, depending on the state). And because it's not all lumped together in College, but there is a clear separation between those who study at university, at what I'd call college (= Fachhochschule, they prefer to call themselves `applied university' because it sounds better) and vocational schools. So there tends to be a much clearer separation between people in `applied fields' and those who have gone to university.

Although, this depends very much on the individual as well. My dad is a lawyer and him having studied at university and my mom's interest in university students has rubbed off. Also, she's more respected by doctors, because she has seniority.


Regarding the topic:
In Germany, you learn how to organize work on your own at university. University in America (and other countries that model their universities after the anglo-American way) is still very close to school, here, you have to learn how to organize your work and do it. The other thing you learn is critical and structured thinking, although that (IMO) applies mostly to natural sciences where this way of thinking is indispensable. And you have a solid foundation that many `do-it-yourself' types lack (no offense).

[mattyb]

A good mentor/guru is, IMHO, the best way to learn a subject. Someone who can explain things to someone else at any level. I've been lucky enough to have 2 gurus in my working life at just the right time.

Making mistakes. In my profession (DBA) I try and test test test and test again in non-production environments. Luckily, so far, I haven't done a mistake that could not be rectified because of the testing and practise that me and my fellow DBAs had done.

[OreoCookie]

What does DBA stand for again?

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

What does DBA stand for again?

Database Admin

In the US, you can work in IT without any kind of license or training.

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by wallinbl 

In the US, you can work in IT without any kind of license or training.

UK as well, I did Mechanical Engineering at University. I haven't got one DBA certification - just experience.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

@glenn
In Germany, the system of education for non-university degree jobs is very different: we have vocational schools and for many jobs it's mandatory that you have gone to vocational school. That includes hair dressers and such. We still have the apprentice-master system: before you're allowed to open your own shop, you need to become a `master.'

Not all professions follow this pattern (e. g. physical therapy), but many do. However, all share that you need to go to vocational school instead of college. This doesn't sound like much of a difference, but it is, because you need to have graduated with a lower degree from `high school' (of which there are two to four different kinds, depending on the state). And because it's not all lumped together in College, but there is a clear separation between those who study at university, at what I'd call college (= Fachhochschule, they prefer to call themselves `applied university' because it sounds better) and vocational schools. So there tends to be a much clearer separation between people in `applied fields' and those who have gone to university.

Although, this depends very much on the individual as well. My dad is a lawyer and him having studied at university and my mom's interest in university students has rubbed off. Also, she's more respected by doctors, because she has seniority.


Regarding the topic:
In Germany, you learn how to organize work on your own at university. University in America (and other countries that model their universities after the anglo-American way) is still very close to school, here, you have to learn how to organize your work and do it. The other thing you learn is critical and structured thinking, although that (IMO) applies mostly to natural sciences where this way of thinking is indispensable. And you have a solid foundation that many `do-it-yourself' types lack (no offense).

I'm not even sure what you mean by that last paragraph.

BTW, the word "college" in the US is very generic. But obviously someone who goes to a vocational college is getting a very different education from someone in an undergraduate degree in physics.

[calverson]

Had to create a series of advertisements for a make-believe company, which was then critiqued by the dude at the college who had "been in the industry for TWENTY YEARS(!) and blah blah knows everything about everything".

If he didn't like what you did, then you flunked. Otherwise, you passed. I thought that it was quite facist.

After that, you were given a piece of paper, and sent on your merry way.

[Doofy]

I swept the floor and made coffee.

The studio industry tended to work in a traditional way...

"Not got a qualification?" "No" "There's a brush, sweep the floor. And mine's black with two sugars".

"Got a qualification?" "Yes" "There's a brush, sweep the floor. And mine's black with two sugars".

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by wallinbl 

In the US, you can work in IT without any kind of license or training.

In Germany as well, but IT is different. Demand for people in IT is very high, so companies have to use a wider net. However, seeing what computer scientists can do and how much time and energy it costs to get into certain subjects, I'm not sure somebody who is self-taught is a match for that.

Originally Posted by Eug 

I'm not even sure what you mean by that last paragraph.

It means that college and university in America work pretty much like school. This includes the first few years of your PhD.
Here, in Germany, the first year as a student is very disorienting, it's very, very different from school and you have to take care of everything on your own. You have to learn how to organize your (work) life, how to study, etc. It's hard to convey the difference if you haven't seen both systems at work. But beyond the basics in a certain subject, the main thing you learn is how to organize yourself and work independently on your own. To organize your own material (lectures do not follow a certain standard text, usually professors always make their own lecture notes, even in beginner's classes; students work through other books and material in addition to the lecture notes, for example).

Originally Posted by Eug 

BTW, the word "college" in the US is very generic. But obviously someone who goes to a vocational college is getting a very different education from someone in an undergraduate degree in physics.

I'm aware of that and that's exactly the point. When you say `I went to college,' your major could have been anything.

In Germany, there is a clear separation between vocational schools and universities.

[calverson]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

I swept the floor and made coffee.

The studio industry tended to work in a traditional way...

"Not got a qualification?" "No" "There's a brush, sweep the floor. And mine's black with two sugars".

"Got a qualification?" "Yes" "There's a brush, sweep the floor. And mine's black with two sugars".

lol

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

I swept the floor and made coffee.

The studio industry tended to work in a traditional way...

"Not got a qualification?" "No" "There's a brush, sweep the floor. And mine's black with two sugars".

"Got a qualification?" "Yes" "There's a brush, sweep the floor. And mine's black with two sugars".

That's pretty much how my industry works. Nobody, ever, has asked to see any academic qualifications of any kind. People assume that sometime in your past, when you didn't know any better, you studied English or history or philosophy or fine art or accounting or whatever. None of that matters when you go to meet your first Creative Director looking for your first job. It's all about your portfolio of work.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by calverson 

If he didn't like what you did, then you flunked. Otherwise, you passed. I thought that it was quite facist.

Sounds like a perfect preparation for your future life in an ad agency.

As my old Creative Director used to say when anybody dared argue with him: "This is not a ****ing democracy."

[calverson]

Originally Posted by Mastrap 

Sounds like a perfect preparation for your future life in an ad agency.

As my old Creative Director used to say when anybody dared argue with him: "This is not a ****ing democracy."

Made me think of an e-mail that was doing the rounds a while back:

UNSPOKEN GRAPHIC DESIGN RULES:

1. Your fonts will default to the worst possible font available on the machine you are showing your work on.
2. The less time you have the more useless your computer will become
3. If you have two versions of a photo, the wrong one will make its way to the printer.
4. Promises made by the sales staff have no basis in reality.
5. The sales staff will promise anything.
6. If the text consists of two words, one will be misspelled.
7. Speed.Quality. Affordability. Pick two.
8. If the run is wrong, it's never the press operator's fault.
9. Spell checkers don't.
10. Grammar checkers don't, either.
11. Proof raeders are useless.
12. Global search-and-replaces aren't.
13. The index entry you leave out will be the first one the client looks under.
14. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is good comedy.
15. If three designs are shown to a client, your least favorite will be chosen or any combination of worst components of each.
16. If two designs are shown, a third will be requested. If provided, then one of the first two will be chosen.
17. If you ask for more copy it will be sent as a Jpeg. If you ask for images they will send powerpoint presentations.
18. Clients don't have their company logo in a usable print ready format so don't bother asking.
19. Blue line proofs reveal previously invisible errors.
20. The best designs never survive contact with the client.
21. You will misspell the name of the client's spouse.
22. Your best idea is already copyrighted.
23. The best way to find errors in your code is to show a client "a new feature"
24. There is no stock photo ever made that matches the image you have in your head
25. Creative inspiration flows in inverse proportion to the distance from the studio.
26. Time allowed to complete work is inversely proportional to time taken by client to work out what to complain about
27. Doctors, astronauts, and plumbers need training to do their jobs, but anyone with a computer is a graphic designer
28. No matter how detailed the tech support FAQ is, nobody has ever heard of your problem
29. The number of colours in a client's design will equal the number of colours in the original bid specs, plus two
30. The client's disk won't run on your equipment & when it does will contain unusable copyrighted images
31. If you purchase new equipment to read your client's disk, it will be the last disk of that type you will ever receive
32. Your client will often not like your design but not quite know why.
33. Computer crashes always happen exactly 30 seconds before saving.
34. A client who knows exactly what he wants is worse than one that has no idea.
35. Clients who do not provide content upfront will complain about the use of Latin Copy
36. Everything has to be done immediately, deadlines are incredibly important unless client has to provide materials or approve your work
37. The customer is always right.