Homework #4 (Chapter 4)

"Your major is not your end goal; it's a series of classes that will help you accomplish your goal." (83)

I think I agree with this quote because I think it is really true. I don't think a person's major is the end goal, but it is actually the beginning of a path in college and a career. I also agree with the idea of a major being a series of classes that will help you accomplish your goal. Through your major and the chain of classes that you are supposed to take you, can be able to accomplish your goal of eventually graduating college and starting a career in something that you might like or enjoy. In the end, I think this quote is very inspirational and it also lets students know that a major isn't just the end of the road, there is a lot more to see.

"No apologies, no regrets, no "if only's," and no "I should haves" when it comes to your education." (84)

I really like this quote because it has a strong and determined tone to it. I agree with this quote because education and thinking shouldn't be downplayed or taken lightly. It should be held in importance. I also believe if their were any mistakes or bad decisions made regarding one's education, I don't think sitting around regretting and thinking in the "shoulda, woulda, coulda" context is of any help. I believe thinking like that is a waste of time and that if s one is a position or circumstance similar to this they should try to get themselves out of it by taking smart actions. I don't think feeling sorry for yourself and regretting things is going to help you but I think it will only throw you in a depression. If there is something that you don't like about your major or education, don't feel sorry for yourself or regret it but try to get it together by working on finding a positive solution.You should work towards something that feels right to you.

"Getting the most of your academic experience isn't just about attending classes, writing papers, and taking exams. It's about delving into fields of study that will expand your mind and help you develop new connections. Your classroom experience can be the start of a new world and open up career opportunities you didn't even know existed." (86)

I really liked this quote, I felt impressed with it. I think I agree with this quote because now-a-days many college students just "want to get it over with." They don't really consider how these classes may help them in the future, but I think through this quote, college students could be inspired to go deeper into the education they are paying for, if not with money, with their time and energy. I think if we are putting effort into these classes, we should be able to pull something out of it to use in the future. I think this quote really caught my eye because it felt like it was pushing readers to look for more in their education rather then just grades, homework, and exams. I think that this quote was trying to ask "what are you getting out of these classes besides grades? do they make you think deeper about things?" But I also feel that many people don't have time to sit down and think, we live in a fast paced world, where we all have many things to do and take care of. So I guess, in the end, it's left to the individual, if they really want to open up their mind or not, if they actually have the time for that sort of thing.

Professional Associations

When I was researching about professional associations, I found many associations that were relevant to my major which Business Administration. I thought many of them were interesting and impressive. The first professional association that I found to be interesting and relevant to my major was the I.A.A (International Advertising Association.) I think I found this association to be interesting because last semester I took a marketing class, after taking it I was interested in how advertising works. Through the website, I was able to learn that the I.A.A. are basically a international network of professional marketers and advertisers that set and maintain the standards in their industry. Some of the things the I.A.A do are: promote freedom of commercial speech, fight unwarranted regulation, create industry forums or assemblies that tackle issues with a single global voice and encourage and promote self-regulation. I think in today's era, where (thanks to technology), we are able to promote in more places then before, such as on the Internet, on text messages, and spam emails; it's important to have people from that profession standing together and willing to represent the common interests of all advertisers, advertising agencies, and the media. I also think this benefits the public as well. Marketing communications is a way for customers to understand about what kind of products are out there, so the I.A.A. work hard in order to protect the freedom of commercial speech and consumer choice to ensure that goods and services are if not always, most of the time, legally produced and sold. I think it was useful to me because I find marketing to be interesting, in the future, if i decide to take a marketing class, the website and professional association can be useful.

The second professional association I found to be interesting and interrelated to my major is the A.F.A (American Finance Association.) I found this association to be really interesting because I always thought I would major in finance. Some of the things I was able to learn through the website was that the A.F.A is an academic organization devoted to the study and promotion of knowledge about financial economics. I also learned that the A.F.A's purpose was to improve public understanding of financial problems, to provide for the exchange of financial ideas through the distribution of a periodical and other media, and to encourage the study of finance in colleges and universities. I think that some of these purposes are very important, for example, to encourage the study of finance in colleges and universities is important in order for newer generations to become a part of professionals that are related to finance. I guess that this website and association would be useful to me because it could probably inspire or encourage me take up finance as a major in a 4 year college.

Professional Association website links:
http://www.afajof.org/default.asp
http://www.iaaglobal.org/#home

Informational Interview

http://careerplanning.about.com/cs/occupations/a/info_interviews.htm

I thought this website was really interesting and helpful because it explained what informational interviews were, who and what kind of people you should interview, what you need to know before you start the informational interview, and what kinds of questions to ask. I think that this website was really helpful because I have done an interview on careers before but I have not done a informational interview. So i think it was important for people who are first timers (like me) to understand what a informational interview is and what is the purpose of it. Through this website I was able to learn that the purpose of a informational interview is to get information about a field of work from someone who has some firsthand knowledge. This website also explained since a informational interview is about obtaining information on a particular career, the interviewee should me someone with lots of knowledge and experience on the career. Lastly, I liked the fact that they provided a list of questions you can ask to the interviewee, I found that very helpful. Questions such as "what is a typical day at work like?" or "how many hours do you work in a week?" are great to ask.

http://www.quintcareers.com/information_interview.html

This website is really helpful because is has a lists of questions that you can ask to an interviewee during an informational interview. Since our syllabus states that we have to also do a informational interview, I thought that this website might come of use. When I thought of the informational interview, I knew who I wanted to interview but I was confused in what kind of questions to ask. So this website is really help because it gives a lists of questions to choose from while clearing out confusion of what to ask.

http://career.ucla.edu/students/ExploreCareers/WhatIsAnInformationalInterview.aspx

I think this website was really helpful and intersting. I think this website will really those poeple who are going to do the informational interview assignment. This website explains what a informational interview is, the history behind informational interviews, the benefits behind this type of interview, and how to prepare for informational interviews. It also has many more helpful things that you can learn from. This website also gives a list of questions you can choose from to ask your interviewee. http://career.ucla.edu/Students/ExploreCareers/WhatIsAnInformationalInterview/QuestionsToAsk.aspx

Some of the questions that I liked and would probably ask are:

-What are the major responsibilities of these positions?

-What skills and education are needed to enter this field?

-What kinds of internships do you think are good training ground?

-What do you do as a ...?

-How do you spend a typical day/week?

-Do you spend most of your time at your desk? Moving around the company?

These were some of the reasons why I liked this website.

Homework #3 (Chapter 3)

"We need short and quick Web sites and books that spell out everything so we don't have to waste our time thinking." (50)

When I read this, I felt it really stood out to me because I felt like I could agree with this comment and how it takes place in the Internet, but I feel I can not totally agree with the values behind this. This quote belongs to a passage in the book that talks about downplaying intelligence and thinking. It talks about how we feel more "comfortable putting down our thinking power than promoting it." It talks about how this value is now also showing itself on the Internet. This new prevailing philosophy, regarding website, states that the worst thing you can possibly do is create a website that requires a person to think. Chapter 3 talks about why thinking is important and necessary. I think I found this quote to be interesting because I felt like I could draw strong opinions against this quote. I believe it's important to think and to promote it, rather then downplaying it's importance. I think that it's important to display one's good thinking skills because that is what employers look for now. These are my thoughts and feelings for this quote.

"...your knowledge and thinking skills are your power. Employers are begging for intelligent workers who possess and use the right mindsets: specific ways of thinking." (50)

I really like this quote, it really stood out and caught my attention because I felt like I could really agree with this quote. I think that one's knowledge and good thinking skills are a power in itself, through your knowledge you can be able to solve problems quicker and come up with solutions much faster. Through good thinking skills you can be able to find success in college, in job searches, and your career by making good decisions and choices. I think it is also true that employers are looking for workers who possess the right mindsets such as by being creative, analytic, strategic, positive, flexible, adaptive, and being a problem solver.

"When our attitude changes, our behaviors change, and this in turn influences our performance. So how you choose to think about your classes, experiences, the job search, and your job directly affects your success before and after graduation." (51)

I really agree with this quote because I feel like I can connect to it on a personal level, I think that this quote stands true because I can find examples of this quote in my life that agree and connect to it. For example, if your attitude of college or school changes from positive to negative, your behavior changes from positive to negative as well. If you went to class every day before, you probably cut class most of the time now which in turn influences your performance and the grade that you are supposed to get in that class. I think that the way you think whether if it is positive or negative, can effect the way you behave and perform in every situation from how you think, feel, and perceive classes to jobs. Chapter 3 discussed many right mind thinking mindsets that employers are seeking. I think these mindsets are very helpful in thinking positively which can lead to many positive experiences. Thinking "good" and positively can change how you might interpret and perceive a situation for the better, right mind thinking can create a road of success in whatever goals you might want to accomplish and achieve. Mentally approaching a less appealing situation with a realistic point of view and a intention to improve it can inspire a successful future.

Job Interview

http://career-advice.monster.com/job-interview/interview-questions/100-potential-interview-questions/article.aspx

For job interviews, i think this website was related or connected to it. This website includes 100 different potential questions that an interviewer may ask. These questions are divided into different categorizes such as basics, career development, and salary. I think that these questions are really realistic and honest and should be answered in the same way. I believe that when a person goes to an interview, their mind is always running with different thoughts of what kind of questions the interviewer might ask. This can lead to nervousness and anxiety, but when the interviewee has a general idea or understanding of what might be asked of them, they can relax and try their best to answer the questions as honestly as possible.

http://www.quintcareers.com/job_interview_preparation.html

This website is a guide for preparation for job interviews. This guide explains that preparation for a job interview requires that the interviewee do a self- reflection of their skills, interests, values, and accomplishments, updating of the resume, and research on the targeted company/organization and the position that is available. It explains that you must do a self assessment of your self and update or add any information that you found through the self assessment. It also advices to research on the company or firm that will be interviewing you, so you can understand the company or firm's vision and mission and accommodate it to your own personal goals. Lastly, this guide advices to rehearse general interview questions and get a feel of what you want to say by being honest and realistic. I think i can appreciate it this website because it is informative in how to prepare for a interview.

http://career-advice.monster.com/job-interview/interview-preparation/what-if-your-interview-is-tomorrow/article.aspx

I think this last site was really different because it gave advice on different areas that i didn't really see in other websites. For example, some of the tips it gave was about dress codes and traffic. This was interesting because usually all the websites say the same thing about resumes or researching, none of them have ever talked about outer appearance or tardiness. I thought the tips were really helpful and realistic. I think that anyone could benefit from these tips and they should be taken into consideration. I really liked what this guide had to say about last minute interview preparations, i thought the tips were really considerate.

Resumes

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/565/1/

I found this site to be very informative on what a resume is and how to build a resume. Through this site, I was able to learn that resumes have different sections with specific needs. Some sections that are included in a resume are contact information, education, and work experience. I think that each section is equally important because without the contact information section, the employer would not be able to get in touch with the potential employee. If a employer or the human resources department of an organization wanted to hire you but did not have any way of contacting you or had outdated information, it can leave you in a disadvantage. I think the education section is very simple because you just have to discuss the highest degree of education you received. Lastly, the work experience section is where you discuss your present or previous employment(s). I think my reaction towards this site was appreciation for it's detailed explanations and specific tips that were really helpful. I have written resumes in the past but reading some of the tips surprised because I think I learned new things from them that I did not know before.

 http://www.resumewriting.net/outline.htm

I think this site is interesting because it provides a detailed outline of what a resume is supposed to look like. This site shows that a resume should have seven sections and within these sections there are factors that need to be addressed. For example, in contact information, factors such as name, mailing address, daytime phone, night time phone, cell phone, fax, and email have to be specifically addressed. I liked this website because it wasn't too wordy, it just got to the point. My reaction to the website and the sample resume was that I was familiar with most of the sections in the resume except for the activities section. I've written a few resumes before but never one with an activities section. So i found that to be new and interesting. I think it also made me think that maybe sometime in the future, it would be a good idea to include one.

http://www.professional-resume-example.com/resume-outline.htmlhttp://www.professional-resume-example.com/resume-outline.html

I think this last link was very important in helping to build the structure of a resume because it described each section within a resume and then once you had finished reading you were able to chose from a variety of sample resumes depending where you are in life. They had different resumes for different type of people. For example, they had resumes from freshly graduated high school students, students who are still in college, recently graduated college students, and if you were in the military. I thought that this website was really impressive because not every website involving resumes have mock resumes depending on the different stages of life. I thought it was really interesting to see the difference of experience between that of a high school-er to that of a college student. I think it made me reflect on changes in myself since high school.

Homework #2 (Chapter 2)

 "He said that the more you know about different disciplines and are able to to see the connections between those disciplines, the more you are able to create innovative solutions to problems." (21)

I think this quote really caught my attention because I felt like I can connect to what the author was saying here. During my fall semester, I had taken 3 business classes (Principles to Marketing, Principles to Management, and Business Law) and 1 English class. While taking these classes i found a number of connections between them, through these connections I was able to connect and apply things I had learned in one class to another class. I was able to apply the knowledge of business law terms such as whistle blower, embezzlement, and bonds to applications, examples, and chapters in my marketing and management classes. Also, in my English class, I had to read the short story "Bartleby, the Scrivener" by Herman Melville. This short story described in great detail the working environment and atmosphere of a lawyer's office and work which i was able to connect and compare and contrast to my business law class and my professor who has his own lawyer firm. So in this way, I do agree with this quote.

"Jim's Wandering Map illustrates what chaos theory calls pendulum attractors: his two main interests seem to oppose each other. He enjoys helping others in time of crisis, and he enjoys work related to money and finance." (37)

I found this example to be really interesting because it is really hard to develop a career choice and the career itself if both of your interests seem to be a contradiction to one another. The person who is used in this example seemed to have an interest in helping others such as volunteering at local shelters, supporting and counseling victims in the police department, and other non-profit activities. But in the other hand, he was also interested in activities that was related to money and finance such as working in banks, studying economics, and he also had a strong desire to work on Wall Street. I think that these interests conflict one another and are not compatible. But what i found most interesting of all was that this person was able to find common ground between these two interests. In other words, he was able to find similarities between these two interests such as at times both of these interests can help people who are in a crisis. By using this information as tools he would be able to find a job that suits his personality and interests leading to satisfaction.

"Your parents and other relatives can be influential sources of information and attitudes about careers...it's not uncommon for family traditions to develop around careers." (46)

I think I really liked this quote because i could agree with it, usually the careers your family has can be a great influence in what career you might want to take up in the future. Sometimes if your family and relatives feel positive or negative about a career, there are high chances that you might take up those same attitudes and preferences regarding those careers. I could really agree with this quote on a personal level.