Mentees, Rich and Andres have taken the time to talk about our individual course as students/bachelors. We both have had a series of jobs that differ in the skill set necessary to execute within them. We have have also discussed what we have found out about ourselves as individuals in our roles as working students through out our lives as young adults. After you read letus know how similar your career paths have taken you. Let us know!
Rich says: I have used interdisciplinary skills in my professional life by incorporating what I’ve learned in college and other experiences into my former jobs and projects.
I have been working since the age of 15 when I was legally allowed to have a job. I began as bagging groceries at Winn Dixie, and then moved onto bussing tables at a five star gourmet restaurant called the Black Pearl in Vero Beach. After that, I worked for Samsonite (luggage company) and became the assistant manager until I graduated High School.
As I started college, I wanted a job that was more relevant to my studies, and I landed a job as a dispatcher at Indian River Hospital. Then, I graduated from community college, and moved to Orlando to attend UCF!
Upon moving, I landed a new job at AutoTrader.com, and later became a Supervisor of customer service for the website. I really enjoyed the job, even though it was difficult to work there full time and attend school. Ironically, it was announced that Auto Trader was really feeling the impact of the recession and our office was completely shut down. Now I don’t have a job for the first time in 9 years…
I hope my work history didn’t put you to sleep…
Next, I would like to talk about my strongest and weakest job skills: my strongest are reasoning with people, and that is why customer service suited me. My weakest skill is organization because I’m more of right-brained person. I also tend to plan how I’m going to attempt to organize things and/ or work on projects and assignments. Can you relate?
Understanding the way I tend to operate (know thyself!) is, I believe, the key to improving and developing my skills. Dan Pink’s book about positive side affects of using the right hemisphere of your brain has made me recognize how beneficial it is to always want to add a creative twist on things. What helpful things do you do to improve your weaker skills?
There are organizations and clubs that are useful to my career like the National Broadcasting Society (NBS), and the Future Business Leaders of America Club. Note: I am hoping to have a career in TV or Radio broadcasting sales.
Currently, I am interning at WMFE Public Radio in Orlando. It is monumentally to my professional development because I am actually experiencing work in the field, and have ruled out the jobs that don’t actually interest me. Not only am I gaining something good for my resume, I am learning some things that cannot be taught (understood in my case) in a classroom.
Andres says: Interdisciplinarity is not something I've had to think about. Its not like I stopped and said to myself, I'm applying three particular areas of my knowledge into one concise statement or event. I do however think before I speak. This is my communication and behavioral sciences working together to get my mind on track.
My professional history has not been very professional, Honestly I have not had much luck holding down jobs until I really had the need to for one. Before that, I've been a teachers assistant, shoe salesman, stock room employee, warehouse attendant, pharmaceutical representative, pizza delivery driver, server on two occasions, restaurant kitchen staff, bartender, valet server and other things that I did for a very small amount of time but never stuck. Point of this all is my professional history is far from that. But for the purpose of this blog I still share.
My set of skills differ from what I can do and what I refuse to do. I guess you can say that my pride and my ego are always first, I say this because they have cost me my job in a series of situations. But it also serves to display myself as someone who is strong of character, charismatic and willing to represent or defend a company. I guess I have higher standards for myself and I refuse to let myself be put down or degraded in any fashion. My "weakness" is anything but that... It is more like a sense of invulnerability that may get challenged from time to time but has yet to be defeated.
my chosen career is advertising and theres a club that used to be called 'quotes'. The club featured public speakers and open houses or presentations about the given field. It also talked about job fairs and career opportunities. But technically any club you join will yield a series of opportunities for you. Networking is an essential part of the college experience.
This all leads up to me being in college. I've seen a series of terrible jobs and I know that if I don't get a proper education I will be doomed to a life of mediocrity. I can't have that, I won't have that.
I've been acting all of my life and being in front of the camera is the only career path I really would want to follow.
ReplyDeleteOther than acting, I have always done performing arts. I've been in a band for the past 5 years and we did many shows worldwide. So they've pretty much been my employer ever since highschool. We are currently on a break so in the meantime I've occupied myself by doing sales at a clothing store called BCBG Maxazria and I also do promotions for red bull.
When I graduate I definitly want to move to LA and pursue acting and singing and I think it would be really beneficial if I had a degree that includes both theatre, music, and broadcasting.
Ivette :)
Hey Rich!
ReplyDeleteYour career path sounds A LOT like mine. I also hope to go into the field of television and broadcasting and I was wondering how exactly you got in the National Broadcasting Society? My sister is in it but for some crazy reason can't explain to me how to join so I would really appreciate your help!!
ps- i LOVE the Black Pearl! We need to work on getting one over here in Orlando :)
- Ivette
Andres, you are not alone when it comes to having a compilation of jobs. I feel that through college a lot of students just go through small part time jobs just to get by. Also, if we are putting all of our energy into our studies it is hard for us to have much time left for our work. At least now you can say that you are very “interdisciplinarian-like” to have been in so many different situations! Good luck with your advertisement career and I totally agree with you that education is absolutely key!
ReplyDelete-Ivette :)
Red,
ReplyDeleteFor lack of a better word, that sounds AWESOME. What other acting gigs have you had, and does the competition in those fields worry or motivate you?
I am a real believer in pursuing a career path that you're passionate about -aka the dream job. However, I also feel that it is equally important to have some things to fall back on. In other words, something that will pay when the dream job is not...
I'm torn between what I really love: the arts, and what I know I can at least make a good living on: the average business job in customer service.
Ivette,
ReplyDeleteThere's a website, email, and facebook group page. Below is some info I copied from their facebook. (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=8531541343)
EMAIL: nbsinfo.ucf@gmail.com
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Our next meeting will be in BA 202 (Business Administration) NOT THE STUDENT UNION at 6PM on Thursday, October 22nd. Snacks and drinks will be provided.
AT OUR PREVIOUS MEETING****
-The founder and staff of Knightnews.com, a student run mixed-media news source for all things UCF came in to talk about media convergence, how their website works, and how NBS members can get involved with the Knightnews - whether it be writing, shooting, editing, or reporting.
***********************************
I have used interdisciplinary skills in my professional life because throughout my internships I have had to encompass different skills that I have learned through my majors, in dealing with situations in the workplace. In a class such as conflict management, I learned how to deal with conflicts in the workplace. In addition, in my oral communications class, I learned excellent skills when make a speech and pitching a new idea for an advertising campaign.
ReplyDeleteMy professional history has included working for the following companies: Allied Integrated Marketing, Starmark International Public Relations, Zimmerman Advertising, and Ogilvy Public Relations. Currently I serve as Supervisor of Student Government Elections.
My biggest weakness is taking on too much at once. I can improve this weakness by turning down an opportunity every once in a while or delegating other group members to help with a project.
Two professional clubs or organizations that are helpful to my carreer that I am currently a member of are DECA, a major business marketing club at UCF and Quotes, the advertising/ public relations club.
Internships have helped my professional development by giving me real life/ hands on experience in the field I am most interested in.
Rich-
ReplyDeleteWow your job at AutoTrader sounds great. How did you come across that?
Red-
ReplyDeleteHow often and what kind of promotions do you do for Red Bull? That sounds interesting!
I try to use my interdiciplinary skills in every job and experience that i encounter. Although I haven't had any internships, I hope to have one by spring semester doing something in advertising. One of my best qualities, like Rich, is I have great customer service skills. I am able to reason and talk with anyone that I encounter. My biggest weakness is being so unorganized. I procrastinate doing all of my work, and then only have a little time to complete things. I have been working on improving myself in that area, but it hasn't come easy. I tend to take on too many things at once, so i need to work on giving myself only few things to do.
ReplyDeleteRed--
ReplyDeleteWhat is your band called? Traveling around in a band just sounds so cool :)
Rich--
ReplyDeleteWhat do you do at the radio station?
Jordan Claire
ReplyDeleteI have used interdisciplinary in my professional life by incorporating the subjects I have learned so far at UCF with the experiences that I've encountered throughout my life.
My professional history is brief I just started working with a marketing company that specializes in automotive advertising which is basically a sales job. I have done this before in my senior year of high school so I learned the material pretty fast.
My strongest job skills are my abilities of being able to work without asking many questions. I can figure out anything for myself in the most appropriate fashion. I am not afraid to ask questions if I can't find a result to a problem.
My weakest job skills are that I am not always on point in the morning or in the best mood which can be fixed by coffee and taking breaks.
My weak skills can be improved by drinking more coffee and going to sleep earlier.
I have worked with two professional companies at Overdrive Direct Marketing and Mobern Lighting which I worked doing advertising projects.
My internship with Overdrive Direct Marketing I believe has impacted my professional development tremendously in the fact that it is a huge stepping stone into my road to working for a Marketing Corporation. It will open many doors to my future success.
Chelsea..
ReplyDeleteWhat would you like to do in advertising? I am trying to figure out something in that field as well but don't know exactly. Let me know if you have any specfic ideas!
Jordan Claire
Hey Marlee,
ReplyDeleteWhat internships have you had? ..since were in similar areas of study I would just like to know for future reference.
Jordan Claire
Marlee,
ReplyDeleteI was accepted to UCF in 2006, three weeks before the Fall semester was to begin. So, I had to find a job and a place to live within the time!
I began driving from Vero Beach to Orlando just about every morning, dropping off resumes and looking for dirt cheap apartments near campus.
Of course, every apartment complex I visited on Alafaya had no vacancy or was way too expensive for me to pay for on my own. I also centered my job hunt around the Waterford Lakes Town center (outdoor mall) and had no luck because I was repeatedly asked for a resume.
So, I went home and made resumes, and then made my usual two hour drive with a little bit more determination than before. In one day, I randomly dropped by Auto Trader with my resume and was hired on the spot, and then dropped by U-house (currently Campus Crossings) and signed a lease.
It all worked out, even though U-House turned out to be quite a crazy place to live... I was a inbound customer service operator for about a year at the Trader until I was promoted. The promotion allowed me to simply regulate on the other operators and their talking and cell phone usage...plus a sweet pay increase.
Like all good things, it eventually came to an end; but I have no regrets!
Rich
haha For some reason it said my name was Red?? ok well Red=Ivette lol but ya Ive always been doing the acting and singing stuff and now that I am working on the education part I still would liek to encorporate what I love into school.
ReplyDelete-Ivette