Internship Eagerness

The Year Up skills that I anticipate in displaying is all the tech skills that I’ve learned during my tenure at Year Up. You name it; I will try to apply all of them at my internship. The manager that I think that I will work under would probably be the type of person that expects a lot from his/her intern. Because we all have the same objective and ideology and they know it; and I’m referring to earning a full-time job. The soft skill that I hope to obtain in my internship is the essence of socializing. That has been my challenge before and during Year Up, and I hope to overcome that difficult obstacle. The internship might be the missing key to amend myself. 

I’m nervous about not being able to live up to the company’s expectations, because I sometimes tend to self-deprecate myself. Normally when that happens, I make a lot of mistakes. But I will over-compensate that growth area by arriving on time and getting every task done before the deadline. After the internship, I have a lot of plans in mind and I tend to solidify those plans while I’m doing nothing. If I don’t get hired at my internship, I will resume searching for a job to help my family. But before I search for a job, I will probably take a break for a month. It is possible that I might go back to college and continue to learn more about technology.

Making the Most of Your Internship

1. Enjoy Yourself.

I strongly believe that enjoying yourself during the internship is what will keep you going. I don't see anything wrong with having fun while working at the same time. One thing I will do to trigger some excitement during my internship is to spend some time with the employees working there.

2. Avoid Negativity.

Being pessimistic won't start a career. In order to start something, you need to keep a smile on your face even though it's fake. Hence the phrase "Fake it to make it!" But I think being naturally positive will help more because being fake is just exhausting. Luckily, I'm optimistic!

3. Take Initiative.

Taking initiative is where leaders are made. This is a great opportunity to squirm your way through problems by thinking "outside the box" and showing your manager or supervisor what you're all about. It also indicates how determined you are to get the job done. With the tech skills I learned in college and Year Up, I'll take advantage of that strength and prove to everybody that I'm more than just an intern.

4. Never Shun a Chance to Learn More About the Company/Industry.

I placed this at number 4 because if you have no interest in learning about the company/industry, employees are going to think that you are just in for the job. I prefer learning more about the company before showing eagerness of obtaining a full-time spot, because I might won't like what the company is about.

5. Network, Network, Network.

I might not get hired after the internship phase, but at least I have connections from folks in the inside. Collecting business cards is one of my main objective during my internship. Well, collecting business cards is just one side of the process; I'm also going to share my number to build up my network, so everybody wins.

6. Don't be Afraid to Ask Questions.

I say this is more of a strength than a tip, because usually people who asks too many questions are the smart ones. They may seem annoying but from what I know, they are the ones who learn faster than those who are quiet. I'll keep that in mind when I'm in my internship.

7. Get as Much Exposure as Possible.

Getting noticed by everybody is going to be difficult, because you have to proof them that you can do more than the average individual. Being the "New Guy" in the company is exhilarating because you have most of the attention and that is the perfect time to deliver a good first impression.

8. Tackle all Tasks with Enthusiasm and a Positive Attitude.

Bringing a positive vibe to the table will make your supervisor or manager believe you are willing to do anything to impress him/her. Tackling tasks with enthusiasm may seem that you are overachieving, but at least you will receive more assignments. Showing signs of enthusiasm on a task is what I'll do because boredom kills me.

9. Leave with Tangible Accomplishments.

Leaving with tangible accomplishments allows you to add some new sentences or phrases in your resume. Not to mention, having actual experience in a working environment. As much as possible, I'll tackle all tasks with enthusiasm and a positive attitude to receive more assignments and gain more experience.

10. Find a Mentor.

Finding a mentor is one of the key factors in getting to know everybody within the company. I don't particularly mean using them as a stepping stone to get to the top of the pyramid. I mean using them to help you get comfortable with the environment.

11. Set Personal Goals.

Everybody has a reason for being at their internship, mine is to earn a full-time job and to show everybody that I have the capability of getting things done expediently and efficiently.

12. Have Regular Meetings with your Supervisor(s). 

Finally, having regular meetings with your Supervisor(s) is a great opportunity to know your strengths and weaknesses. They also offer some recommendations on how to overcome your weaknesses. This is something I should do because I do feel that I'm not meeting up to the expectations at times, especially in Year Up.

Learning and Working

The best job that I had was being a computer tech trainee at Net Essentials. Well, it’s not a paid job nor it wasn’t volunteer work, but it was something to keep the company moving. The specific tasks at hand were repairing laptops & PCs, testing brand new laptops and computer video cards, and replacing LCD screens. I was flabbergasted from all of the new materials they were teaching because the way they delivered their knowledge was more effective than college. It wasn’t a job in  particular because it was just a requirement needed in order to finish my course in college, but I did treat it like an actual job. Anyways, what I’ve learned from that company is that not everybody is going to be thrilled that there is somebody trying to earn their spot under their watch. Also, another thing that I've learned is not to expect to know everything the first try. The worst job that I had is when I was only 15 years old; I was working at McDonald’s because I didn't have anything to do for the summer. Due to the people being rude, I eventually quit. I was still young at the time and I didn't knew that being pessimistic wouldn't raise your salary nor it will get you far.

A Nonfiction Book Called "Freakonomics"

The nonfiction book “Freakonomics” is about both sides of everything. It also explains different views of many things like drug dealers, real-estate agents, names, and many more. I think the authors wrote this book because they jot down some random thoughts and they can’t control the urge of writing them down on paper and eventually making a book out of it. I’m not saying that they didn’t have anything to do; I’m just saying that writing is their passion. Despite writing being their passion, I feel that the book was written inadequately and they left a lot of bad impressions for the readers. The book typically talks about negative stereotypes about people’s race or ethnicity. As a matter of fact, the only chapter that I and my book group in class enjoyed was the last chapter because there are a lot of subliminal messages that can be sought by the names mentioned in the book and they are hilarious.

In the book, there are some parts in each chapter that entertained me and my group mates, like the profanity written between the lines excluding the offensive terms. However, there are also parts in the book that is just plain boring. I’m referring to when a paragraph talks about history and statistic rates. Sometimes there are scenarios where I’m reading through the paragraphs, it suddenly displays charts and as I get into it, I lose focus in what I’m reading. I don’t know, this book can mess with your head if you are not a bookworm. But I have to admit, this book was a great leverage for me to extend my vocabulary, that’s why I can’t count this book out completely. I would highly recommend this book to someone who has an interest in expanding their vocabulary or someone who just likes reading.

The Processes of Reading

Going in to module 2, I can’t confirm my reading skills enhanced to a higher level. However, I do enjoy reading because there are a lot of values I can take out of it. Not to mention, there are certain books that I find interesting and there are some books that leave me with ambiguity. If I can’t beat anything into my head, I’d erase all of the unimportant parts and leave the interesting parts behind, it's kind of like annotating. You can call it an unorthodox method but it works well for me.

If I were to read, it would take about 20-30 minutes because sometimes reading too long can bore you and you’ll start fading away from understanding the subject and I know from experience. I remember one time in college, I read this chapter in a book called “Sophie’s World” and it was about a whole lot of nothing. It took some time until I eventually found some interest with that novel.

Do you want to read a book you might enjoy and learn like me? Well, there are some lucid books you can start off with to grasp information you need to know. Remember; don’t belittle yourself by buying books with small words because you’re not going to develop a wide range vocabulary and your communication skills will have a limitation. If you read a book with big words and you think it’s utterly boring, give it a second chance.

Abuse of Power by The Government

Last week, I came across this article about the Government being accused of “abuse of power” after cancelling the Queen of England’s speech for 2011. The subject of my essay is going to be about how the government abuses their power. Originally, the Queen was supposed to make her speech in 2011, but it was postponed to spring of 2012. The change was announced by Sir George Young, the leader of commonwealth (Haroon Siddique, 2010).

After reading the full scope of this article, there are a lot of ambiguities that came to me whether the government actually did abused their power or it was just another false accusation by the Labor. It’s hard to tell who’s pulling the strings behind this conflict. But I do feel that the government can sometimes be abusive to the point where it is affecting other people. Liberalism exists because of the government’s actions.

Personally, a government who abuses their power only cares about possessing an iron fist and having the pen and the right documents to make decisions. But then again you ask yourself, will the world function without the government? I don’t think so and there is absolutely no reason to exacerbate the state we are in right now by wreaking havoc. Additionally, they are the reason why the world has obligations, rules, and authorities.

Resources:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/sep/13/government-cancels-2011-queens-speech

Stigmas are bad, M'kay!

Stigma is a mark or a characteristic about a person. It can be from the clothes they wear, body ink or simply the skin color. What I’m going to talk about is the ethnic race point of view because I think it’s one of the most common stigmas out there. But before we get to that I want to point out the stigma in music because I love 1960’s Rock n’ Roll from The Beatles to Jimi Hendrix you name it. There are times when I listen to psychedelic stuff and people would automatically assume that I smoke weed in the words, “Hey PJ, do you smoke pot?” and I simply say “No. I’m straight-edge!” Just because there is a certain element of what the music is about that doesn’t mean that it reflects to the listener. Music is one way to keep your psyche gauge balanced depending on what type of genre you’re in to. 

Now for the ethnic part, being Asian isn’t easy because even though San Francisco is one of the most tolerant cities in the United States, there are still ignorant individuals who discriminate Asians. Some people tend to accuse us of being bad drivers, dog eaters, or even a burden to society. It can be the other way around by assuming that we are all good at math and computers. There are a lot of racial profiling towards Asians and most of them have something to do with the physical appearance like the hairstyle, eyes, and the way we dress. Most Asians are aware of how other people view them resulting them to hang out only with their own kind, like any other race. 

A tiny portion of our society reacts to this stigma pretty fast, like liberals trying to find something to protest about but they never get to the bottom of the situation. Society can sometimes think they have all the right answers and the media is no different. The media has the ability to make matters worse by exposing this stigma to other people. I guess the origins of this stigma is from our ancestors from the way they lived and what they accomplished during ancient times. I’m going to repair this stigma by educating as many individuals I can that we are all different outside, but we all look the same beneath the surface. We wouldn't have this issue if everyone in the world shares the same opinion.

The PLEDGE

I pledge to not earn any infractions during the second and third module by submitting all of my assignments and arriving to class on time. I will accomplish this goal by waking up at 6:30 am every morning during weekdays and if I misunderstood a certain lecture or task, I will ask for help from my instructors and colleagues to get the job done.

I pledge to earn my spot to become a IT Professional by finishing the task at hand during the L&D and internship phase through getting work done honestly, being accountable by owning up to my own actions to grow, staying motivated and keeping a positive attitude.

Neighborhoods

When I was a young boy I use to live in Daly City, CA with my family. It was a cold environment and nothing ever happened. We rarely saw pedestrians or cars passing by and when we did see a car, it would usually be a top-notch model. We eventually had to move out and it wasn't because the rent was getting too expensive, my parents had difficulties getting to work on time. Last time I heard, the house I use to live in is now a crack house. San Francisco was the place where I was born and raised and it was spectacular getting to know my own home. I don't remember living there when I was 1 to 3 years old because I didn't know anything about the world. Back then, I use to live in 655 Naples Street, it's a suburban area and it was similar to Daly City, CA and at the same time different. Pedestrians are polite, everybody has a sense of creativity within themselves and everybody doesn't feel different towards one another. Additionally, the street has a multicultural setting and it wasn't racially segregated.

I currently live in the city of San Francisco and I arrived here last September 2011 from the Philippines. The city stared at me with sharp neon eyes with space and opportunities. Everything is accessible but the problem is the apartment rents are too expensive. Nevertheless, locals are fortunately polite and this area has a mixture of low, middle and upper class individuals. Upper class individuals can be annoying sometimes with their $5,000 suit and $200 shoes and their million dollar car. It makes the rest of us look bad and feel envious. I don't know for sure, maybe somewhere out that horizon I could live somewhere better. All I know is I am who I am today because I've never experienced conviction. I can't give a full scope about the neighborhoods I use to live in because from time to time, we moved to different locations. I've never tried finding myself but I've always been building myself for reasons I can't explain. Today, as I'm typing this blog, I smell the lilac scent of the city and I'm happy to be where I am.

Buy 1 Take 2

Advertising have their persuasive ways in selling their products. And with the help of technology, sponsors can easily reach to any possible consumers. They also have the power to take advantage of people by placing ads and billboards on a certain interests they may have. For instance, a baseball game in which you can see billboards and ads of PlayStation 3 or XBOX 360 games, Mountain Dew, etc. Besides sports, they can reach even deeper with other activities of people’s interest. It could almost be everything from buses to a city you love and respect. I don't like the fact that these companies target schools to buy their products. To me it just distracts them in their studies and it takes a while for them to be back in their learning zone. This is definitely true because I experienced a lot of these when I was still going to school. I think they target schools because children are the future and they have the ability to think of something new. Advertising have this way of persuading me in buying whatever they have to offer. But most likely I won’t buy their products. Not because I have no money which is true, I just strongly believe in the phrase, “There will always be something new!”

The way how I avoid this is by skipping the ads on YouTube. And when the TV commercial appears I usually flip it to a different station or go to the bathroom. It’s not that it bothers me; I just don’t care about what’s hot or not. I sometimes buy certain commercially successful products and I don’t even know it. Advertising usually calls in celebrities to sponsor their products to encourage their audience. No one knows how much money these actors or musicians are making out of it, but the one thing we do know is that they’re making a lot. Besides videos, you can see ads on newspapers, magazines and especially the internet. The internet can help send out the message easily because everybody uses the internet. Advertising takes advantage of this form of communication.