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As someone who has served on NCDA’s board for a couple of stints, I (Deb) can say what a tremendous honor it is to be a part of a team responsible for guiding the future of our profession. I am so pleased to learn and now share that my tech twin, Melissa, will be joining the NCDA Board in October! I’m sure she’ll keep the board advised of all the tech trends that might help to extend and enhance career development for all. CONGRATS MELISSA!!!

Are you so “hip” that you’re square? Are your lectures and presentations peppered with words like “groovy,” “cool,” “awesome,” and “da bomb?” If so, it might be time for a slang upgrade to the words that are “lit” today. Here’s a little primer:

• Lit – amazing, awesome.
  • Learning how to help make career decision is lit.
• Savage – hard core
  • Today we are going to get savage about job searching techniques.
• Live – excited, animated, fun, intense
  • Today we have Dr. Sampson talking about technology and career counseling. Trust me, it’s going to be a live experience.
• High key/low key – high needs to be spoken; low is intended.
  • Outlining specific steps involved in career decision making with clients is high key. At the same time, we are low key about other issues such as depression that may be going on, especially early on in the process.
• Keep it/Trash it– when you approve (or disapprove) of something.
  • So, during class, I had you create a Linked In profile. After this class is over, do you think you should keep or trash it?
• Cancel – to reject something
  • As you look over this sample resumé, take a pen and cancel anything you think should be trashed. Highlight what you should keep.
• Fleek – something that is perfect, on point.
  • If you want to be on fleek at the NCDA social, be sure to have brushed up on your conference conversation starters.
• OTP – “one true pair” – used usually in reference to a couple, but you can “couple” career terms in that way.
  • Dysfunctional career thinking and Cognitive Information Processing Theory are OTP.
  • Career and mental health are OTP.
• BAE – “beyond anyone else” – used most often in relationships, but you could stretch it to career concepts, theories, assessments.
  • Which career theory is your BAE?
• LBVS – Let’s be very serious
  • Ethical issues in career development? LBVS.
• Throwing Shade – to disrespect someone
  • When you’re talking about past employers during an interview, be careful not to throw shade on them.

Sure, if we’re presenting to other professionals, we want to keep our language more sophisticated (and certainly, we want our clients to use professional language when interviewing). But, if we’re hoping to connect with clients and students, being on flee with their world – their music, their movies, their t.v. shows, their language, has the potential to demonstrate an understanding and appreciation, or at the very least, an attempt to understand and appreciate their world view. Of course, it also has the potential to end up in the BBE (biggest beating ever) for you socially. I’ve personally found if I use slang with my students in an exaggerated way, that shows I know I’m trying to be cool and probably failing at it, I get a lot of laughs and appreciation.

Can’t get enough? Want to stay brushed up on your slang? The online slang dictionary can get you set up with a slang word of the day, and you can also search for slang words that get at what you’re trying to say in normal English. (Today’s word was “delish”).

Sources:

http://www.mtv.com/news/2720889/teen-slang-2016/