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Lost in Translation: Movie Lessons

- colinashby 2 Comments

Lost in Translation is one of my favorite movies of all time. Sofia Coppola is one of my favorite directors of all time. In honor of the film’s recent 10 year anniversary, I decided to do a post on it and it’s relatable themes to college.

Sweaty hands, ketchup stained clothes, and a mind full of thoughts. This runs through a lot of college students’ minds as they have to keep deciding what to do. Things have to be decided on. Homework has to be done. Job/Internship applications have to be filled out. All of this combined is enough to overwhelm anyone.

So here comes the 2003 Sophia Coppola film Lost in Translation. It is a film about an American actor  Bob Harris (Bill Murray) who goes to Japan to film a whiskey advertisement. While in Japan, he feels disillusioned and out of place due to not understanding the language. He has problems in his 25 year marriage and is going through a mid-life crisis when he meets a young college graduate named Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson). The film explores a number of themes that can be relatable to many undergraduates.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons
Photo Credit: Creative Commons

Feeling of Being Lost, Not Knowing What to Do

            Many undergraduates are lost in the academia and events of college. They don’t know where to go. They have a series of commands endlessly told to them: focus on school, get an internship, apply to jobs, form good relationships with professors, eat healthy, manage your money.  It can all be a little (or a lot) overwhelming. This is how Bob and Charlotte feel while in Japan. They are put in a sea of things and are unable to make sense of it. Bob and Charlotte are unsure of the things going on in their lives and what to do about it.

Looking to be Found

Everyone wants to find their place in the world. They want to find their niche in society. Having to decide on a college major, what things to join, what jobs/internships to apply to can be daunting. Bob and Charlotte both feel the same way. Charlotte is unsure of what jobs she should take since she is now out of college. Bob is unsure of his next action/decision in life. Through several events the two characters are finally able to connect and understand each other. To translate into how this connects to college: there is no one action that will get you to where you want to be. It is completely normal to have to go through several events/jobs/clubs to find out what you really want.

All in all, Lost in Translation lets a person see that others feel overwhelmed and out of place too. Although if a person keeps at something (ex: working towards a college degree) it will pay off in some way. They will have a better understanding of themselves because of their past experiences.

Movie Review by famed movie critic Robert Ebert.

Mass Communication Week at Texas State (Storify)

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Mass Communication week started today. The five day event focuses on connecting Texas State students to mass comm professionals.  A series of events with different speakers from different media disciplines. Through the events the professionals are able to talk about the trends and issues concerning today’s media. Advice and insight is given to students nearing the entry into this evolving and competitive world.

Tumblr Comes to Texas State

mass comm week: day one

Events were held in Old Main
Photo Credit: Colin Ashby

Things To Take From Woman’s “I Quit” YouTube Video

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It’s 4:30 a.m. While most are soundly asleep, Marina Shifrin is at work. She works at a Next Media Animation as a video producer. She hates her job. She has had to sacrifice her family, relationships, and free time in order to get work assignments done. Her boss was focused on quantity and wanted as many videos with as many views as possible.

The day finally comes when she doesn’t want to do the job anymore. She makes a video, puts it on YouTube, and it goes viral just days after. Less than five days after the video, titled “An Interpretive Dance For My Boss Set To Kanye West’s Gone” is posted, she appears on The Queen Latifah Show. Towards the end of the video, Queen Latifah speaks up and offers her a job. “With your experience, I could create a position,” Latifah said. The job she creates for Shifrin is a digital content producer position. Shifrin is meeting with the shows representatives and still considering the option.

This story brings about something very familiar to what I witness a lot while in college. These people are ones that are constantly trying to choose your path for you. They tell you to major in this. They tell you to not major in that. They tell you to join this, do that, take up this, and so forth. It can cause a person’s brain to go into overload. What “correct” thing should the person do?

Navigating college is tricky path. You have to focus on balancing schoolwork, working a job, paying bills, and at the same time trying to gain experience in their field.  The important thing to remember is that you can build your own way of life. You have the power. It’s time to experiment and college especially, is a great place to do this. There are so many resources available to students. There are a variety of majors in college to choose from. Find a niche. Utilize all the things available to you. Take advantage of them. You shouldn’t let others decide what you will do. You are in control of your own self. Go out and make your highest goals come true.

“Sometimes I think that you need to forcefully close one door in order for another one to open a little easier,” Marina Shifrin [to Queen Latifah].

What I found while studying in the library
What I found while studying in the library
Photo Credit: Colin Ashby

App Idea for Job-Hunting Process

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I imagined a mobile app that would ease the job-hunting process for student/rising-professionals. This app would help job candidates in keeping their materials organized. It would feature options available to use all during the job search process, from finding out about the opportunity all the way to helping with the job interview

Photo Credit: Colin Ashby
Photo Credit: Colin Ashby

Things the app will feature:

Applications/Materials Tab:

This tab will show the job candidate all current, open, unfinished applications that he/she has. The materials tab will detail what each position opening is requiring. A “needed materials” tab will send reminders to the person’s phone telling them what professional clothing options they still need to obtain.

Question of the Day:

This section will make sure the job candidate stays on top of all that goes on with the company they are applying too. The Question of the Day will ask questions like “What is the purpose of the company?” “What clients do they work with?” “What type of stuff does the company cover?” The Question of the Day will serve as a sort of quiz for the job candidate to make sure he/she is familiar with the company before the interview.

Reminders

The app will send out email and text message reminders telling the job candidate when they need to pick up a recommendation letter by (from a professor, work supervisor, etc).

Social Media

In order to stay in tip top shape and have a good online presence, the app will tell the job candidates what social networks he/she is lacking and need to sign up for.

 

Since this post deals with preparing for the job hunt, read on with this USA Today College article about more ways to prepare for the big interview.

A Real-Life Intern’s View of The Internship Movie

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The Internship came out back in June while I was working two summer internships. The movie is about two guys who lose their sales jobs mid-career and decide to take an internship at the well-known company Google. The movie has been getting a lot of praise from real-life fellow interns. As a former intern at Hays County Food Bank the movie was surprisingly accurate about the world of interning.

Courtesy of Hays County Food Bank
Courtesy of Hays County Food Bank

Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, the lead characters of the movie, come to the internship with no up to date job skills. Looking back at their years as salesman they think they will excel at the internship. When they arrive at the Google Headquarters and see the other interns, they realize something. They have no technology experience or updated technical job skills.

Being an intern without much real world work experience, I could understand the characters feelings of being lost in a competitive work world. I am four weeks into my internship here at the food bank and it has been great. I have done everything from helping hand out food at public distributions to dressing up as a carrot and floating the river to promote National Fresh Fruits and Vegetables month.

The theme throughout the movie The Internship is that personality and perseverance go a long way in one’s career. What the two lead characters lack in job skills, they make up with determination.

The diverse characters throughout the movie mirror the diverse group of people I meet every day through the food bank. Everyone here at the food bank has been friendly and helpful along the way of my internship. I look forward to the many duties I take on as an intern at Hays County Food Bank. This summer at the food bank is going to be great.

To learn more about the Hays County Food Bank, what the food bank does, and so forth, please visit their website.

Review of Ken Ilguna’s Walden on Wheels: From Debt to Freedom

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Photo Courtesy of Amazon.com
Photo Courtesy of Amazon.com

Every so often, one can see the news articles talking about student debt. It is a hot topic right now. The average student debt continues to rise in America. People try to concoct a range of different ways in order to minimize it. One guy, Ken Ilgunas, took it to the extreme: he lived in his van to stay debt free.

Photo Courtesy of Colin Ashby
Photo Courtesy of Colin Ashby

Ken Ilguna’s book, Walden on Wheels: On the Open Road from Debt to Freedom, details his experiences in tackling his $32,000 in debt, vowing to take out student loans again, and eventually living in a 1994 Ford E-150 Econoline. The book is divided into three parts: Debtor, Living a free life in spite of debt, and the eventual van dwelling part three.

The book starts off with Ilguna graduating from college, no job offers, and 32,000 in debt. He explores what his college degree (in english) is really worth and what it could do for him. No job leads on the horizon, he travels up to Coldfoot, Alaska to work a $9 dollar/hour job as a cook at a truck stop (Coldfoot has the northern most truck stop in the U.S.). The book chronicles the two and a half years after graduation of him working one low paying job to the next. Despite the low pay, through his extreme frugal living he is able to pay off the $32,000 in just two and a half years (hence the title: Walden on Wheels). After paying off the debt, he buys a van off craigslist and lives in it while going to graduate school.

There is something special about this book. It’s a coming-of-age memoir that is more than just chronicling the author’s personal self. In the book, the Ilguna raises questions about his education. Was his degree worth it? Should he have majored in something more “marketable”? He learns by the end of the book that his broad liberal studies degrees (BA in English, MA Liberal Studies) allowed him to dabble and learn in everything. From his frugal living and newfound master’s degree he sees that he is still a student, a lifelong learner. He breaks from the traditional masses view of a college degree and life. College allows him to form his own way of thinking that lead him to have some amazing life experiences.

So yes, even a liberal arts degree has some value.  :

To learn more about Ken Ilguna’s book, check it out on Amazon.

Job Hunt Lessons from Silver Linings Playbook

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Photo Courtesy of: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1045658/
Photo Courtesy of: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1045658/

I have a different take on Silver Linings Playbook.  I want to talk about the lessons one can take from the movie. Lessons people can take along in their post-graduation job hunts and embracing themselves in the work world.

Helpful Support is all around

Throughout the movie the main character Pat (Bradley Cooper) receives support from all over. His family is helping him get on his feet again. Pat’s friend Danny, from the mental hospital, gives him advice. Pat even learns a few things from the other co-lead in the movie: recovering sex addict Tiffany Maxwell (played by Jennifer Lawrence).

The thing to notice is that encouraging resources are all around a person. Talk to your family or a professor about what you want to do for your career. Talk about how you want to make yourself better. Internship supervisors, college career service centers, and working professionals are willing to help you, you just have to ask. Take charge of the beneficial resources surrounding you.

Look for Silver Linings

Silver Lining- A sign of hope in an unfortunate or gloomy situation (Dictionary.com definition)

Throughout your job search you are going to face lots of rejections, no replies and disappointment, but you should continue to look for a silver lining.

Pat at the beginning of the movie, despite having lost his wife and being released from a mental hospital, still believes in silver linings. Pat searches out for them and never gives up.

“You have to do everything you can. You have to work your hardest, and if you do, if you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining.” –Pat Salatono   Silver Linings Playbook

So push aside the anxiety and nervousness of career searching and remember to always try to find a silver lining.

Embrace You

Tiffany Maxwell is the tough skinned woman Pat comes into contact with in the movie. Being a recovering sex addict, there are dark things about her past. Her sister tries to be the “better” one of the two by showing off her materialistic items in her house. Tiffany embraces the dark past that many look down upon her for.

“There will always be a part of me that is dirty and sloppy. But I like that. Just like all the other parts of myself.” –Tiffany Maxwell  Silver Linings Playbook

The point is to embrace who you are in your job search. Showcase your strengths; show what you can offer to the employer. Know who you are and what is unique about you.

New York Times Movie Review of Silver Linings Playbook.

Movie “Glory Daze” Give Insight Into Post-Graduation Life

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GloryDaze[1]
Photo Courtesy of imdb.com
With the Netflix site up and a pile of not-so-healthy food in hand, I started to watch Glory Daze.  The interesting thing to notice about the film is that it was released at a time when most of the main cast was not all that famous.  Glory Daze stars Ben Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Matt Damon, Matthew McConaughey, Leah Remini, and Brendan Fraser all before they hit big.

When most see Glory Daze they see it as just another low-budget indie film without much to offer. That could be the case, but for most (yes, even people outside the 18-34 demographic) will be able to see something more from the movie.

The movie follow five friends who live in a house they call “El Rancho.” They are all going to college at University of California-Santa Cruz. Jack (Ben Affleck) deals with is commanding parents. Dennis (French Stewart) contemplates going to graduate school or not. Rob (Sam Rockwell) wonders if he should move to Los Angeles with his girlfriend or not.

After finishing the movie it really struck a chord with me. A lot of the issues dealt with in the movie are ones college students deal with all the time. Here are the four things I noticed that were addressed in Glory Daze:

Not being sure what you want to do in life

 

Jack (Ben Affleck) struggles with this throughout the entire movie. He is nearing his college graduation and he is not sure of what to do. In fact he has no idea what to do. Like many college students in real life, his parents start pressuring him. “You need to get a job Jack.” “You graduated, what are your plans now?” Jack doesn’t know how to answer these questions. He tries to dodge his parent’s persistence. He does not want to work at some corporate 9 to 5 job. He does not like doing mindless work for someone else’s dream. He wants to follow his dream. He is an artist. He is not sure of how to reach his dream.

Graduate School?

Dennis (French Stewart) deals with the decision of going to graduate school or working as an assistant at the university. Many graduating college seniors contemplate this. Should I go to graduate school or not? Not sure of if they will get a job after graduation, many students apply for graduate school. They believe that extra degree will make them “more competitive” in the workforce. Being more close to the plot of the movie, some students know they want to go to graduate school but are not sure if they should postpone it or not. Should they work for a few years after graduation or go straight to graduate school?  Dennis faces this proposition in the movie when one of his professors ask him to stay on as his assistant.

Relocating

Moving to a new city is a tricky proposition. College students think about the prospect of a new city as they get closer to graduation. Rob (Sam Rockwell) faces this when his question when his longtime girlfriend asks him to move to Los Angeles with her. Graduating college students often wonder if moving to a new city will help them out in life. Does the new city have good job opportunities? Do I need to move there for my career? Should I move even though I have a lump of student loans on me? Questions and anxiety swirl through students minds when they wonder what they should do. The same questions and anxiety happen to Dennis in the movie.

Wondering how all these topics are answered? Go grab some popcorn and maybe a few friends and watch Glory Daze.  It is currently on Netflix Instant.

New York Times Movie Review of Glory Daze.

Lessons Learned from NBC Show Parks & Recreation

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Parks and Recreation: Thursdays on NBC Photo Courtesy of buzzsugar.com
Parks and Recreation: Thursdays on NBC
Photo Courtesy of buzzsugar.com

Workplace comedies are pretty big right now. People love seeing a (mostly) real look into the lives of people that do typical common jobs. NBC’s Parks and Recreation is a workplace comedy dealing with the daily tasks and adventures of a group of people who work in a small town parks and recreation department.

Watching Parks and Recreation does not stop at just giving audiences a laugh, however. It provides some lessons that job seekers and people focused on advancing their career can notice.  Here are some of the lessons learned from Parks and Recreation:

Being an Intern has its perks

The idea of interns just doing busy work and taking coffee orders is a blown away with the character of April Ludgate. At the beginning of the show April starts out as an intern for the Parks and Recreation Department. Her tasks are anything but little: assisting with campaigns, generating support for a park project, and speaking at public forums. April is constantly able to network with top city officials throughout the show.

Be Yourself

April Ludgate, the intern, does not try to be someone she is not. She maintains her sarcastic deadpan personality. In a weird way this actually gets her noticed. City officials, residents of Pawnee, and her co-workers are all curious about her.

Several career sites and counseling offices tell you what to do and not to do in an interview. They say the behavior a person needs to have while on the job. They mention what to wear on the job or to an interview. With all these voices, it can be easy for a person to lose themselves. Do not let that happen. Do not lose your personality and distinction during an interview/ at a job. Still have professional etiquette of course! Just do not forget to show your personality to an employer. After all, this is what makes you unique.

Take Charge. Don’t be afraid to speak new ideas

Main character Leslie Knope is deeply committed to making her hometown of Pawnee the best that it can be. She is not afraid to let some of her weird and off the wall traits show.  She constantly talks about all the ideas she has to make Pawnee a great town. She wants to build a park, increase literacy, promote healthy choices, and help small businesses. Leslie has planned out steps to make all of her ideas a reality.

College students can particularly learn something important from the Leslie Knope character: she doesn’t wait to be told, she just does. Leslie is not stuck in the cycle of having someone tell her what task to do. She takes on workloads of her own.  She creates things without being asked.

 

Go to Entertainment Weekly’s website so you can vote Parks and Recreation for an EWwy Award (the punctuation is correct)

A Creed to Live By

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6a0120a8ac2bf6970b015433aebf1d970c (Photo Courtesy of:  http://www.shapeyourweigh.com/2011/07/a-creed-to-live-by.html)

This is something that I’ve been trying to read every morning before the start of the day. It is something that I think a lot of recent college graduates should think about. It is easy to get discouraged in the job-hunt when hearing several rejections. Graduates shouldn’t let the rejections/joblessness get to them. As long as a person keeps at it, they will eventually get the opportunity they need. It takes patience and persistence.  Below is a few excerpts from A Creek To Live By by Nancye Sims

Don’t undermine your worth by comparing

yourself with others.
It is because we are different that each
of us is special.
Don’t set your goals by what other people
deem important.

Only you know what is best for you.
By living your life one day at a time, you live all the
days of your life.
Don’t give up when you still have something to give.
Nothing is really over … until the moment
you stop trying.
Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less
than perfect.
It is the fragile thread that binds us to each other.

Don’t be afraid to encounter risks,
It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s
impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive love is to give love.

By Nancye Sims

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-creed-to-live-by/comments/

If the poem is not enough, consider this picture by Charlie from It’s always Sunny in Philadelphia:

4320(Photo Courtesy of http://weknowmemes.com/2011/10/oh-get-a-job-just-get-a-job/ )