LC 12

Academic Enrichment

The Panel Discussion was hard to understand because of the difficulty to hear the speakers but I was still able to understand the main points. Of all the main points, the focus on identity stood out to me the most. The focus on identity made sense to me since The Bitter Sea had also emphasized identity and its importance. Everyone at some point in their life questioned who they are. It is important to understand that everyone has their own background and grew up differently so don’t be too quickly to judge. This definitely applies to Baruch College because Baruch is a college with a very diverse student body. I thought that what was meant to be learned from the panel discussion and The Bitter Sea was to get to know people before you judge them because you have no idea what they have been through or anything about their past.

Career Exploration

I found theCareer Exploration workshop helpful. She just reenforced all of my knowledge that I had on writing a resume and getting interviewed. I paid attention and took notes because I found it as a big coincidence that the day after the Career Exploration workshop, I had an interview for a job. It helped me relax for the job interview since I knew how to prepare my self. It is important to remain calm and have confidence in yourself to make the hiring manager like you. I applied all of the ideas that the Workshop taught me and a couple days later I got a call and now I’m the newest employee at Steve Madden.

Academic Enrichment

Concerning the panel discussion, i barely heard what Charles Li said because he was not speaking into the microphone and i was way in the back and so i heard very little of what was talked about at the discussion. I think what he was talking about was how his experience living in China and migrating to the United States had changed him. I believe the discussion seemed to center on identity and that no matter where we come from and what experiences and obstacles that may come our way, those experiences can help us to overcome them. No matter what we call our identity, if we are determined, we can still succeed.

Career Exploration

I learnt a lot from the STARR. It gave me an idea of what i think i am going to pursue in the future. i also saw how to effectively make resumes and how to efficiently prepare for job interviews. These are definitely skills that will come handy in the near  future. In the past i have applied for some job positions not using most of the suggestions that were given at the workshop. However after sitting through it i have seen that i need to work on many things the next time i apply for any job.One problem i had with the career exploration workshop was that it mainly focused on how to prepare for the job market in the future after college. it placed little emphasis  on what one can do now if he/ she is looking for employment.I think would have helped me a lot and most of the students since most of us are in the stage. Still it gives a great insight into the near future. i have certainly put down some points i intend to use later.

I also did not learn much from this workshop for this was not the first one of its kind that I had attended. Many of the things that the speaker mentioned was already common knowledge to those of us who have attended these sessions before. I think that the only thing that I gained from this workshop was the knowledge of STARR Career Development Center. I had known about its existence but I wasn’t aware of its many resources and now I will definitely try to use them to my advantage. Everything that was mentioned or discussed in the workshop can be found on the STARR Career Development Center’s website. The worksheets that they handed out were helpful because they are a physical form of the  information that can be found online.

Honestly  I didn’t get much out of the panel discussion. The amount of people in the room and the faulty equipment made it hard for me to focus on the speakers and take in what they were saying.

The main point that I got after sitting through the workshop was the importance of identity and how it is up to yourself to decide what your identity is going to be. Take the students at Baruch for example, we all come from very different backgrounds, ethnicities, and nationalities. We grew up in different households with different traditions, beliefs, and values. Some of us may have had to overcome difficulties that could never have been imagined by others who were more fortunate. Growing up, Charles Li, the author of The Bitter Sea, faced many obstacles in terms of identity and an unstable childhood. As he came of age, he transformed from a little boy who would constantly seek attention and approval from his manipulative father to a Chinese American who learned the importance of identity and used that to further his own ambitions and goals in life.

The panel discussion was really nothing I was expecting because I thought it was going to be a play. The problem with it was that Charles Li must’ve forgotten to speak into the mic because I could barely make out what he was saying the entire time. This really made the audience lose focus on the discussion. All I recall hearing was the concept of identity and how that really is created by yourself rather than something that you’re born with. He must’ve been relating to himself as a writer because although his father looked down upon him, he still managed to become an influential writer. He didn’t let his father get the best of him, and decided to prove him wrong. Charles Li came from a difficult childhood but he was able to emerge from it a better person, with the early support of his mom also. The main lesson that’s being caught here is to never let someone tell you who you are. Who you are is who you decide to make of yourself.

This was the second workshop I’ve attended that helped with developing a good resume, and it wasn’t much different from the first one I’ve experienced in high school. I’ve been developing my resume for a while now by just putting down all the places I’ve worked, what skills I developed, and contact information in case I lose it in the future. However, there were a few things I learned from this speech that I didn’t know of beforehand.
The first is choosing the types of past job experiences you put down on your resume in accordance to the job you’re applying for. When submitting a resume, I just put down every job I’ve had and the skills I’ve learned. Now I know to skip the ones that don’t relate for the job I’m applying for. Second, I learned a few pointers about how to act during an interview. I’ve never been interviewed, but now I know to do some background research about the company and be well prepared beforehand.
What I found to be most helpful though, were the handouts that were given, especially the one with a sample resume. Even if I can’t remember what the speaker said, I always have something to look back on now.

The Career Exploration workshop has taught me how to write a resume and how to speak professionally in front of interviewers. Writing the resume was more complicated than i had thought since there are so many different types of resumes. The material written inside the resume varies upon who the resume is for for example if your applying for a job as a doctors assistant you should put in experience related to being an assistant of something. The wrong thing to put in is your work experience in McDonald’s, Burger King, Popeyes, or KFC because these things have nothing to do with the job your applying to. These fast food jobs don’t give any experience since they are considered dead end jobs. What you should put in is your experience in assisting a teacher or a tutor since these help communication skills and leadership skills. The interview after your resume is read is the second part of the process of getting a job. If the interview goes horribly wrong it is almost guaranteed you aren’t getting the job. If you cannot answer the questions the interviewer gives you that shows that you are incapable of taking on the job. The most interesting part is that the interviewer actually has a set of questions that tests each aspect of a person within the boundaries of the job. They have a grading list and percentage, like a grade on a test. If you pass you get the job, if you fail you don’t get the job it’s that simple. There are so many things that gives someone the necessary skills to act professional, speak professional and react professional. A quick thinker that knows what he is good at and bad at is someone that people want to hire. No one wants a perfectionist nor someone who doesn’t have common sense or thinks out of the box. I had an experience once where i was interviewed. She had asked me several questions relating to the job i was applying for. The questions that i had most trouble with were the things i needed to improve on or something i thought i was not good at. Appearance, the way you speak, the way you react, the way you sit, the way you shake someone’s hand are all factors in being successful in an interview. The Career Exploration workshop had given me many different sources and websites in which i could attend these workshops and events so that i can get an internship, a job i need in order to gain experience for my major or career in the future. There are so many different types of internships that i don’t even know which one to choose. These internships can be paid or unpaid, but of course the importance is not in how much you can make in the internship but how much you make when you get a real job after you’ve gained the experience from working in a internship program.  The workshop helped me develop a better self.

Charles Lee was the most intriguing speaker out of all of them. I was very happy that someone with his experience was there to deliver his message to the students of Baruch. I respect him as both a professor and a person from within my own culture. His stories captured my attention and his struggles reminded me of my own family struggles. One thing that i thought was funny was when he forgot to speak into the microphone and kept talking without realizing no one could hear him. He is so modest and funny and it shows that he is a great man with many words to say. He is both intelligent and experienced in his work. The rest of the speakers each delivered their own stories that meant a lot to them in their lives. The Bitter Sea had reminded each of them of the struggles they had within their career as well as the stories that had caught their attention and changed their view on the world. Their stories have reminded me of my own struggles and the struggles within my family. The story of the ship reminds me of my great grandparents struggles while coming into the United States. They had to endure the pain, poverty, and loss of family. Everyone had been separated when they had come here in search of more stable and safe environment as well as a better opportunity for their future generations. The panelists and the author of The Bitter Sea had related their life stories and struggles; career struggles, family problems, and other life changing situations. The Bitter Sea develops a struggle within the boys childhood and his gradual change as he ventures through life. Through his adventures finding his identity while making new friends he discovers the negative aspects of life, the struggles and poverty of China and the relationship between his parents. As he grows up he starts to understand that his parents are going to divorce and that his father did not love him but rather more concerned about his work. The only one who truly loved him was his mother who had become a nun in search of a better life. These realizations and struggles can be related to everyone, especially with the lives of the panelists who described their problems in searching for jobs and completing their academic career and how they had become successful and lived a valuable life. It is truly amazing what these people have gone through. The panelists come from all different parts of the world, have traveled across the world, have seen the struggles of life in different parts of the world, and the adventures these places have to offer them. Each of them lived valuable lives and are happy with what they had to go through since they have learned what it takes to live and prosper. The lives of everyone is complicated but with the right mindset anything is possible and everything is accomplish able with a little inner strength.

The Career Exploration workshop did not provide me with much information that I did not already know.  Working in a business environment already (small law office), I knew much of what was being presented.  Preparation for the interviews and resume are simple tools that many people, including myself already know about.  I thought the workshop would focus more on how BARUCH can help us, the resources/tools/advisors they have and how we can use those.  Instead, it was a basic information session telling us the Do’s and Dont’s for many things we already know about.  However, speaking on a non-bias standpoint, this session may have helped others who are not so experienced with these types of things (people who are looking for a job, never learned about creating resumes in high school, etc.)

To be honest, I was not too interested in the Panel Discussion plus I had the worst possible seating anyone could ever ask for (Balcony, several rows back, leg room just enough for a toddler).  However, I still managed to catch their main emphasis on identity.   I believe the author has went through a lot in his life and has established a lot of credibility to be talking about a common subject such as identity.

I believe identity has no general definition, and that no other person can give someone an identity other than the person him/herself.  This identity can consist of whatever the person wants to be identified as, whether it be based on ethnicity, looks, beliefs, accomplishments, hobbies, etc.  Everyone’s identities are different from each other, and there is no limit to what someone’s identity is.  It is what it is and you are who you are.