David Bushman of Princeton University presented "Escaping the Drudgery of Life" as part of the Six O'Clock Series to approximately 30 attendees in the HUB Ohio Room Monday.
Presented and co-sponsored by the IUP Interfaith Council, the lecture served as an ironic and interesting precursor to the finals rush.
What new entrees into the workforce struggle with most is the schedule, according to Bushman.
"Schedules don't change every four months. Blowing off meetings isn't as welcome in the workplace. Morning hours are when most jobs want you," said Bushman of fitting into a company's culture.
Bushman encouraged students to take their future workplaces into consideration, as he said, "It can be a real shock … after collegiate life."
After interviewing many Princeton alumni, Bushman noticed that a lot of graduates were surprised by the amount of work expected by their employers.
Based on the conclusions from his survey, Bushman offered tips to the audience: Don't vilify or worship work; slow down and pay attention to what you like; and maintain some sense of detachment from work to allow oneself to better critique one's work, he advised.
He called students to interact, asking them the person in the neighboring seat what was rewarding about their major.
Wages, feeling of accomplishment, learning a new skill and helping people were mentioned when the audience was asked to list the good outcomes of work.
"Work is a major part of your identity, but it is not the only part of your identity," Bushman said.
"Work is the new neighborhood," he continued. " People know more people than they do in their own town."
Aaron Dantley (freshman, philosophy/math) appreciated Bushman's emphasis on "maintaining a balance between work, religion and the rest of your life."
"What I liked most was that it was a realistic discussion of the difficulties that people encounter in the workplace," said Angie Lane (senior, criminology).
At the end of his speech, Bushman answered a few students' questions. A student questioned whether a woman could be successful in the work world and have a healthy family life.
Bushman answered yes, and mentioned the men he interviewed also had difficulty maintaining the balance.
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