Looking Ahead

The quote of the day is ... "I wish I’d started thinking about it much, much later,” said NO SENIOR EVER.  Having walked through today's presentation with me...why do you personally feel it is important to take charge of your education and your life now?

• Soul-searching:
• Do you feel like you have control over your own life?  Why or why not?
• What are your specific educational and career goals and on a scale of 1-10 how committed do you believe you are to making that happen?
• Describe the experiences you’d like to have in your life.  What are they and which are the most important to you and why?
• Discuss some of your habits.  Which of your habits would you describe as good ones?  What are some bad ones?
• Who is the person you’d like to become?  Describe what would make you proud of you and perhaps consider breaking it down into your 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, etc.

Here is a link to the presentation which was actually shared with me ... https://goo.gl/DNLVWs ... in case you missed the in class version!  After completing the blog visit collegeboard.org to review more college options and entrance requirements.

Establishing Your Professional Resume!

I know some of you might have your resume and some of you may have started it while others of you haven't yet put the pen to the paper but regardless of what stage you're at, today is the day you are going to write, review and finalize that resume!  By the end of the class today you will need to post your resume on your blog (take an image and post the 1 page document) and respond to the following questions.  In addition, be sure to post your resume in Schoology - I have posted a sample resume there and you can use it as a template and replace the information listed with your information.

1. What is a resume?  Who needs one? Explain.
2. What are the most important elements of a resume? In other words, what do you try to show in your resume and why?  Explain each.
3. Would you have any use for a resume now?  In the future?  Name a few ways in which a resume could help you!
4. Discuss the process you went through today as you wrote your resume.  What challenges did you face?  What areas do you need to focus on to have a more thorough resume that makes you feel job eligible?

Of course, for most of these questions, you need some background information AND you need to write your resume.  To get started, please read the following .... seriously, it will help you understand the resume writing process:

The Facts:

• According to a large survey by Gallup published in 2013, analyzing answers from 230,000 full-time and part-time workers in 142 countries, only about 30% of employees worldwide are satisfied with their jobs. What’s even worse,approximately 25% of people hate their jobs. That raises a very important question. Why do so many people stay in a job where they are not happy? While the answer to that question is multifaceted, we all know that the process of applying for new jobs can be both time consuming and daunting.

BUILDING YOUR RESUME – where to start?:

• Your resume is a sheet of paper that represents you as a professional – and it is the first impression that you present to your future boss. Don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, I am going to help you create a professional resume.
• STEP ONE: Content. Begin by putting together the content of your resume: work experience, summary of qualifications, achievements, education, keywords and any other important information that makes a powerful resume. Checkout http://www.rawresume.com/ for some tips on how to get the most attention from your resume.
• STEP TWO: Format. Make sure you present your career in the format that highlights your experience, education, and skills the best possible way.
• STEP THREE: Appearance. ‘Dress up’ your content and make your resume eye catching! Don't worry, I have a sample MS Word Resume that a Lead Recruiter offered me as an excellent example -- don't worry about reformatting, just plug in your information and bam, you'll be ready to apply for a job in no time! (see Schoology for the resume sample)

Presentation Matters:

• While the content of your resume is always the most important part, the presentation is a close second. Consider for a moment the restaurant industry. What are some of the main differences between an average restaurant and a 5-star restaurant? The quality of the food is (or should be!) the main difference, but presentation of the meal also matters. If the food doesn’t look enticing, we usually don’t expect it to taste good either.
• Liken this to your resume. It won’t matter if you are the best person for a particular job if your application doesn’t reflect that fact. Your resume is your ticket to the next step in the hiring process. A recruiter or a hiring manager spends an average of just 6 seconds looking at a resume, and if yours doesn’t catch their attention, it is sent straight to the discard pile instead of getting a further look.
• So how do you make sure that your resume catches the attention of a hiring manager who needs to look at 300 other applications? Make it easy for them to notice you. Keeping your application organized, easy to read, and with a little “wow factor”, can help. Clear headings and concise information are essential, as well as the order of the content.
• A resume should make you stand out and be remembered, but without going overboard and ending up in the “noticed – but not in a good way” pile. If you stand out because your resume is disorganized, cluttered, or just over-the-top colorful, you may not get a second chance with that company. And people talk. You may not get a second chance with three other companies that they are collaborating with either.

Thanks to those of you who took the time to read this ... now go to Schoology, download the sample resume and get ready to knock your future employers socks off :)

Minor NDA for EA

Please click the following link and wait for instructions:

• https://electronicarts.echosign.com/public/esignWidget?wid=CBFCIBAA2AAABLblqZhAS4eM0uIROev4zN6UYa5aXA0TCxtQYdwx1RbdQ3yg_9aBz_3jlJWwdd5Axsohiqng*

Thank you!

From Perseverance to the Pursuit of Happiness

Wait for it ... we're getting there!  All of this build up will culminate with you reflecting on your abilities and capabilities next week!  Today, however, we are going to continue our theme of the week by watching the Pursuit of Happyness, a movie inspired by the true story of Chris Gardner.  The movie explores hope, the ability of a man to overcome odds and, really, the ability to dream ... all of this while we view some of the darkest days of Chris Gardner's life.

As you watch the movie, please think about the following questions.  You may want to take out a sheet of paper and even jot down some notes.

• Describe Chris Gardner’s family and financial situation at the beginning of this movie.
• What is the time frame of this movie? What are some of the indications of the unstable economic climate in the United States at the time?
• What are the skills mentioned that are necessary for someone to become a successful stockbroker? 
• At one point in the movie, the main character, Chris Gardner, states that “maybe happiness can only be pursued but no one can ever have it”. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain. 
• Do you think Chris would have worked so hard to achieve his goals, if his wife had not left him? 
• What are some of the things Chris was forced to do to make ends meet while he was finishing his stockbroker training? 
• At a point in the movie when Chris and his son are shooting baskets, Chris tells his son “If you have a dream, you have to protect it. When people can’t do something they will tell you that you can’t do it either.” In this situation what dream does his son have? 
• How do you feel about the above statement? Do you think others are negative and prevent others from trying to achieve success to prevent others from failing? Explain your reasoning.
• At the end of the movie, did Chris Gardner achieve his goals? If so, why do you think he was successful? 
• Is it necessary to achieve financial success to ensure personal happiness? 
• Do you believe that anyone has a chance to achieve whatever they want to in our society? Why or why not? Be sure to list any specific things you can that explain why people would be able to achieve or would not be able to achieve anything. 

2016 - Let's Get Your Brain Ticking Again!

Good Morning and Welcome Back!  It is 2016! I suppose that means "Happy New Year" is in order.  We will come back to that on the block day!!

Yesterday while you were continuing to enjoy your holiday I was back at work participating in on site meetings and professional development!  I really enjoyed one of the activities - mainly because it made me think and, well, that just felt good!  I thought you might have the same reaction (especially if you took advantage of relaxing over the break) and so I wanted to share it with you!!

Here it is --- Try to solve this problem.  We'll call it the "Ship Problem"

There are 5 ships in a port

• The Greek ship leaves at six and carries coffee.
• The ship in the middle has a black chimney.
• The English ship leaves at nine.
• The French ship with a blue chimney is to the left of a ship that carries coffee.
• To the right of the ship carrying cocoa is a ship going to Marseille.
• The Brazilian ship is heading for Manila.
• Next to the ship carrying rice is a ship with a green chimney.
• A ship going to Genoa leaves at five.
• The Spanish ship leaves at seven and is to the right of the ship going to Marseille.
• The ship with a red chimney goes to Hamburg.
• Next to the ship leaving at seven is a ship with a white chimney.
• The ship on the border carries corn.
• The ship with a black chimney leaves at eight.
• The ship carrying corn is anchored next to the ship carrying rice.
• The ship to Hamburg leaves at six.

Here’s the question:

• Which ship goes to Port Said? Which ship carries tea?

When you have finished you need to include your answer both in this blog and on the following form located at: https://goo.gl/6ePBDO.  In addition to the correct answer, I will consider your response to the following questions as part of your grade:

1. What thoughts were going through your mind as you worked on the problem?
2. How did you go about solving the problem? Describe your process.
3. Was it challenging or fairly easy for you to solve?
4. Did you feel like giving up, or were you motivated to continue until you figured it out?

You will have the entire period to work on this problem but are expected to have a rationale result by the end of the period!!  Have fun!  I did!