ACTIVITY #1
I chose to try to get to know myself better so for my first activity i interviewed my best friend who i have known for years because she knows me very well. I asked her how am i as a person? Can u list some qualities i carry? My best friend responded by saying that i am hard-headed but that i am not only a good friend but a good person with a good heart that is a hard worker and very smart. She sees that i am a hard worker and have good work ethics because we have both been working ever since we were allowed to work. We both struggle with crazy schedules of balancing work and school.
Also, many people at work are always giving me compliments because they say that they can see my ambition and they see me striving to reach for my goals. They tip their hats to me for traveling everyday 2hrs taking three trains to get to work and then go to school at night and travel another 2hrs to get home. To then wake up the following day to do it all over again. And people at work often tell me that i have a good heart and a lot of patience to work in a nursing home and on a dementia unit because i really do care for the residents and i sometimes do things that i shouldn't do because my position does not allow me to but i do it anyway just to help the residents.
In life, to get to where you want to be, one must make sacrifices. I often get 3 or 4 hrs of sleep because i get home late from school and then have to attend to my studies and assignments. But i know in the end it will all be worth it. I am very kind and understanding and caring with the residents that i work with because i know one day i will get that old, and if i was helpless or didn't have the mental capacity to do things on my own, i would want someone to help me and not take advantage because I'm not in the right state of mind to make my needs known. I do believe in karma so what is the point in being cruel to others when one day it will come back to you in the worst way.
ACTIVITY #2 & #3
I visited old course work from each semester that i have been at LaGuardia. I even visited work i have written from when i was in junior high school and high school. Something i have noticed is that i have always been a decent writer even from my earlier years. Everything i have looked over was written well (of course there were errors) and i got good grades on each assignment i worked on. Something else that i noticed was that for the assignments that i can remember i didn't have much interest in, and didn't put my best foot forward for, i got a good grade but not As and Bs as the rest. Although i still passed and got good grades, even if i didn't put all of my effort into it, it shows and is easy to detect when you read assignment after assignment.
ACTIVITY #4
For this activity, i had to revisit an old friend, teacher or employer. It just so happened that i came across and old childhood friend. We had so much catching up to do. When we began talking about school, college and our majors, she looked a bit shocked. I asked her what was up with the puzzled look she had on her face. She told me that she found it to be crazy that my major is psychology because from when we were little, i always said i wanted to help people and that i was always very curious of the mind and how it works. She told me that i was always trying to analyze people and wondered why they say or do the things that they say and do. I was shocked that she remembered all this. I remembered all that she was telling me but i didn't think her or anyone else would. They she told me how not much has changed with me, just that i am older and more mature (i was always mature for my age). This showed me that my goals have been along the same lines from when i was a child until now. I guess one can say i have always known what i wanted to do with my life, even as a child.
I also came across an old English teach of mine from when i was in junior high school. I came across him in a festival a few months ago. We began talking about life, work and school. When he asked about work and school n i told him how many classes I'm taking and my major, and how my days are..for some reason he wasn't impressed. He was indeed very proud of me but didn't seem surprised or impressed. I wondered why, and then he tells me, that's my girl! That's the Ashley i knew u would grow up to be. He said that he knew from when i was in 8Th grade that i had potential and ambition and that i have always been very determined and that i always had the drive to do whatever it is that i put my mind to.
Through all of these activities and responses from people that know me well or that haven't seen me in a long time, this helped me get to know myself better in the sense that i realized, through every ones response that i have always seemed to be a very well rounded individual who knew what i wanted for myself and my future very early in life. And that i have pretty much stuck to it throughout the years.
ACTIVITY #5 (INTERPERSONAL SKILLS)
I had to write a reflection of a situation in the past where working with others was a bit of a challenge. A few years ago i worked in a store called Afaze in the mall as a manager. There was this lady in the store who seemed very suspicious in the store. She kept getting really close to the costume jewelery wall and kept looking back to see who was watching. So one of my sales associates stood a little closer by her and the woman flipped out cursing and making a huge scene in the store. She insulted my sales associate and my sales associate began to flip out as well. They were both out of line, although the lady definitely provoked my sales associate (who is very kind and very sweet, i never knew her voice could even get that loud). I then had to pretend i was on the Lady's side because this woman seemed completely unstable and i just wanted her out of the store before she caused any trouble, so i talked to her and calmed her down, playing both roles with my sales associate and the lady. The woman was crazy, and she wanted to get my district manager involved which i felt was completely unnecessary because nothing was done, she looked suspicious of stealing and my sales associate did her job in keeping an eye on her. But i was able to talk her down, she then left and all was resolved. I then spoke to my sales associate privately about how she needs to try and keep her composure, although the woman was wrong, but at work, one must keep their composure and maintain a certain amount of professionalism. Everything was resolved and no one got into big trouble. Although i think i handled the situation fairly well. It was a huge challenge because i never came across a customer like that who really seems unstable, who when she spoke, things didn't make sense. It seemed as if she needed to see a psych doctor. It was a huge challenge and i just hoped things didn't get blown out of proportion.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
GROUPS PART TWO
When the professor put us into groups, everyone went crazy trying to figure out what it was that we all had in common. In other groups, the similarities were so obvious, but in my group, it wasn't the obvious. We literally spent the majority of our group time trying to figure everything out. All of our majors were different. We are all different ages with different goals. So then i began to ask everyone what did they write when the professor asked everyone to write a paragraph or more telling what type of group you would like to be in and with what type of other people.
Finally we found out the similarity. The similarity was our differences. We each wrote that we wanted to be in a diverse group. With people who were all different so we can each learn from one another. We didn't want to be in a group with people who were all just like each other. But one thing we all wanted was to be in a group with people who weren't shy and who were talkative and we all fit the profile in some way lol.
We all came up with few options as to how the presentation should be. We came up with different options that included adding humor but wasn't sure as to how we should go about it. The thing i like most about this group that i was placed in is that we are all open minded to what each person has to say and how each person feels. We hear everyone out without judging because we all get along and have good ideas.
Finally we found out the similarity. The similarity was our differences. We each wrote that we wanted to be in a diverse group. With people who were all different so we can each learn from one another. We didn't want to be in a group with people who were all just like each other. But one thing we all wanted was to be in a group with people who weren't shy and who were talkative and we all fit the profile in some way lol.
We all came up with few options as to how the presentation should be. We came up with different options that included adding humor but wasn't sure as to how we should go about it. The thing i like most about this group that i was placed in is that we are all open minded to what each person has to say and how each person feels. We hear everyone out without judging because we all get along and have good ideas.
Lingering thoughts.....
In class activity
I am concerned with jobs...that is my lingering thought. For my future career in which i dream to pursue, will it still be in demand by the time i meet all of the requirements to work in that field. I know everyone hits obstacles they must overcome and every career has its hardships, i just don't want to be completely lost when that time comes, and be left with little or no options. This is something that i fear and always think about. I don't want to feel like i gave my all with school, and attended school for so many years and not be able to find work when all is said and done. After i spoke with the social worker from my job for the mentor interview, i felt relieved and a bit at ease with my lingering thought.
After we did this activity we all had to break up into our groups. When each member from my group discussed their lingering thought, we all realized that each of us basically fear the same. The fear of feeling like time has been wasted, or your career choice being completely unsuccessful. We each elaborated and broke everything down. But our game plan is to just go for the goal and give it out best shot. We also said we should do more research on our future careers but at the same time, the economy is unpredictable. No one can tell when the economy will go bad or when it will be at its best, therefore this is a risk we must take.
I am concerned with jobs...that is my lingering thought. For my future career in which i dream to pursue, will it still be in demand by the time i meet all of the requirements to work in that field. I know everyone hits obstacles they must overcome and every career has its hardships, i just don't want to be completely lost when that time comes, and be left with little or no options. This is something that i fear and always think about. I don't want to feel like i gave my all with school, and attended school for so many years and not be able to find work when all is said and done. After i spoke with the social worker from my job for the mentor interview, i felt relieved and a bit at ease with my lingering thought.
After we did this activity we all had to break up into our groups. When each member from my group discussed their lingering thought, we all realized that each of us basically fear the same. The fear of feeling like time has been wasted, or your career choice being completely unsuccessful. We each elaborated and broke everything down. But our game plan is to just go for the goal and give it out best shot. We also said we should do more research on our future careers but at the same time, the economy is unpredictable. No one can tell when the economy will go bad or when it will be at its best, therefore this is a risk we must take.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
MENTOR INTERVIEW
Although the career I desire is to become a clinical psychologist, I wish to pursue a career as a social worker until I meet the requirements to work in a hospital or psych ward as a clinical psychologist. For the mentor interview I interviewed a social worker in the nursing home that I currently work at.
The first question I asked the social worker whose name is Kendra was what type of personalities are required to work with these patients as well as their family members? What personality is needed to work in this field of work? Her response was that one must be compassionate toward these patients because each have a special case and need for care. Also, most are at the facility for long term care. Kendra stated that as a social worker, one must also be a good listener, problem solver and must have excellent intrapersonal skills because there needs to be open communication between the social worker and her patients, their family member, staff and doctors. The skills required other than intrapersonal skills are good writing skills and portable skills.
I then asked is this career changing and if so how? Has the economy had any effect on this career? Is it more in demand than what it was when you first entered this field of work? Her response was that most of the patients in the nursing home are the baby boomers and that there are more people that need help. She says the economy has affected this career because social worker positions are not available at the moment because facilities cannot afford to hire more but she says that once the economy picks up she has a strong feeling that many jobs will be available. She says that in five years she believes there will be an increase in jobs due to the many people that need help and that a social worker position cannot be taken over by computers because this field requires an actual person at hand to complete every task needed.
Another question I asked was what are the hardships that you face as a social worker? Kendra responded by saying dealing with difficult people. She stated that the patients, for the most part aren’t too difficult but their family members tend to be because some do not have a realistic view of the situation. Some are in denial and think that they know what’s best for their family member when in fact; their approach may not be the best. Another hardship she faces is when patients and their siblings do not get along or had many conflicts in the past, and now that sibling is in charge of making all decisions for the patient. This tends to cause even more chaos and difficulty. Kendra just tries to play fair because she cannot take sides in situations such as these; therefore she keeps all point of views open.
Some hardship she faces with staff is that sometime staff forget that social workers are the advocate for the patients and that they must report abuse or any type of neglect no matter if there is a friendship. She cannot worry about what the staff may say or how they feel because she has a job to do and all must be reported and documented if the patients’ needs are not being made. This often causes friction between the staff and social workers.
Lastly, I asked Kendra what is the upside of working in this field and this position? She smiled and quickly said that it is rewarding to see short term patients’ progress and reach their goals so they are able to go home. She said it is also very rewarding to see long term patients content and happy because they are being taken care of and their needs are being met. Most of the patients are very sick in this facility and have multiple medical diagnoses so they are dealing with a lot of end of life issues, so their happiness is very important. Getting to know long term patients family is also rewarding to Kendra.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Eportfolio
At first i didn't really grasp the whole idea of an eportfolio but after taking the cep121 class, it helped me understand everything a lot better. I had taken cep121 before but dropped it and studio hour was dreadful, i guess that's why i didn't understand everything to its fullest extent.
I can see how beneficial this can be for future jobs/. It shows your school work ethic. Your aspirations, goals, ambition. This portfolio can definitely give one the push they need to get ahead in life, its more personal but gives the employer or whoever takes a look at it, a better understanding of the person, who they are, what their values and beliefs are.
Adding photos to each page or link that matches the website or your major is a clever yet creative way in creating this eportfolio. It does show creativity but in a educational way. It adds spice to each page.
I can see how beneficial this can be for future jobs/. It shows your school work ethic. Your aspirations, goals, ambition. This portfolio can definitely give one the push they need to get ahead in life, its more personal but gives the employer or whoever takes a look at it, a better understanding of the person, who they are, what their values and beliefs are.
Adding photos to each page or link that matches the website or your major is a clever yet creative way in creating this eportfolio. It does show creativity but in a educational way. It adds spice to each page.
About the mock interview
IN CLASS.....
On Tuesday's class we went over how mock interviewing should be in order to be successful. We went over some questions that are usually asked during interviews. I use to think that talking too much about your previous jobs could be a bad thing, but during this class i learned that it can actually be a good thing depending on what you say. As long as you stick to the positive things that you did, talking about previous jobs could be extremely beneficial.
The basic idea is to just stick to all of your accomplishments and positive aspects and qualities you may carry whether it be in the work field such as good problem solving skills, delegating and good customer service. Also with school, showing that you are very dedicated, hard working, never give up on what you want to achieve. All of these qualities, if discussed or mentioned in an interview can definitely work to ones advantage.
I always knew that the way one projects their voice in an interview, the way they answer, sit and place their hands all may affect the interview in a negative or positive way. I was not aware that sitting up straight n speaking with your head up can affect your answers in the sense that it may give you more confidence.
On Tuesday's class we went over how mock interviewing should be in order to be successful. We went over some questions that are usually asked during interviews. I use to think that talking too much about your previous jobs could be a bad thing, but during this class i learned that it can actually be a good thing depending on what you say. As long as you stick to the positive things that you did, talking about previous jobs could be extremely beneficial.
The basic idea is to just stick to all of your accomplishments and positive aspects and qualities you may carry whether it be in the work field such as good problem solving skills, delegating and good customer service. Also with school, showing that you are very dedicated, hard working, never give up on what you want to achieve. All of these qualities, if discussed or mentioned in an interview can definitely work to ones advantage.
I always knew that the way one projects their voice in an interview, the way they answer, sit and place their hands all may affect the interview in a negative or positive way. I was not aware that sitting up straight n speaking with your head up can affect your answers in the sense that it may give you more confidence.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Groups
in class discussions
In groups, we discussed life skills that we would like to improve. I learned more about my fellow classmates and saw what they struggle with and it made me realize that maybe i should work on the same life skills, even if i felt it didnt need work, why not try to make each skill better and improve so its at its best.
In class the professor listed five tips for career goals. They were, eliminating embarrassment, having a goal can be a goal, small steps, most people who are 40 and up say they had no clue when they were 20 and having more than one goal is okay. When the class broke off into groups, my group and i discussed how most of us in class are privelaged to be the age that we are with set goals and ways to accomplish them but No matter the age of all the students in the class, we are all well off for the future because we have a plan.
I've decided that i want to get to know myself better for our life skills plan. I intend on interviewing/ asking someone questions about myself to see what they say as well as look at old course work i have done and compare it to something more recent and see what the difference is. If i have inproved in my writing or not.
In groups, we discussed life skills that we would like to improve. I learned more about my fellow classmates and saw what they struggle with and it made me realize that maybe i should work on the same life skills, even if i felt it didnt need work, why not try to make each skill better and improve so its at its best.
In class the professor listed five tips for career goals. They were, eliminating embarrassment, having a goal can be a goal, small steps, most people who are 40 and up say they had no clue when they were 20 and having more than one goal is okay. When the class broke off into groups, my group and i discussed how most of us in class are privelaged to be the age that we are with set goals and ways to accomplish them but No matter the age of all the students in the class, we are all well off for the future because we have a plan.
I've decided that i want to get to know myself better for our life skills plan. I intend on interviewing/ asking someone questions about myself to see what they say as well as look at old course work i have done and compare it to something more recent and see what the difference is. If i have inproved in my writing or not.
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