Jacob's Abroad Blog (Career Management)

 In class today we learned how to approach all our big rocks. I used getting an internship this summer as an example. While I have had friends who put hundreds of hours and applied to hundreds of positions, I found intense grind sessions to be a more effective approach in my internship process. Consistency was key in my success. I found a job working at WellsFargo in Charolette NC, through targeting my interests staying real/ honest with myself, and by positioning myself to the employers as someone who wants to learn and is open to criticism. I want to reflect the way I handled the internship process in the other big rocks of my day to day life. It taught me a lot about what I am capable of when organized and determined. 

 Today in class we just worked on our marketing plan, however I thought it was really insightful to gauge our short, medium, and long term goals. Breaking it up we were able to see the difference between the big rocks and small rocks, what to prioritize, and find whats truly meaningful to me in life. I know hands down the people in my life are the most important, followed by my passions and finding fulfillment. This was a good class for reflection and I enjoyed it very much. 

 Today in class, we covered Matias' Case. A man who was very skilled at his job and seemed to have everything... even a promotion waiting for him. Unfortunately, Matias didn't feel that way... We learn his indecisiveness becomes his downfall and his ceiling as he risks getting fired for being too difficult. He hurts his potential not knowing what he wants and having his boss and others work around him. I see parallels in my life, where I find some of the bigger decisions I make procrastinated or putt off and it sometimes implicates others. While I firmly believe everything happens for a reason, I have worked on being more decisive with my decision making always listening to my heart and head rather than letting in any self doubt get in the way of my choices. An example being this summer when I impulsively took a farming job in Mississippi. While I had never been and had negative feelings about the politics and climate of the South, my passion for the environment and getting my ...

 Listening to the guest speaker talk in class was very inspirational and motivating. Our guests tragic experience made me realize how grateful I am for the little conveniences in everyday life that I typically take for granted. The speaker was paralyzed from a car accident, and in a wheelchair... There are many things he is limited by. It was inspirational to see how positive he is and learn about all the takeaways hes gained from his unfortunate situation. Before the accident, the speaker worked in business which was not his true passion. He discovered his passion after his career was taken away from him. He found life coaching was his true passion and he is eternally grateful for all that has happened as it has allowed him to find greater purpose. This makes me think about my career choice, and I should figure out if it is my true calling... if we can only live once I want to be sure I'm doing what I truly want. I am hopeful that I like my job when it starts, but I will make sure...

Today in class we watched a TED talk. It was about a ‘researcher storyteller’ who started a personal journey of growth following complications in her research project. I found it most moving how she made a point where you can’t mute vulnerability without muting other emotions as well. In my personal life, I have since practiced being more vulnerable and opening up to friends and family about what is on my mind. I did not think about how it could affect other areas of my life keeping it all in. The speaker claims that if you mute vulnerability, then it can also partially limit your ability to experience excitement and joy. I need to work on being more vulnerable, so I can fully experience the excitement and joy. It can be difficult to open up and trust others with things that are very important to you, but after this TED talk I am inspired to work on doing just that.  This also connects with the activity about experiencing ups and downs. They are part of life, and feeling/ going thr...

 Giving feedback can be a very difficult area to navigate with fear that being to critical or not harsh enough will be inefficient. In class, we were told tips on how to give feedback in the most effective way.  In class I volunteered to take part in the feedback exercise where 4 kids including myself were blindfolded and asked to throw a series of balls into a basket. For each of the 4 contestants the class was told to give them different feedback on whether they made the shot or not. I was first, the instruction was to cheer no matter what (only positive feedback), the person after me received "boos" regardless if they made the shot or not (negative feedback), the third received no feedback (silence), and the last was told when they made it with a cheer and a boo when they missed. We learned from the demonstration and the number of shots made in the game that the person with unbiased (both positive and negative feedback) feedback did the best and therefore it was the most e...

In today's fast-paced and competitive world, finding fulfillment in our professional lives can often feel like an elusive pursuit. Many of us spend a significant portion of our time at work, yet far too often, it can seem like an obligation rather than a source of inspiration. However, we learned today in class it's possible to not only find your element in your job but also come to peace with it being the most important thing in your life. I learned to take the time to reflect on what truly excites myself, what I excel at, and what matters most to me. This involves exploring my hobbies, interests, and past experiences to uncover patterns and themes that point myself in the direction of my true calling. I hope everyone understands that message because it makes life seem a lot easier 

  The movie we watched in class about the sea had many similarities to the movie Flight . Both had characters with major development throughout the film. Both started off with bad first impressions,  however as the movies went on both worked to win others loyalty and trust. They proved preconceived biases and ones perception of them can change.  In other words, giving people second chances can be worth it in the end. In the movie, the main character did not get along with his boss, but trial and tribulation, they made sacrifices for one another and found a sense of loyalty.  I know all my boys have my back and my families trust and love. I believe I show them that same sense of trust and would go through any and everything for them as I think they'd do the same

Assessment centers are a very interesting development. We learned they are the most effective way to predict performance and behavior given a set of criteria. I have crossed paths with assessment centers in my life while going through the internship process. It was stressful but I'm happy to report I must have done well because I got a job! In class they gave us a long exam that would tell us which career would be fitting. I received the results that I should be an orthodontist. I don't really see the connection but will happily change my life plans!  I don't know exactly what I want to do in life however I know I want to do something that allows me to be outside... maybe a gardener! Seeing that I can't be an outdoor orthodontist, I think the assessment center exam had flaws where it created very vague scenarios and only asked how I felt about certain situations not prompting questions about what I wanted to be.  👷👮💂?

I was moved by watching the TED talk about givers and takers. It is definitely difficult to balance between the two without being polarized to one side of the spectrum. When reviewing myself, I think I can fall too far on the giving side where it becomes an issue. Sometimes it feels the takers in my life take too much and that it affects me in a negative way. I wish we lived in a world where it wasn't so kill or be killed because I believe a lot more people would be appreciative of what they have rather than what they don't have...  A relevant  example is how I spend my time at school. I'm always ready to help a friend or classmate if there is something that comes up in their schedule and can always work around others. However, this negatively affects me when I don’t create a boundary because often times I don't leave time for myself. This is a very simple observation, but I think it carries over into other facets  of my life where I begin questioning if some people are...

Opening class with the Sia music video brightened my day and got me excited for this career management class. The message of the video is that smiling and positivity is contagious. It seems like a simple concept that would not make a big difference, but the video shows girls running around a New York city (which is typically a city where everyone is in their own world) to prove the energy shift as they get citizens smiling. It is important to remind myself to spread positivity, as smiling is not typically considered a top priority in the daily to do list but can still make the world of difference. Being in Barcelona now, while I can't speak fluent Spanish I know the wait expressions have on conversation a simple smile can go a lot farther than people believe.