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Communication Blog #1-Session 2
My name is Natalya Charbonneau. I have been teaching Mathematics at the post-secondary level for the past seven years. On a daily basis I am expected not only teach the material outlined in the syllabus, but also find ways to motivate students, ignite their interest towards the discipline, and show them how the math skills developed in class could be utilized in professional environment. It had occurred to me that I have not utilized my own math skills to a great extend outside of my teaching responsibilities. I decided to enroll in MS in Statistics degree, with the goal to gain new expertise and obtain a position in the industry. Ideally I would like to work in the area of statistics, data analysis or actuarial science on a full time basis and maintain a part time teaching career.
I have been reading the job descriptions of positions in the above mentioned industries. The majority of the descriptions require prospective applicants possess strong oral and written communication skills. Among the most often mentioned skills are the ability to communicate effectively in order to work on a common project and the ability to present information in a clear manner to people who may not have deep technical knowledge of the concepts.
Strong written and oral communication skills are not only important for my future occupation, they are necessary for my current position as well. I have to communicate with the students, colleagues and supervisors via email on daily basis. I am currently a member of a Curriculum Development and a Middle States Committees. All the committees’ members are expected to actively participate in self-study process and report the findings and recommendations to the supervisors. Oral communication skills are just as important in my day to day work. Besides the obvious fact that I have to present material in clear and coherent manner to my students, I also have to facilitate faculty meetings, conduct professional development workshops, and occasionally give a presentation for faculty from different divisions.
I would assess my communication skills as moderately strong, but far from perfect. I remember agonizing over writing a simple introductory email to students during my first year of teaching. I have come a long way since then, but I am still not completely confident when giving a presentation or writing a report for my supervisors. There is no limit to perfection. I would like to continue improving my communication skills in all the above mentioned areas. Since all my experience had been obtained not in business, but in academic setting, I recognize that I have very little experience in writing business letters and proposals. These are the main areas of my weakness that I will need to work on most.
I feel taken out of my comfort zone and challenged in this class more than in any other course that I have taken at Baruch College so far. This is when the most personal and professional growth takes place. I am grateful for the opportunity.
Hello,
My name is Marina Gospodinova. My top 3 career goals at the moment are: completing the MBA program as fast as possible and as successful as possible; to enroll in an internship program in a large financial firm to gain initial experience; and when ready to start my career in that field.
I have an interest in economics since early age. My dream has always been to work with numbers, to analyze, make predictions, audit. I have an interesting background, as I really wanted to focus on different aspects of economics before I choose what I really want to do. I studied Economics and Management in high school. It gave me the necessary base and concentrated on Accounting. I started studying Economics of Trade in college but soon after I started I felt as it was too narrow and didn’t interested me that much so I decided to change my major to International Economic Relations. Studying that gave me a lot of knowledge about international business and finance. I am very interested in Finance and see myself as a part of the Audit or Compliance department of a large financial firm in the near future.
In my opinion the most important communication skill you need to have nowadays is to be able to present yourself in the best way possible and to be able to deliver your message to the audience. Very often smart, educated and very experienced people are rejected at their work place because they are not able to fit in the team. There is one universal truth: we maybe quiet, shy, introvert at home and among friends but in our professional lives we have to be that figure everyone is willing to follow (at least that is how I see it).
Although it is very difficult for someone to asses their own skills, I would say my oral communication skills are at an intermediate level. My biggest challenge is the language barrier and sometimes even though I am well prepared and have a lot of knowledge in a certain area I cannot express what I really want. Apart of the problem is also the level of anxiety before a presentation/meeting.
As of my written communication skills, I would rate myself very good. Since I came to the US I have been working in customer service and a biggest part of the job is communicating with customers and resolving difficult situations (unsatisfied clients; damages caused to clients). That made me much better in communicating via email or phone but left my face-to-face presentation skills a little bit undeveloped.