Posted on 01/23/2006 3:56:02 PM PST by Coleus
Got my first two beads at C-19-96; my Dad, who used to be an Owl, put them around my neck. Got my third as a Troop Guide at C-19-02. I trained as SPL for a course in '05 that got cancelled, so we're trying again.
how do you know?
O.K. I'll restate; I have never met a female Scouter who was in Scouting for any political or social agenda that they have revealed through either word or deed.
Well, I got my first two beads in the previous course and got my third in the new one. I liked both courses. I'm more of an outdoors type of guy and so I liked that aspect of the previous course better. Apparently the BSA found that it was more important to pass along the ideals/methods than outdoor skills and also got a lot of feedback that people no longer responded well to getting sandbagged as an instructional method (at least, that was the perception). Me, I thought it added a little spice. They've really turned it more into a management course, although it's still obviously BSA training. I still think that every unit leader should take it.
Frankly he knows it is an ER badge so he is going to do it. He is very Eagle-motivated.
It's really hard these days, or maybe just where we are, for teens to find jobs. Our oldest has been looking hard and not had one phone call. She is in a Venture crew and volunteers on weekends at one of the BSA camps here.
I bet that was a great experience for you - mowing lawns. Sounds like your parents were terrific.
When I was at PacBell I frequently had requests for help from people at my current employer. I had no real intent to leave PacBell. When I decided it was time to go, my current employer hand carried an offer to my door. It was acceptable and essentially locked down a new position about 10 days before I left PacBell. That was 1991.
Landing the first position before you have any track record or opportunity to network with people who know your skillset is difficult. Many students intern at my current company while they are in school. It gives them work experience, a chance to build a track record and a set of references with people who know what they can do. I've had an intern on my railcar project for 6 weeks each of the past two summers. A bright student from MIT. He worked on some signal processing algorithms to convert Matlab code and some numerical recipes algorithms into a first draft of C language versions.
Share the ones you remember now!
He is on a kick now where he says you can do older, retired merit badges. He wants to do one from the early 1900's! And find someone to make a badge for him to wear.
If you don't have anything around the house, a Ruger 10/22 is a great starting point. Leave the iron sights on it as the merit badge requires shooting with the stock open sights. A box of 500 rounds will cost you about $10 at most stores. Don't forget shooting glasses and ear protection. Even the lowly .22LR produces enough of a supersonic "crack" to damage hearing over a prolonged period.
See if you have an indoor range in your area. The required distance for the merit badget is 50 feet. Most indoor ranges are set up with 15 or 25 yard lanes with a target trolley to carry the target downrange. The 15 yard is just short of the requirement. Take a measuring tape and have the range officer call a halt so you can put some masking tape on the floor at the 50 foot point in the 25 yard lane.
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