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.

Blog Post #6

What are some of the things you learned about yourself as a student or a professional in Module I? Did you surprise yourself in any way? Were you proud of yourself? Were you at all disappointed in yourself? Why?


During module I I learned that  I needed to work on remembering to always treat e-mail as a professional tool. I tend to use e-mail sparsely and do not always format it as I should. I can't say I was particularly surprised by any of my strengths or areas in need of development. As a writer and speaker both, I know what my limits are and have had a lot of feedback pertaining to both. As a result of much of this feedback I was not surprised by my results, nor was I particularly proud or disappointed. I suspect that as the year progresses I will adjust my own expectations and expand into building other skills, once this happens I will probably have more to reflect about. I am, in this respect, a slower learner when it comes to incorporating new skills and further improving my existing ones. However, this method has allowed me to more comfortably expand my skill base. 

Blog Post #5

Prompt: To what extent does a person’s neighborhood shape who she or he is?

Write a post on your blog- 300-350 words- in which you talk about your surroundings and how this environment has affected you as a person:

Briefly describe your neighborhood.
Which statement best fits you and why?
I am who I am because of the neighborhood I live(d) in.
I am who I am despite the neighborhood I live(d) in.

The neighborhood that I grew up in is a fairly quiet area with what might be considered a low crime rate (for Oakland), and I suspect that many would categorize it as middle class. I have never lived in what many would call a rough neighborhood. However, I have been around and worked in some neighborhoods in Oakland that could be described as such. It is difficult to say that my neighborhood has been the sole contributor to my character or that I am who I am because of it. In truth both the place that I have lived in and the places that I have lived near are responsible for much of my development. My home and directly surrounding area have provided, for the most part, a beneficial environment, while the more difficult areas have endowed me with a certain understanding of the value associated with that kind of asset. But which statement fits me best “because” or “despite?”

I would have to choose “because” for the simple reason that my immediate neighborhood has provided me with more benefit than detriment, the pros have always outweighed the cons, so to speak. Many of my neighbors have supported me throughout my life and I have never felt unsafe on my street. This support and relative safety (with perhaps the one exception of a heavily armed police squad aiming at my house) has proven invaluable to me in ways that I probably don’t completely understand or even consider. I can’t say I’d be a vastly different person if I had lived somewhere else, mainly because I believe that people and events have a much more tangible and measurable influence on a person’s life. It is true that location can have an effect on who and how but in my particular case the people that have most influenced me have been independent of my home location in respect to neighborhood.

Blog Post #4

In today’s economy low-wage earners are an increasing majority and corporate organizations have found ways to tap that resource for profit. Unfortunately, the method used is to hold low-wage consumers in perpetual debt. Companies specifically target less savvy consumers who already have difficulties acquiring the bare necessities to survive. These people are offered goods and services, often at a higher markup than normal retail, and then charged exorbitant appreciation rates. These business practices have effectively driven a wedge into the opportunity divide. In order to be competitive people require resources that they are unable to acquire for a fair price. Unscrupulous companies then use these resources to extort money from the people who need them most. This cycle keeps lower rung consumers poor, freezes upward mobility, and further stratifies society.

It’s difficult to fully analyze all the effects of this poverty profiteering business, or how to change this dynamic that has been so carefully engineered for the express purpose of profit at the expense of opportunity. However, some general behavioral and policy changes could diminish the negative effects of these practices. First, the government should enact and enforce more stringent policy regarding consumer safety. Second, companies should re-evaluate their profit ratio to the potential harm to consumers, and find a more equitable balance. Finally, consumers need to be more alert and capable of analyzing contracts before falling victim to these types of debt entrapment. In order for any of the above to actually happen would require time, money, and education. Consumers need to be educated in better business sense. On the corporate side there are several possible solutions. Corporations could lower their prices and receive subsidization from the government, or a public government funded alternative could provide resources to those in need. Poverty shouldn’t be a business, it should be a problem for society to solve.

Blog Post #3 Biography

Joshua Ikeda-Nash is currently a student at Year Up Bay Area in San Francisco. He graduated from MetWest High School and is a product of the Oakland Unified School District. During his time during and after high school Joshua has interned at OTX-West (Oakland Technology Exchange West), OASES, and the Port of Oakland. At OTX-West he gained hands-on experience building computers, managing volunteers, teaching basic computer skills, and setting up computer labs. During his internship at the Port of Oakland Joshua was placed in the Cranes Engineering Department where he learned a bit about electrical system graphs, engineering diagrams, CAD programs, and to always keep a weather eye out for free food. In order to ensure maximum free food he participated in an intern based network that provided notification of possible resources.

At the moment Joshua’s goal is to complete the Year Up program and continue his education in the field of computer technology and science. This goal is largely tied to his main interests in computers and his passion for technology, which has been his main motivation throughout his career in school and college. Joshua’s hobbies include computer games, carnivorous plants, and volunteer work at EBMC (East Bay Meditation Center.) Known affiliations have been with the aforementioned EBMC and the JACL (Japanese American Citizens League.) After graduating from Year Up, Joshua plans to find work in his area of interest and possibly continue his education at a college in order to get a BA.