Blog Post 4/22/21

In listening to the podcast for this class, I think the part that stuck out to me most was the conversation of Leadership Studies not being a “safe” major. As Dr. Bezio explains, people typically hear Leadership Studies, and in my own experiences, seem to be confused and often ask what I am even studying with that major. I would be lying if I said that I’ve never worried about getting a job with this major, for even this past spring as I’ve been applying to internships, there’s not typically any box that Leadership Studies fits into; however, I think it is this uniqueness of Leadership Studies that interests me the most. With this major, we can learn to a greater extent than most other majors how to think for ourselves, how to make ethical decisions, and ultimately how to be leaders, a skill that is fundamental to any career path. With most majors, you learn the facts of the field, such as in chemistry memorizing organic chemistry or in political science memorizing different governmental institutions and laws; instead, Leadership Studies has taught me not only how to be a leader, but also more soft skills, such as evaluating the ethics of a situation. Using these skills, we will be able to confront issues, such as social justice issues and inequality in the workplace, in the future, for we have learned both how to think for ourselves, and how to evaluate a situation that we see as being unequal, or more generally, “wrong”. Thus, I think it is important to recognize how a Leadership Studies major is indicative of our desire to make a change and will give us the skills, experiences, and even greater desire to succeed and make formidable improvements to our society.

3 thoughts on “Blog Post 4/22/21

  1. Oona Elovaara

    I really like that you mentioned soft skills because they are often overlooked and considered not to be as important as the “hard skills” we learn in school. However, I actually just learned yesterday that 85% of job promotions and progressions come from the strengths in your soft skills, such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving skills, etc. While we are learning about leadership, we are improving our soft skills along the way and I think that will set Jepson majors apart in the job industry.

  2. Michael Kyle

    On a similar note, every time I apply to something or fill out my college information anywhere besides here at UR, “leadership studies” never appears in the dropdown menu of majors. However, as you and Oona have mentioned, there are so many aspects of leadership studies that come with great benefits, and I think its very valuable to pair with any other major/minor or in any industry.

  3. Alejandra De Leon

    I agree. I also see Leadership as a necessity because you should be looking through different lenses too make a decision, it should not be one sided. As a business student, I see so many people with the perspective of “What can I gain?” in every situation instead of being well rounded and looking for a give and take or even just give.

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