Class Time

In my research, I found that there is not a lot of sources on Informational Sciences... i narrowed it too much. I think I might have to choose a different major to research because Info Sciences is relatively new and the career path is not solid. I found that the most vulnerable jobs are in majors that can be related to Informational Sciences. So for now, I am going to focus on majors related to computer services.
I've found useful articles that say outsourcing is good for my target group, and well as articles that say outsourcing is bad for my target group.
I have come across a lot of articles that are useless, but I have also come across some articles that will really help my research.

Final Prospectus

Outsourcing jobs has become increasingly popular and easier due to technology. The outsourcing of jobs is when a job is sent overseas. Sometimes it is referred to as off-shoring. The reason for out-sourcing is that workers in poor countries offer cheaper labor than do workers in more advanced countries. This is said to widen the gap between the rich and the poor. But what about the people in between? What does outsourcing mean for the middle-class, working Americans that are losing their jobs because it is being transferred to some other country to somebody who will do it for less money? More specifically, how is this going to affect this middle class generation’s job future?

I would like to research the trends and patterns of outsourcing, and determine that if it continues like it is for the next few years, what will the job outlook be for me when I graduate around the year 2010 if I choose a major within the field of Informational Sciences? What is the ultimate affect of outsourcing on the American community with jobs related to informational sciences?

Updated Prospectus

Outsourcing jobs has become increasingly popular and easier due to technology. The outsourcing of jobs is when a job is sent overseas. Sometimes it is referred to as off-shoring. The reason for out-sourcing is that workers in poor countries offer cheaper labor than do workers in more advanced countries. What does outsourcing mean for Americans that are losing their jobs because it is being transferred to some other country to somebody who will do it for less money? What does it mean for the people who are receiving the job for smaller wages? How much is this widening the gap between the rich and poor? What are the pluses and minuses of outsourcing? More specifically, how is this going to affect this generation’s job future?

I would like to research the trends and patterns of outsourcing, and determine that if it continues like it is for the next few years, what will the job outlook for 2010 be for college students graduating from a school like Carolina?

Class Exercise 1

Topic Area:

• Outsourcing

Primary Research Question:

• How much will outsourcing affect my generation in our job search when we graduate from college?

Sub questions:

1. What kinds of jobs will be affected the most?
2. What does the answer to all of this mean?

Physical actions:

• Typing keywords into a computer
• Reading the information given back to me
• Saving the information that I thought was relevant

Affective

• Studious
• Frustrated
• Confused
  
• Satisfied

Cognitive

• I thought about how I can narrow my search even more
• What keywords would turn up the best results
• Is this 15 pg article worth reading

Kulthau's Theory

Kulthau's theory pretty much describes the process that I am experiencing. I picked outsourcing as my general topic, and then as stage 1 (Initiation) says, I realized that I really didn't have a lot of information about it and wondered if I made a bad choice in picking outsourcing. I couldn't figure out where I wanted to actually go with it, but then I finally chose to focus on the effects it will have on my generation in America. After finally narrowing it down, I felt relieved, and as stage 2 (selection) says, I felt optimistic and excited to begin researching. I am currently in stage 3 (Exploration), and am feeling the uncertainties it describes. I am coming across so much information that is useless and also confusing. I haven't come across he last three stages (formulation, collection, and presentation)in this project yet, but from previous experiences, I feel that Kulthau really understands what goes through most peoples' minds when they are researching.

My current information need is pretty much the same as in the last blog I posted. According to Kulthau, in order to fill my information need at this stage, I need to "locate information about the general topic, read to become informed, and relate new information to what is already known." Essentially, I am going to have to dig into the researching part of the assignment.