To: Jacques Chitte who wrote (34524 ) 4/12/1999 6:04:00 PM From: nihil Read Replies (1) | Respond to
The interconnection of the serotonin reuptake mechanism and purely mental mood is still pretty much a mystery. I believe some success gurus and meditators may actually be able to control or at least influence happiness and self-actualization. I am not sure any of them can successfully teach their methods. I teach many seniors who see their career futures in the darkest terms, seeking a secure job without much pay of opportunity for advancement. While not extremely selective, my university is loaded with many intelligent and hard-working kids. In explaining where business future lies, I emphasize the digital and communications world. I tell them successful companies routinely limit recruitment to the top 10 per cent of college graduates (this isn't strictly true, but is close enough). You can see the faces drop. I ask how many students consider themselves in the top 10%. No one raises their hands, even the most arrogant and ambitious kids. I then explain about IQ's and SAT's and admission standards and the rest. I also explain that no one knows what the college grades mean in terms of achievement. I explain that it never pays to minimize your personal achievements, and no one was ever fired for looking on himself as excellent. I then ask again, and everyone believes they are in the top 10%. I turn them lose on the web to get a decent job, and many do by themselves. Self-perception as being first-rate is critical to one's success. Many job interviewers record self concept as positive, exaggerated, or fragile. Only positive is good. Many Asians and Asian-Americans have a submissive character, shifty eyes (dominance denying), and quiet, almost inaudible voices. Regardless of intelligence, recruiters avoid most of these people. Few of my seniors this year (nearly all Asian or A-A) have jobs yet. I believe it is a failure of self-esteem. Many do not want to adopt the culture of the "Coast haole," but they want the jobs that Coast haoles get. Here IMO there is a mismatch between objective quality and self-perception that is well termed lack of self-esteem. The students need to restrict themselves to Asian business commmunities (I'll talk about that sometime) or try to compete in a cosmpolitan labor market that demands that they speak up and be assertive.
