How is the coronavirus impacting your life?

DEBBIE GREEN

IAN WEINER

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Setting goals instead of wallowing in despair

BY DEBBIE GREEN

“Do you have a job lined up?” is probably the most common question a new college graduate hears, regardless of what is going on in the world.

Earlier this month, I graduated from the University of Rhode Island – with magna cum laude honors and a degree in ocean engineering – and I’d have to say no, I have absolutely no job prospects in sight.

Have I been interviewed? Yes. Have I been offered? Yes. Has anything stuck? No.

Many would think that I am simply not qualified, or there was a better candidate, and I had the same mindset for a little while. But it turns out that the coronavirus is my competitor. I was denied budding opportunities as a result of the pandemic. It has caused many engineering companies to remove job postings, cut jobs and rescind job offers.

Some may choose to wallow in the quickly diminishing opportunities, but I choose to challenge myself and take an alternative route. Instead of wallowing, I ask myself: How can I improve myself during these times of uncertainty?

First, I challenge myself to grow professionally. I am using the increased time I have to prepare for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, a formidable six-hour endeavor that is the first step that promising young engineers must take to become professional engineers. I utilize online textbooks, notes and tutoring sources to safely study from home, and I have created a set schedule for myself.

Passing the FE exam is an accomplishment for any engineer and can be helpful when applying for jobs. I feel my confidence building every day.

Second, I challenge myself to continue mitzvot. I am currently a volunteer puppy raiser for the Guide Dog Foundation, in Smithtown, New York. The nonprofit foundation pairs guide and service dogs with the visually impaired to increase their mobility and independence, and my involvement with the foundation began well before the pandemic.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 has also diminished opportunities for the puppies, which in turn hurts the people who need them the most. Before coronavirus, the puppy I am raising was able to attend classes with me and entered a variety of stores to experience different smells and surfaces. These exposure opportunities are invaluable to the puppies and their eventual partners. But because so many places remain closed, the puppies can no longer have these training experiences.

Fortunately, though, the added time at home has created other developmental opportunities. Obedience and exposure to loud noises, skills my pup can learn at home, have become a training  priority. We also go on many walks a day to practice loose-leash walking and walking without – pulling – which my trainee has begun to excel.

Third, I challenge myself to learn about my community. With all the added time at home and the walks my puppy and I are taking, I have seen more of my neighborhood on foot than ever before. I have picked up trash found on the side of local roads. I have found new walking paths.  And, most importantly, I have met new neighbors, both young and old. As a community, we have begun to discover one another as we smile, wave and talk from a distance.

Fourth, I challenge myself to connect. I have connected with my family more than ever. Every day, we go for a walk together, we eat together and we exercise together. We even learn about one another while playing games. And these enhanced connections are not limited to family. I connect with my peers by talking on the phone, playing online games and video chatting. Although I may not be physically with all the people I care about, I feel just as connected to them, if not more.

Fifth, and finally, I challenge myself to be proud. The past few months have felt like a series of tests with no standard measure of success. Coronavirus has not tested my math skills or my literary skills, but it has tested my drive. I feel proud to have risen to the challenge of continuous uncertainty and change.

I challenge you to grow academically, professionally and socially in our changed world. Above all, I challenge you to grow as a person and feel proud of your small accomplishments.

DEBBIE GREEN is from Long Island, New York. At URI, she was involved with Hillel, serving as a student intern and board member.

Making the most of the gift of time

BY IAN WEINER

It’s no secret that life presents a fair share of challenges. I also think it’s safe to say that we are in the middle of a pretty big challenge. However, life is also full of hope, and full of ambition, and it’s a good thing that there is plenty of both going around right now as well.

I am a recent graduate of the University of Rhode Island with a dual bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism and communication studies. I like to hike, and to take photos with my Nikon camera, and there are two words that I consistently use to describe how I am feeling right now: defeated and terrified.

My relationship with COVID-19 probably began earlier than most. This past semester, I had the opportunity to intern in the Department of Communications and External Relations at URI. Just one week after my internship began, URI was forced to bring students home from their study abroad experience because of the virus.

As time went on, it seemed that every day was “Coronavirus Day,” because the administration was constantly having to bring more and more students back home.

It was scary, and I didn’t even know then that the worst was yet to come. Almost overnight it seemed like the world fell apart. First, our classes were moved online for two weeks. Then, we were told that the remainder of our school year would be online and commencement was canceled, which meant that I would never get to say goodbye or thank you to so many of the friends and professors who had shaped my college journey. And to top it all off, the economy came crashing down, eliminating almost all of my job prospects, with no strong return in sight.

Now, I’ve come to realize that there are two ways I could write this piece, with one focusing on the difficulties I am facing. But stories like that are already all over the news every day. Instead, I’ll go in another direction.

Without a doubt, COVID-19 has given me hope and it’s given me ambition. It’s given me time to sit and really reflect on myself and who I am, and it’s given me time to think about where I want to go in my career. (It has also definitely increased the number of tech-support calls I get from my grandparents about how to get their audio and video to work on Zoom!)

All of my friends from college can easily attest that I was a very busy person. I wanted to be as involved as possible, and was constantly running from one activity to the next, trying to make the most of it. I sacrificed a lot of sleep over the years, but it was well worth it. 

Now I have that time to focus on myself. I’ve learned just about all the ins and outs of my camera, I’ve had the time to take a lot more photos and practice my skills, and I’ve even learned new photo-editing software. I’ve had time to watch movies and TV shows with my parents and brother, even if we laugh at the shows and talk the entire way through.

I’ve had time to read some inspiring books, and I’ve been able to touch up my resume, my LinkedIn profile and my professional portfolio. Best of all, I get to eat dinner with my family every night, which is something that I didn’t realize I had missed so much.

Don’t get me wrong, it is absolutely defeating to search job-posting boards every day only to find no opportunities available, and it is scary thinking about the student loans I will have to start paying back soon. In journalism, opportunities are being cut left and right as news outlets suffer from the disappearance of ad revenue and as they give out content for free to help people stay informed. It’s a daunting time to break into the field.

Nonetheless, stay-at-home time has given me the ability to appreciate what I have and to recognize how fortunate I am to have my friends and family. While we may not be able to see each other in person, we do quite literally spend hours on Zoom and other video-call platforms talking to each other. Whether it’s chatting about a movie or TV series we watched, or a new dinner recipe someone tried, there is always plenty of laughter and jokes. I am truly amazed at how we have all grown closer, despite the lack of physical connection.

Believe me, I am just as ready as the next person to be able to get out of my house and get back to normal life. But, for just a couple of hours each day, I take the time to reinvest in myself, easing the worries and the fears, and I’m much better off because of it.

This break has helped me realize just how much I want to get back out into the world and excel in my career, and it has helped me learn about a couple of volunteer opportunities I want to start participating in. I hope it can do the same for you.

IAN WEINER is from Severna Park Maryland. At URI, he was news editor and editor-in-chief of the weekly, student-run campus newspaper, and an active participant at Hillel.