Welcome back Cornerstone students. My name is Kiticha Sapp and the topic for this week focuses on “Personal/Professional Opportunities and Job Skills.” I know that you probably feel overwhelmed with everything that you have to consume in your cornerstone class. I felt the same way the first couple of weeks. So just relax and remember that in the end you will have gained knowledge that will help you with your career. I hope that you have enjoyed the blogs so far and have gained useful information that will prepare you for your future.
This week’s activities will focus on “Personal/Professional Opportunities and Job Skills.” Please answer in complete sentences.
Instructions for activity 1: Create a personal/professional plan in 1-2 paragraphs
1: State your Personal/Professional Goal in 2-3 sentences
2: In 1-2 sentences list the skills and knowledge that you have already acquired to help you reach this goal.
3: In 1-2 sentences list the skills and/or knowledge you still need to acquire to attain this goal.
4: Who can help me accomplish my personal/professional plan and how, specifically, can I call on them for help? ( Mentors, family, peers, etc.)
5: Research one professional organization or club you could join that aligns with your IDS focus areas. Which organization/club would you join and how would membership help you accomplish your personal/professional goal?
Instructions for activity 2: Job Skills: Provide a 1-2 paragraph answer using the prompts below.
1: List your 3 strongest job skills?
2: List your 3 weakest job skills?
3: Describe how you can improve your weakest job skills.
4: Do you have a professional job history that has contributed toward meeting your goal? If so, what is it?
Activity 1:
ReplyDeleteMy personal/professional goals are to Graduate, with honors, with my bachelor’s degree in IDS in December 2012, and then find a career that I love and look forward to attending. I would also like to further my education, benefiting both myself and my future employer. I have volunteered, mentored, and observed at many schools in Brevard County. I enjoy working with and learning from and about other people. I find people and the way they think and act fascinating. I feel like I am the kind of person who can teach and be a positive influence in any young person’s life. I want to make a difference in the world. I believe that my mentors, family, and friends can and will help me accomplish my personal/professional plan. I think that if I ask questions or for opinions and advice about my personal/professional plan, my mentors, family, and friends will all be willing to share any ideas with me or try to lead me in the right direction.
I found a wonderful organization for teachers. The website is http://teachers.net/mentors/. This organization is free to join, and the website is easy to follow. Teachers.net’s mission statement is “At Teachers.Net, we recognize that education is a fundamental factor in an individual's prosperity, happiness, contribution to society, and impact on the future. Teachers.Net recognizes the vital role teachers play in education and the betterment of our culture. We also appreciate that teachers are rarely recognized or compensated adequately for their contribution and dedication.” This organization helps answer any questions and concerns, as well as providing positive feedback and solutions.
Lisa, I think that you are on the right path to inpressing your future employers. I am also in the education field and have a goal to inpress my future employers. I currently work for Marion County Public Schools and I am asked constantly when I will be finished with school. So for me that is good that I have my foot in the door but I would like to further my education in either Counseling or Nursing. I found the website you provided interesting because I didn't know about that website and I am going to share that with fellow teachers. Good luck in your future career goals.
DeleteLisa,
DeleteThis looks great, and is an inspiration for me while seeking my IDS degree! I agree that sometimes family can be overlooked as a valuable source for inspiration and mentoring...even if it's the example of what not to do to gain a better understanding of one's degree and future endeavors. Thanks for the post!
Justiss Wilder
Lisa,
DeleteGood post. There are also some professional teacher organizations you can join as a student for a very low rate. They offer great benefits and opportunities for future teachers and often have chapters on campus. Here are a couple you may want to look into if you are seriously considering a career in education after graduation.
Association of American Educators ($25 for students): http://www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/join
National Education Association: https://sites.nea.org/HowToJoin/stateStudent.do?mbrType=STUDENT&sea=fl
There are also professional etching organizations for almost every subject area like math, science, physical ed., etc. Just do a search and you will find them and all of them have student memberships. Good luck!
Mark Walker
Lisa, I also agree that you are on the right track. I think it is very respectful that you plan on furthering your education to help yourself along with your employer. Volunteering to gain experience i believe is also very helpful to your future career. I also like learning and observing others and think everyone can benefit by doing so. Keep up the good work!
DeleteActivity 2:
ReplyDeleteMy three strongest job skills are reliability, patience, and competence in one’s field. My three weakest job skills are having a thick skin, risk-taking, and a sense of adventure for the unknown. Since I know my three weaknesses I am able to focus and learn from them. I believe the first step to strengthening my weaknesses is to acknowledge them. When I am put in a situation where I can use my weaknesses I will do so in order to make myself more comfortable with them and practice on turning them into strengths.
I do not have a professional job history that has contributed toward meeting my goal, however, I have had a lot of different experiences that I believe will better prepare me for my future profession. I have volunteered, mentored, and observed at many schools in Brevard County. I have also been a member of National Junior Honor Society, National Honor Society, and Future Florida Educators of America.
I think that your weak points are something that many can relate to. You make a good point by saying that the first step is acknowledging one has a problem. Practice will help this, however I always took the course of throwing myself into a situation I may be uncomfortable with. By doing so I am pushing myself in the right direction, although everyone should do what is best for them. Good luck with overcoming your obstacles!
DeleteRebekah,
DeleteI agree that placing yourself into an uncomfortable situation is a great way to overcome weaknesses. I think it is one of the more challenging approaches; however, I think it is probably one of the most rewarding. Proving to yourself that you can get through something even when you feel nervous and uncomfortable can be a very empowering feeling.
ACTIVITY ONE
ReplyDelete1. My professional and personal goals are to graduate from UCF with my BA in Interdisciplinary Studies and pursue an advanced degree in English Literature.
2. I have already attained enthusiasm to reach these goals by exploring how to get there through working on projects in my cornerstone class. I see what needs to be done in order for me attain my goals, and the biggest of these is to keep on working hard for graduate school.
3. I still need to complete and receive my bachelors degree before I can start my graduate work, and I also need to take the GRE next year and make sure my application for acceptance is ready to go in the appropriate time frame. Without following through with the admissions process I will not be able to attend graduate school at UCF.
4. My family is a wonderful support system I plan on relying on again and again because without support I feel my accomplishments are less extraordinary then they truly are. I also need to find a mentor that I can call on whenever I have specific or general questions.
5. The Graduate Student Association (GSA) is an organization on campus that can better prepare me for the real world of graduate studies, and more specifically the studies offered at UCF. This would be a great club to check out and see if any graduate students would be willing to mentor me through the course of my undergraduate studies. I will definitely have to check this organization out!
ACTIVITY TWO
1. My three best job skills are positivity, patience, and persistence. I do not give up very easily (if at all) when there is something I aspire to do/be. I am always the first one to volunteer to help, and usually the last one to leave because I genuinely care about others. Positivity is the only way to get things done with having to worry if the repercussions are disparaging.
2. I need to work on my sense of adventure, organizational skills, and competence. I am very good at the things I do, but I tend to stay inside my comfort zone because it has landed me the things in my professional life that I wanted. I will try to become more "outside of the box."
3. I will improve these weaker skills by constantly looking for opportunities to expand my horizons and future my experiences.
4. I don't, per se, have a job or jobs that have contributed to my want of future academic studies other than I know I don't want to remain a bartender my entire life. My drive to complete my programs comes from the hope of a better job with shorter hours!
Excellent post Justiss. It is good that you can recognize your areas of weakness and are willing to work to improve them. Being able to think outside the box, work outside your comfort zone and stay organized are all requisite skills for success in today's professional environment. How are you working on improving these skills specifically? Also, have you thought about an internship program in your interest area to get some "real world" experience?
DeleteMark Walker
Justiss, I thought that your personal and professional goals were outstanding. I understand what it is like to depend on your family for support to help make it through. I believe that as long as you stay focused and believe in yourself you are able to accomplish anything you set your mind to.
DeleteI agree with Kiticha in reference to your personal and professional goals. It is nice to know that you have support from your family and that they will help you with your future. Lacking in organization skills is something that i can relate to. I think you are on the right track by looking for opportunities to expand and learn. Practicing organization skills and taking risks can also be helpful!
DeleteI think it's awesome that you want to study literature. I am interested in poetry myself but I don't think you can be taught that. I think that teachers can only give you suggestions on how to improve in that area. It's cool that your family is such great support for you. I know that in my family my mom and sister are a great supposrt team. I also know how important deadlines are and unfortunately the GRE is one of three exams I still need to take in the near future. Good luck though!
DeleteActivity 1:
ReplyDeleteMy personal and professional goals are to be a TESOL teacher in another country. Along with teaching English to students of other languages, I also want to be involved in research programs in other countries as well. Conducting research and influencing children’s lives is my end goal. So far I have taken a multicultural studies class along with an Asian humanities class to become more educated on the places I wish to travel. I have also started taking my TESOL classes. By doing this I am learning how to relate to the students I will be teaching from other countries. However, I still need to take two more TESOL classes to become certified and be able to start teaching. Along with finishing those classes, I need to start taking classes for my Education minor. My professor that I have had for my Asian humanities class and my contemporary multicultural studies class has been helping me map out my future. She has already started writing me a letter of recommendation, along with setting of contacts for me to go over to China and start teaching. My professor is also involved with China Vine, an organization that I have been trying to get involved with that could eventually lead to me being involved with research in china. First I have to have written a thesis paper contributing to the China Vine web site. By doing this research I could possibly earn a grant from the school and be able to perform research first hand.
Activity 2:
My three strongest job skills are positivity, risk taking, and being adventurous. Once I set my mind on something, there is very little that I will let stand in my way. I am not scared of taking a risk, because I know the greater risk would be in not trying at all. My three weakest points are organization, persistence and patients. I need to learn how to get all my priorities straight, and not get too frustrated when things do not work out right the first time. In order to improve this I have started making lists of what is due and what I need to accomplish by a certain date. Hopefully, by keeping a good attitude and sticking with this, I will no longer get frustrated so easily. As of right now I have no job history contributing to my professional goals. After my trip to China this summer, I have hoping to change this.
Rebekah,
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you have a great plan and are taking the correct courses to pursue your career goal.
You skill strengths of positivitty, risk taking, and being adventurous are good in tackeling teaching English language learners. Thank you for your post. Good luck in your future endevors.
Activity 1
ReplyDeleteMy main personal goal right now is to graduate from UCF by the end of the summer. I hope I will be able to do this since I only need to more classes. My professional goal would be to find a career in education by the end of December 2012. Hopefully I will become either a guidance counselor or math teacher. Some skills I have already acquired that has helped me patience, problem solving skills, and being a people person. Some knowledge I will need to gain to reach my goal would be the knowledge of knowing when and how to create a better lesson plan and the knowledge of being a first day teacher. The people that I can think of that can help me accomplish my goal would be all the people I have done volunteer work with. Since most of them gave me their information I can call them and ask what I can do to become a better teacher. A club that I could join at UCF to help me on my way would be Florida Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. They seem like they could help me accomplish my goals.
being as close to a degree as you are i understand that being our main goal. I know with you're strengths you'll reach that goal!
DeleteActivity 2
ReplyDeleteMy three strongest job skills would be patience, flexibility, and problem solving.
My three weakest job skills would be management, risk taking, and toughness. I can't improve all of my weak skills in one act. But I know I work on them here and there as I get closer to my goal. For instance, working in a kitchen I can work on my management skills by keeping those below me with things to keep them busy. I notice I tend to let people stand around too much at work. For risk taking, I can work on that almost anywhere. I basically need to just keep in mine to think about all the risks before doing something. Make sure that the rewards are always higher than the risks, and I should be able to accomplish that weakness. For toughness, I could be nicer to people. I tend to not care when people have excuses for failing. I can start listening to those people, put myself in their shoes, and then I'll know how to react better to people. The only job I can think of that has helped me along the way is my job as a mathematics tutor. Being a tutor helped me be patient and know how to help people when they needed it. It was a great way to experience what teaching was like.
Nick,
DeleteI, too, felt as if risk taking is one of my weakest job skills. I agree that improving your weak skills does not happen over night. I think you are on the right path and are taking the proper steps to improve those skills. I wish you the best of luck!
Nick,
DeleteI can completely relate to toughness being a weakness. Every day I deal with clients and creditors that can be infuriating, but I have to remind myself that in their shoes I may act the same. Also I know that by being hard on people it doesn't necessarily motivate them in the way it would me. Understanding this is tough but will aid us a lot in the future.
Brian
Nick I also have "management" as a weakness and can understand easer to listen to the chatter then delegate. It seems like you have a grip on what you have to do and combining that by as you said being in their shoes will certainly improve!
DeleteI think that it's great that you know where you can start to work on your weaknesses. I think it makes sense that you work on them slowly and I like how you found places that you can practice improving those skills. I think it's very interesting that you were a math tutor because I am currently tutoring. I tried to tutor algebra one time but it didn't work so well for me. Tutoring definitely would improve your patience but I think it also reveals strengths you never knew you had.
DeleteRebekah, I find it interesting that one of your strengths is one of my weaknesses. This makes me feel that any of our weaknesses can become strengths or our strengths become weaknesses. For instance, if one is a risk taker and that risk is always rewarding, which describes you, this skill can be seen as a strength. As for those who risk take and their isn't a reward, me, see it as a weakness. But I am sure that if I work at it, one day I can make risk taking one of my strengths.
ReplyDeleteActivity One:
ReplyDelete1. My professional goals are to graduate with honors, and to further my education by attending law school. In a more long-term sense, my goal is to use that education to aide the underprivileged through pro bono work.
2. I have already banked a plethora of knowledge by working for a law firm, starting as a legal assistant and working my way up to paralegal. Similarly the skills I developed during numerous speeches and debates have given me the confidence to succeed in courtroom situations.
3. I still need to accrue an enormous amount of legal knowledge and to acquire a sheet of paper that states I’ve been awarded the degree of Juris Doctor.
4. There are many who can help me reach my goal, but the professors in my classes, and the attorneys whom I aid can provide me with insight and information that propel me towards my goal.
5. During my research I came across the Phi Alpha Delta website, which is the largest legal fraternity in the nation, and has an active chapter at UCF. Joining this organization would most certainly enhance my resume and create new opportunities.
Activity Two:
My three strongest job skills are my work ethic, my confidence and my oration ability. My weakest job skills are my strong will, time management, and impatience. I can most certainly work to strengthen my weaknesses through relatively simple means. My strong will and impatience are part of my personality and allow me to accomplish my work on a daily basis, however it can make me appear difficult to work with or abrasive to my clients. By understanding the needs of my clients and thinking about how stressful of a situation they’re in I can establish a solid relationship with them and gain their trust. Also by keeping a calendar, I am able to manage my time more effectively and efficiently in order to complete all of the work I have to accomplish throughout the week. I am currently working at a local bankruptcy law firm, and deal with clients, creditors and attorneys on a daily basis. This line of work most certainly will contribute positively towards my personal goal.
Activity1
ReplyDelete1. Graduating from UCF at the end of the summer with an IDS degree. Along with transferring with my current position at Zales to Spokane WA.
2. I have the skills to complete two more classes to finish the degree. Transferring hopefully will not be a problem as I have exceeded sales goals and not been written up. The skills needed to do so will be equivalent of inventory, sales, cash handling, and customer service.
3. Classes left are both built on classes enrolled in now, so what I’m learning this semester (and building will be used next term in cornerstone and my next esol class. The knowledge I needed is anything in the education field as this is my first experience with a lot of the methods used and abbreviations.
4. My husband would be the easiest to ask for help as he’s the most educated person I now having him review work while living apart is not an option but I literally will call him for help weather its to decipher how I can approach a project/paper etc. Having a different view point really can be beneficial and I’m not embarrassed about asking him for help like I would normally feel.
5. The DCA or diamond council of America would be the best professional organization to be a member Already having completed a course offered as a as a benefit of my current position with Zale’s, the admission requirements have been met although to better my sales I’ve found “The advanced jewelry sales course” offered by the diamond council of America would be the most beneficial to further my jewelry consulting career.
Activity2
1. Work ethic, patience and attitude
2. Delegation Punctuality, Prioritizing,
3. Identifying co works strengths and weakness and better share the workload. By setting clocks earlier, I could trick myself on being on time and to help with prioritizing understand length of project vs time due and allowed.
4. My current position is where I’m pulling my top three’s. This position has helped me better delegate and has improved my strengths as well. The only professional job held that corrected my punctuality problem was at a call center where the discipline made it a past job held.
1. My goal is to graduate from UCF over the summer and go to Spain in October. I also plan to take the teacher's certification exam and eventually teach in a middle school.
ReplyDelete2. I have gone to two workshops to help me learn what exactly will be on the FTCE and how to prepare for it. I have learned the requirements for the trip to Spain and know when the intent to graduate form needs to be filled out.
3. I need to learn exactly what information I need to put on the intent to graduate form. I need to find out what the test dates are for the FTCE and interview skills for getting the job.
4. I feel that the people that can help me achieve my goals are the advisors in the spanish and education department. I also feel that some of my connections through friends will allow me to gain the support and job opportunity that I will need in the future.
6. One orgainization that could help me achieve my goals is HASA, the hispanic american student association. I feel that getting to know many of their members will help me with my language skills and other areas that I need to improve upon in order to be a better teacher to my students.
1. I feel that three of my strongest job skills is that I can make the english spanish connections to help my students understand the spanish language. I am patient which will help them to learn and I am creative so I can motivate my students to learn.
2. I feel that my weaknesses are that I am not fluent in the spanish language, I am sometimes not confident in my skills as a techer causing me to doubt my abilities. Also, I get nervous easily which causes me to make silly mistakes.
3. I think that with practice I can get better with my speaking skills and I have to trust my abilities. I should realize that I am fully competent and whenever I get nervous I need to accept my mistakes, breathe and move forward so that I don't make more mistakes.
4. I have done alot of service learning with students and am currently doing an internship at an orange county high school. I have also worked with ESOL students which teaches me some strategies for assisting any future students.