MichaelGowin.com/blog » Teaching

Inspiring Video from Zack Arias

Michael — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:30:00 +0000

Atlanta-based music/commercial/corporate photographer Zack Arias produced an incredibly thoughtful reflection on photography, success, failure, and the important things in life for Scott Kelby’s blog. Sometimes we need to question our work and our contribution, and yet still keep pressing forward while sorting out what matters most. There are lessons here for anyone engaged in creative work, whether photography, the arts–even teaching.

LCC Business Student’s White House Internship Featured in Local Media

Michael — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 05:57:51 +0000

Angela Zirkelbach, a junior in the Business Administration program at Lincoln Christian College, worked as an intern at the White House this past summer. As far as I know, she’s the first LCC student to have done so. Her story was featured in the Lincoln Daily News this week, and she was also profiled on the Inside LCCS podcast in November. Angela’s story is one of service, humility, and being in the right place at the right time with the right people.

UPDATE (2009-01-15): I was going to mention this when I wrote this post but it slipped my mind–the LDN piece was written by my colleague Candra Landers, who was also featured on the Inside LCCS podcast at the end of December. Thanks, Candra–nicely done on the article.

Today’s Presentation Tip

Michael — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:51:41 +0000

Courtesy of Seth Godin:

Blah, blah, blah, blah…

PS–this applies in the classroom as well.

Students Conducting Benefit Race for Special Olympics

Michael — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:50:49 +0000

Five seniors at Lincoln Christian College, all business majors in the Principles of Management class, have organized a fundraiser for Special Olympics here in Lincoln, IL. The students in the course must organize some type of project that benefits another organization. The Race in the Park will take place on Saturday, November 8, and the group was profiled in by the local paper just yesterday. I’ll be photographing the event and will post some photos here next weekend.

Personal Finance Information for Missions Students

Michael — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:29:07 +0000

Rob Maupin, one of my colleagues who teaches intercultural studies, asked me to speak to a group of his students about money. Neither Rob nor I learned anything (formally) about personal finance as college students. As could be expected, then, we made some mistakes and learned a lot by trial-and-error. Now, however, we’re trying to help our students make better decisions with their money.

Students (and others) can download the presentation handout here (PDF).

Additional Resources

Dave Ramsey.com – Author of The Total Money Makeover (recommended) and the Financial Peace University course (also recommended).

Get Rich Slowly – If you follow only one link out of this site, make it this one. J.D.’s site is a fantastic resource for those trying to get out of debt, make better financial choices, and live more simply. Also features a list of the best books for personal finance and an updated list of the best banks for high-yield savings accounts.

USAA.com – When my wife and I first married 12 years ago, I read an article in Money magazine on the best bank in the U.S. USAA topped the list and we moved our money there. We also have our mortgage and auto insurance with USAA. The company’s exceptional products and services are available only to military personnel and their families.

HSBCdirect.com – HSBC offers an easy-to-use, high-interest savings account that can be opened with as little as $1. A good place for your emergency fund.

Which typeface should I choose for my resume?

Michael — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:27:51 +0000

Photo by rnav1234

In my day job, I help students develop resumes and cover letters for their internships and future employment. Since they often must compete against many similarly qualified candidates, I advise a differentiation strategy: how can they show the recruiter/interviewer that they are different (i.e., a better hire) than the other 30 applicants? This is primarily demonstrated by the student’s work ethic and character. One small tactic, though, is to choose a typeface that is not the default typeface in their word processing software. For 95% of the world (Windows), the default font is Times New Roman.

Along these lines, one student recently wrote me the following e-mail:

Dear Professor Gowin,

I am in such a bind, I cannot decide between the Book Antiqua font or the Gateway font for my resume. Which one do you think is more suitable?

p.s. Georgia is growing on me as well.

Here is my advice:

Book Antiqua is good, although, in my opinion, a little dated. Even so, it’s a better choice than the overused Times New Roman.

I’m not familiar with Gateway; however, if it’s on Windows (which it probably is–I’m on a Mac and haven’t seen it) then it should probably be avoided.

Georgia is very popular right now. It’s the default serif typeface for a lot of "Web 2.0" sites and many blogs (including my own–Georgia is the headline, post title, and heading typeface on the site). It’s a more open, friendly typeface than TNR. Whereas TNR says "boring" or "I’m too lazy to change fonts" or "I don’t know how to change fonts," Georgia says "Hug me!" (but not in a needy, codependent way) or "I’m not TNR."

So, dear student, of these choices I’d recommend Georgia. If you’re daring enough to take a chance and really want to stand out (but in a good way), consider Helvetica. But avoid Times New Roman.

Tags: resume, typeface, font