Blog Post #12

In two weeks, you will be in your internship showcasing the skills and talents you have developed while at Year Up. Create and publish a 200 - 250 word blog post on some or all of the following points:

Which of these skills do you anticipate you’ll get to display first?
What is one question you have at the front of your mind as you approach internship? (Except for where you will be interning)
What kind of office environment do you hope to work in?
What kind of manager do you think you will work well under?
What hard and/or soft skills do you hope to develop while at your internship?
What anxieties (if any) do you have about your internship?
How do you plan to stand out while at your internship?
Do you have a tentative plan for what you’ll do after your internship? If yes, what is it?


I suspect that I will need to build on my testing skills as I my primary responsibilities will be in QA. As such I will have the opportunity to display my ability to focus and complete my assigned tasks. After I have gained more experience I hope to be able to display specific QA skills such as building high quality test cases.

I would hope that the office environment at my internship will be on the casual side. I’m not fond of dressing in a highly traditional fashion and would appreciate a little room in that regard. However, I would also hope that the office environment is goal or task oriented while remaining friendly. I find that I work best in a fairly structured environment that does not put too much emphasis on competition or stringent time constraints. I like being given a task and all the tools that I require and then being allowed to have at it. For this reason I think I would work best under a more organized and project focused manager.

As is usual I have some reservations as to what the work will really be like and how I will be able to accomplish my tasks, but these are all mostly irrational anxieties at this point. I don’t foresee these anxieties presenting a problem for me.

Diary Entries from Winter Break

December 23

My cousin came to visit us and to stay over the weekend. He is currently in college studying psychotherapy I believe. It was good to see him as I had not had a lot of prior contact. Most of the day was spent talking with him and my mother and getting caught up. There had been a lot of drama around the family and a lot of our conversation was centered around that.  I’m afraid that not a lot happened that I would put on a public blog. As for the holidays, I am not particularly invested in them.

December 25

We do not usually treat Christmas in a traditional way. I don’t like large family gatherings and lots of logistics, so this year we kept it simple. I made a pumpkin pie and we had steak and maguro for dinner. Other than the dinner prep the day went like almost any other. I personally feel much happier when the holidays are kept low-key. Having to write out a ton of letters or schedule a huge get together has never been an enjoyable use of my time.

Jan 1

Happy New Years. This day also happens to be the birthday of a family member, so it is reasonably important. Looking back I can’t say that the holiday season means too much to me. I like to see friends and family of course, but I don’t like all the extra baggage that usually accompanies the holidays. We had a dinner with some friends planned, but they got sick at the last minute, so we decided not to tempt fate. I have been fairly happy with the way the winter break has proceeded.

Blog Post #11 Internship Readiness

A person who is internship ready demonstrates preparedness, capability, and the ability to pursue projects and assignments to completion. Such a person can work independently or interface with a team effectively. Readiness is reflected in the time to completion of work, communication with team and/or supervisor, and the quality of the final product. In addition, a person must be able to interact with colleagues in a friendly and non-disruptive manner.

In Module 3 I intend to: 

•   Continue to be on time.
•   Complete assignments.
•    Build on my existing skills.
•   Strengthen my growth areas. 
•     Look for new ways to challenge myself.

 I do not have any specific changes that I am planning on making. However, I do plan to objectively assess my own progress using personal judgment and peer feedback and make changes as are necessary.

Blog Post #10 Best/Worst Job

Blog Post:
Prompt:
Compose a blog post 250 to 300 words long addressing either of the following questions. Be specific and respond to each bullet point in your post.

1.      What is the best and the worst job (paid or volunteer) that you have ever had?

• What were some of your primary responsibilities?
• What made the job enjoyable or not?
• What skills did you develop that will serve you well in internship?
• What lessons did you learn about the workplace and yourself?
  

2. If you’ve only had one job or volunteer experience:

• What are some of the responsibilities that you enjoyed and what are the job duties that you did not care for?
• What were some of your primary responsibilities?

• What skills did you develop that will serve you well in internship?
• What lessons did you learn about the workplace and yourself?

The best job I have ever had would most likely be my internship at OTX-West (Oakland Technology Exchange-West). At OTX-West I gained skills and training that helped me develop both personally and on a technical level. My primary responsibilities during my first year were assisting in the mass construction of refurbished PC units for distribution to low income families in Oakland, and setting up computer labs for public schools. During my second and third year at OTX-West my responsibilities changed to teaching a basic computer skills course, helping volunteers, creating a logo and brochure, and some administrative work. I really enjoyed both the technical hands-on work of building PCs and learning image editing software. I even took some satisfaction in teaching the basic skills course. During my time at OTX-West I expanded my knowledge of computers and greatly expanded my skillset through teaching and using software. The lessons that I took away from OTX-West were many, but the one lesson that really stuck with me was the life philosophy of simply allowing events to unfold and adapting to suite the situation wherever possible.

After OTX-West, I interned at an educational social justice organization called OASES. At OASES I assisted and taught younger Oakland children some basic computer skills and helped out around the schoolyard when I was needed. As OASES was located in Oakland Chinatown the children I interacted with were predominantly Asian American. It would be unfair to call this the worst job I ever had, but I would say it was the job I least enjoyed. I learned more about myself and my comfort levels than I had previously, but I had to be uncomfortable to do it. Young children are not my strongpoint, and I think it is safe to say I have no intention of pursuing a career in education. However, at the end of the day I was proud of the work I did and saw the value to myself and others.

Blog Post #9 Current Events

Current Events Blog Post:

Research a current event online and compose a blog post that briefly describes the event as well as your reaction to or opinion on what has occurred.

• Your blog post should be between 250 and 300 words. You will need to make choices about what to include and what to exclude in order to best communicate your stance.
• Since you are commenting on an online article, you must also cite your source and link to the article in your blog post.
• Even if your reaction to the current event is angry or emotional, remember to keep your language professional and the content appropriate.

The Old Order Stifles the Birth of a New Egypt

The article describes the current political situation in Egypt after the end of President Mubarak’s regime. Currently, there is massive unrest over what many Egyptians feel to be a botched transition from rigid autocracy to a supposed democracy which the military was supposed to facilitate. Instead, the military, in particular Field Marshal Tantawi, has assumed control of the government and is disinclined to turn over that control to civilian leaders. At the same time Egyptian civilians are distraught but relatively leaderless. The various civilian political groups have been unable to establish firm leadership of the people of Egypt. As the situation continues to degrade the military has taken multiple and unsuccessful steps to divert the blame of its perceived betrayal on the part of the citizens of Egypt.

I am unsurprised by this turn of events. Mubarak’s regime was strikingly similar to many other autocracies that have popped up in other parts of the world. All of these regimes tend to persist then fall apart under corruption and mismanagement leaving a framework of continual corruption, oppression, and entitlement. The fact that the military is resistant to relinquish power is also unsurprising. Often the military systems of autocracies are the means of control, and this control is incapable of meshing with the civilian democratic needs. I believe that Egypt will continue to experience unrest until the military leadership is either abolished or dissolved. In the meantime, protest will continue and more casualties will likely occur. Although this may seem a bleak outlook I would venture to say that it is a good chance for Egypt to achieve some real social growth, but it will be painful.

Works Cited:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/world/middleeast/vestiges-of-hosni-mubaraks-order-stifle-birth-of-new-egypt.html?pagewanted=1&ref=world

 

Blog Post #8 Inspiration

In small and large ways, we are all inspired. We draw our inspiration from people, pictures, art, music, behaviour, nature, etc. Consider something that inspires you and write a blog post of 300-350 words about it. Here are some things you may touch on:

• Describe the source of your inspiration- be specific and detailed.
• What feelings or emotions do you experience?
• Are you alone or do you share this inspiration with others? Are you aware of others having an alternate reaction to your source of inspiration?
• Forecast how long you think this inspiration will last- does it inspire you in the moment or something that you will derive inspiration from for the years to come?

Caffeine is my ambrosia, my ichor, it’s what lifts me up and brightens my mind from which ideas may pour forth. Without caffeine I become slow and decrepit, like a slug trudging through molasses. My particular source for caffeine is black tea, which I drink on a regular basis. I am not alone, all over the world people collectively consume caffeine. In America we drink coffee, in the UK they drink black tea, in the east they drink green tea, and the Assam tea they drink in the UK originated in India. No matter how you cut it caffeine is the stimulant of choice for our country. Some believe caffeine will result in a zombie apocalypse or some other such cataclysm, but I do not hold to this idea. Caffeine is the oil that keeps the gears of society turning, without which they would grind to a halt leaving us in darkness and despair.However, too much of a good thing can be bad for the body. Many products that contain caffeine can have deleterious effects if consumed in excess. As with everything we must practice moderation so that we may maintain the body and mind.

As long as humans exist I surmise that caffeine will exist. People have a natural predisposition to stimulants and to depressants strangely enough, and I derive inspiration from caffeine in particular for my long term and short term needs. I usually take my caffeine from black tea which I drink on a regular basis and without which I experience withdrawal symptoms. When I need to get work done I usually make myself a cup of tea beforehand so that I might concentrate more fully on my task. Looking forward I don’t ever see myself quitting this habit as it contributes to my productivity and peace of mind.

Blog Post #7 Pre-Write

The community of MetWest is one born of the OUSD (Oakland Unified School District). As many people are aware the OUSD has had a rash of administrative and financial woes that have all but crippled it completely. The OUSD that I was a part of was a cumbersome and sickly beast weighed down by bureaucracy. It was in this climate that I spent my school career and where MetWest started. A determined group of parents, staff, and some very motivated students made the whole thing work despite all the difficulties. During my time in the OUSD I learned to never expect anything to work right or correctly, and MetWest was no exception. In fact, I would say that it was this dysfunction that really forced us to innovate and build up resistance to all the red tape and disinterested higher administration, don’t get me wrong I would have preferred more funds and resources but the “make do” attitude that pervaded MetWest was a positive necessity.

It was this necessity that drove us forward. At MetWest your learning experience was what you put in, not what you could absorb by rote memorization. Naturally this attitude, or rather this atmosphere tended to imbue its students with certain traits. Many MetWest students could be described as more self reliant and open to personal growth than your typical OUSD student. We placed less stock in the idea that personal value was determined  by an abstract numerical total derived from an often obtuse test, and more value in our experiences and what we learned and could apply in the practical world. In all candor, there is worth in being able to do well on tests and academic pursuits, but I think that there is more value in knowing how to build skills and operate in less than optimal situations. The adversity of the OUSD imparted to the students of MetWest a greater inner strength and character than we could have developed anywhere else.