Submitted by: Andria Oleszczuk
Lesson Title: Get the Grub and Love Life’s Luxuries

• Goals/Objectives:
  To demonstrate to students the importance of campus involvement early in their college experience
  
• To show students the topics within a resume and stress to them that this is a major way a future employer differentiates them from another applicant
  
• To have the students realize how much a comfortable lifestyle costs.

Student Preparation:
Students will be asked to write three separate lists prior to the start of class. One of the lists will be a comparison chart, split into two columns: one labeled as “Life’s Necessities” and the other labeled as “Life’s Luxuries”. Students will fill in the necessities list with objects they believe are life’s essentials, such as water, food, heat, and gasoline. Under the column labeled “Life’s Luxuries” students will list items they desire to have later in life for example, designer clothing, upscale automobiles, and weekend getaway homes.

The other list students will complete is a list of activities they enjoy doing in their spare time as well as subjects they are interested in.

Materials/Resources:

Outline of Lesson:
I will begin class by asking students to tell me the items they listed on both their “Life’s Necessities” and “Life’s Luxuries” columns. I then will write this information on the board. Besides all of this information, as a class we will come up with the approximate cost for each item. After the comparison table is completed, I will ask the students to mention the areas of interest/hobbies in which they like to be involved. After listening to what they have to say and looking at the board, I will then distribute blank copies of example resumes and I will ask them if they have visited the university’s organizations website: http://db.sa.sc.edu/studorg/pubic. I will inform them that this website is guaranteed to have clubs and organizations pertaining to their interests. I will instruct them to look at the blank resumes and relate the fact that when they graduate these blank spaces should be filled with activities regarding their interests. I will stress the fact that campus involvement should not wait until your junior or senior year, it should start now. I will emphasize that resumes are the only tool that employers look at and your personal experiences differentiate you from other possible applicants. Filling in this resume will, in turn, increase your probability of getting hired in the future. Your job in the future is the key determinant of what you will be able to attain: necessity or necessity and luxury.

Assessment/Outcome:
Hopefully all students will realize that while a gallon of milk approximately costs $2.00, a sporty set of wheels may average around $30,000.00. And yes, all we need to live is the bare necessities of life; however, simply stated, we enjoy life’s luxuries. We will not attain these material goods if we do not get hired at a job which pays respectable rates. Students should now realize that nothing comes for free and that college is the time where we pave the way for our future. Involvement in school needs to start your freshman year. If you wait, you will miss out on great resume builders and many enjoyable experiences.