No more Boy Scouts (1 Viewer)

[CletiusMaximus]

If i saw "eagle scout" on a resume for a 45 year old i would chuckle and wonder if he wears his uniform for yard work.

On a 22 year old's resume, I would give it weight.

Kind of where I’d be at. Had a person in their mid 30s with “captain of their college soccer team” on their resume. Felt like an Uncle Rico moment.

We had an inside joke on the University rugby team that everyone on the team was a vice president for resume purposes, so I had “Vice President, UW Rugby Club” on my resume for a decade or so after graduating.

 

[nirad3]

If i saw "eagle scout" on a resume for a 45 year old i would chuckle and wonder if he wears his uniform for yard work.

On a 22 year old's resume, I would give it weight.

Kind of where I’d be at. Had a person in their mid 30s with “captain of their college soccer team” on their resume. Felt like an Uncle Rico moment.

We had an inside joke on the University rugby team that everyone on the team was a vice president for resume purposes, so I had “Vice President, UW Rugby Club” on my resume for a decade or so after graduating.

My fraternity chapter unfortunately had to turn in its charter when I was finishing my junior year at college. Long story short, we couldn't afford to pay our dues AND insane rent in Santa Barbara, CA...

So during our last chapter meeting, we nominated (and elected) each member as President of the fraternity. I think I may have listed that on my resume for a few years after college before just listing the name of the fraternity without the presidential designation.

 

[massraider]

Right so why get dinged if my interest "of hookers and blow" don't match the interviewers interests....

My outside interests don't reflect how I am as a team member/co worker/ or person

We talking about the way things should be, or the way things are?

 

[BrutalPenguin]

If I skipped over software developers that didn't have interests outside of computers and programming, I would have missed some of the best coders I've ever hired.

 

[belljr]

Right so why get dinged if my interest "of hookers and blow" don't match the interviewers interests....

My outside interests don't reflect how I am as a team member/co worker/ or person

We talking about the way things should be, or the way things are?

Dunno, I got every job I applied for so.....

But as I said hopefully this is my last one

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

I had earned my life badge in boy scouts. I'm not sure if this is true for other troops but to earn our Eagle badge we had to work with the scout master on our project etc. So shortly after I earned life the original scout master left and the new scout master was the father of one of the other boys. So for months and months his son and his son's friends were just like monopilizing his time and I had nothing to do since I had all the badges. So I quit since I was bored and I hated paying dues. In hindsight, I regret just quitting and I should have just transfered to a new troop.

 

[Rustoleum]

Do the Scouts still say the pledge of allegiance at their meetings?

Yes.

And the first question they will ask at a board of review to earn Eagle Rank is “Do you believe in a higher power?”

What if a candidate says no?

Technically, the board should stop right there and the scout would not be awarded Eagle Rank, at least according to the guy from district that has chaired the three or four review boards I have sat in on.

I’m not a fan of the requirement, (and I was only a Cub Scout, so no personal experience in it other than my son earning the rank) but from day 1, everyone is aware that there there is a religious underpinning to the whole scouting program, and at least in our troop, they are aware years in advance that that question is going to be asked. I personally feel someone’s belief in a higher power is theirs and theirs alone, and putting a 13-17 year old on the spot and making them declare one way or the other is just not right to me.

Guess the kid could always lie, but then again, one of the points of the scout law is “a scout is honest”….

ETA: there is an appeal process if the rank is not awarded. I think it exists moreso if a family feels there is some sort of personal beef with the troop leadership that led to being denied. If we think a leader or committee member is a hard “no” in advance because they don’t like the kid, or think the family did the project and not the scout, we just ask somebody else to sit on the board. We’ve been asked to have someone sit on a board by a neighboring troop for just those reasons.

 

[Rustoleum]

I had earned my life badge in boy scouts. I'm not sure if this is true for other troops but to earn our Eagle badge we had to work with the scout master on our project etc. So shortly after I earned life the original scout master left and the new scout master was the father of one of the other boys. So for months and months his son and his son's friends were just like monopilizing his time and I had nothing to do since I had all the badges. So I quit since I was bored and I hated paying dues. In hindsight, I regret just quitting and I should have just transfered to a new troop.

Yeah it’s not supposed to be that way. I’m sorry that happened to you. The troop leadership is supposed to sign off onthe project before the scout gets district approval to begin, and then it’s on them. A good scoutmaster should help the scout advertise his “work days” etc. to the rest of the troop and should absolutely not hinder a scout like that (cars, jobs, and girlfriends o that quite well already as I’ve seen kids with just the project left at age 15 be under the gun to complete the day before they turn 18, lol). We call them the Midnight Eagles.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

If i saw "eagle scout" on a resume for a 45 year old i would chuckle and wonder if he wears his uniform for yard work.

On a 22 year old's resume, I would give it weight.

That’s fair. I would hope at that age it would fit under interests and they’d possibly be a volunteer leader in their child’s pack or troop.

On the other hand, if only just once I’d dunked a basketball, or struck out some future major leaguer, that’d be in my resume forever.

At what point did we start putting interests on a resume?

People still use resumes??!

 

[Alex P Keaton]

i was in scouts in elementary. It was definitely mostly nerds. Dont think I did any in jr high.

My kids were in it, our troop was pretty lax. We’d even do unsanctioned camping and have a few beers

Then it basically disbanded because nobody wanted to run it. New pack was all ex military dudes that were in scouts together as kids. They were ok but also got burnt out and busy so we finally dropped out.

Overall I think it’s positive and I enjoyed my experience, but I also don’t care for the religious ties. I always skipped that part with our kids.

I also get a weird vibe from old dudes dressed as scouts, like the council type guys

I’d be careful talking about “unsanctioned camping” with Boy Scouts as an adult.

Especially if it involves a guy named Steve

 

[Rustoleum]

If i saw "eagle scout" on a resume for a 45 year old i would chuckle and wonder if he wears his uniform for yard work.

On a 22 year old's resume, I would give it weight.

That’s fair. I would hope at that age it would fit under interests and they’d possibly be a volunteer leader in their child’s pack or troop.

On the other hand, if only just once I’d dunked a basketball, or struck out some future major leaguer, that’d be in my resume forever.

At what point did we start putting interests on a resume?

People still use resumes??!

A million years ago I vaguely recall there being guidance to include a brief section of non-educational, non-work history stuff, then things went to just hyper-exaggerating the slightest accomplishment in paragraph form, to regurgitating the same stuff on terribly formatted online applications, cover letter, no cover letter, wear a suit, don’t wear a suit, pants optional..But I’m a dinosaur and have been in the same place for 26 years so wtf do I know?

 

[Zow]

Do the Scouts still say the pledge of allegiance at their meetings?

Yes.

And the first question they will ask at a board of review to earn Eagle Rank is “Do you believe in a higher power?”

What if a candidate says no?

Technically, the board should stop right there and the scout would not be awarded Eagle Rank, at least according to the guy from district that has chaired the three or four review boards I have sat in on.

I’m not a fan of the requirement, (and I was only a Cub Scout, so no personal experience in it other than my son earning the rank) but from day 1, everyone is aware that there there is a religious underpinning to the whole scouting program, and at least in our troop, they are aware years in advance that that question is going to be asked. I personally feel someone’s belief in a higher power is theirs and theirs alone, and putting a 13-17 year old on the spot and making them declare one way or the other is just not right to me.

Guess the kid could always lie, but then again, one of the points of the scout law is “a scout is honest”….

ETA: there is an appeal process if the rank is not awarded. I think it exists moreso if a family feels there is some sort of personal beef with the troop leadership that led to being denied. If we think a leader or committee member is a hard “no” in advance because they don’t like the kid, or think the family did the project and not the scout, we just ask somebody else to sit on the board. We’ve been asked to have someone sit on a board by a neighboring troop for just those reasons.

I appreciate the time you took in providing this response. I agree with your thoughts on the issue as well.

 

[pecorino]

Boy Scouts did an awful lot for me as a kid. I joined at 11 years old and did as much as I could before turning 18 (when you age out). I understand the idea of inclusion and that there are benefits to broadening what the Scouts can be. My experience at that age needed to be with other boys and if there were girls there, it would have significantly diminished my experience. I know I'm in the minority and I know that I'm developing into a get-off-my-lawn old man. But I am not in favor of this change. ETA: By "change" I mean the additional of girls, less so the name change.

 

[nirad3]

Boy Scouts did an awful lot for me as a kid. I joined at 11 years old and did as much as I could before turning 18 (when you age out). I understand the idea of inclusion and that there are benefits to broadening what the Scouts can be. My experience at that age needed to be with other boys and if there were girls there, it would have significantly diminished my experience. I know I'm in the minority and I know that I'm developing into a get-off-my-lawn old man. But I am not in favor of this change. ETA: By "change" I mean the additional of girls, less so the name change.

I can completely see your point of view but for me (or, I guess, my son), the fact that girls are now allowed in "Scouts" is a huge benefit to him. I contend that he will need to interact with people of varying ages, genders, upbringings, races, social status, etc. for the next 40 years of his life. The more he can get comfortable doing that now, as an 11-year-old, the better. For me, I've been fortunate to have worked with plenty of incredible women, both in an equivalent role and in a superior role. I appreciate your opinion but think it's off-base.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Both things can be available.

 

[massraider]

So...... there IS still Scouts.

But girls are allowed (have been for years), and they've changed the name, maybe to distance the Boy Scouts from their own horrible abuse scandal.

Seems like two positive steps.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Both things can be available.

The problem is that both things are not available. Girls get a girls-only space, but boys don't. Not all boys benefit from boys-only activities, but many do, and it was a bad idea to get rid of those.

Edit: Thanks to @Mrs. Rannous for clarifying!

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Both things can be available.

The problem is that both things are not available. Girls get a girls-only space, but boys don't. Not all boys benefit from boys-only activities, but many do, and it was a bad idea to get rid of those.

And troops can still be one or the other. From their website:

Starting in 2018, we serve boys and girls through single-gender dens in the Cub Scout program. In 2019, we will also introduce a program that will enable both older boys and older girls to join single-gender troops and earn the highest rank of Eagle Scout. We also offer co-ed programs, serving young men and young women, such as Venturing, STEM Scouts, Exploring and Learning for Life.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Both things can be available.

The problem is that both things are not available. Girls get a girls-only space, but boys don't. Not all boys benefit from boys-only activities, but many do, and it was a bad idea to get rid of those.

And troops can still be one or the other. From their website:

Starting in 2018, we serve boys and girls through single-gender dens in the Cub Scout program. In 2019, we will also introduce a program that will enable both older boys and older girls to join single-gender troops and earn the highest rank of Eagle Scout. We also offer co-ed programs, serving young men and young women, such as Venturing, STEM Scouts, Exploring and Learning for Life.

That’s my understanding from a discussion with my neighbor a couple of years ago. It’s not that boys troops are now forced to accept girls but that girls troops can now be formed and they can do activities together. The main reason for it is to drive recruitment and revenue for a floundering organization. There’s also an undercurrent of animosity between the BSA and Girl Scouts, which apparently is not a cooperative relationship but much more competitive. I think there’s been litigation between the two. Girl Scouts has done a better job with their branding into urban and suburban areas whereas Boy Scouts is still seen as being focused on out-doorsy adventurer stuff.

 

[brettdj]

Boy Scouts did an awful lot for me as a kid. I joined at 11 years old and did as much as I could before turning 18 (when you age out). I understand the idea of inclusion and that there are benefits to broadening what the Scouts can be. My experience at that age needed to be with other boys and if there were girls there, it would have significantly diminished my experience. I know I'm in the minority and I know that I'm developing into a get-off-my-lawn old man. But I am not in favor of this change. ETA: By "change" I mean the additional of girls, less so the name change.

The Girls are nearly completely separate at this time. The boys from my troop only see girls at larger events. Week to week they do not interact with girls. The only time there may be interaction is at summer camp. Then they will see them at merit badges and meals. They will not be at their campsite.