Wrapping Up

I just turned in my final report to the dropbox, and I hope I get at least a B in this class; otherwise, I would have let everyone down by saying I'm graduating this semester. Hopefully I will be graduating this month and not waiting an extra semester to do so. I read the comment in the dropbox about the 200 points and the grade of B, so now I'm getting anxious… :/

Anyhow, I've been researching telecommuting jobs online in hopes of being able to work from home. In this case, I can be flexible like I was during this entire program, and I think I have done a lot better academically because of it. When I went to Sac State for my undergraduate degree, I was spending valuable time commuting back and forth and sitting in a classroom while I listened to a lecture. Judging by many online articles I've read, more and more people are ditching the commute approach and switching to working at home. It saves time, money, and energy.

Week 13: The Hiring Process

My virtual internship report is basically done. I'm pretty sure I've covered everything I learned in Second Life and in this class. I was using the sample paper as a model to help me through the process. Looks like I ended up with more than enough hours in the actual internship. I posted a discussion on the Ning for LIBR 287 that was addressed to everyone in the class: it basically says that we should all keep in touch after the semester's over.

Week 12: Job Search Goals and Tips

Lately I've been almost overwhelmed with job search tips, mainly because I've applied to so many positions. My name is on a zillion job search email lists, and I occasionally read the career news that sites like Monster post in my emails. Topics have been making your resume stand out in the crowd, what not to say at a job interview, the top 10 things that can get you fired, etc. I have found some really interesting jobs that I think I might qualify for, on sites like GetArchivistJobs.net, Indeed.com, and SimplyHired. Many of these sites are listed on the careers page for SJSU SLIS, and I bookmarked it so I could return to it if I needed to. I even have an app on my iPad called Super Job Search, which offers websites filled with job listings, tips, and tricks to landing that perfect job.

As of right now, all I can think about is applying for a job that I will actually get. As I stated in my discussion post for this week, I've gotten a lot of rejections from jobs I've applied for because of my experience level. As much as I understand that getting rejected is just part of the application process, I can't help feeling angry and hurt that I was not good enough.

Week 11: Team Players vs. Self-Starters

After reading the articles for this week, I can definitely consider myself a self-starter. I have already begun working on my final internship report, using the sample paper as an outline, and I have written up to 10 pages. That would be halfway for a traditional 20-page research paper, not including the references. I found out yesterday that I (finally) passed my ePortfolio, so now I can focus entirely on my internship for the rest of the semester (yay!) As of right now, I've completed the first two SLOs, which are becoming familiar with Second Life and its immersive 287 course, and developing the small virtual collection that is going to remain in Second Life. Although I think SLO 2 and SLO 3 are works in progress, of course. SLO 3 involves writing a term paper and creating a slideshow that is supposed to inspire future virtual interns in other 287 courses.

As for being a team player, I am no stranger to that, either. I was assigned my group members for LIBR 202, and I felt it was easier for them to be assigned rather than me asking people to be in a group myself. (I never brought out my best self in social situations). Then again in LIBR 204, I was assigned a group for the strategic plan, and both times, I was lucky to have gotten those people, since there were hardly any problems. I have been in groups in the past where I was the one who hardly did any work or I got caught up with at least one person who didn't get along with anyone. I believe people change as they get older, or at least most people. Sadly, some of the "bullies" in this world have remained bullies their entire lives and have had no chance of changing.

Week 10

This week we covered general questions about assignments coming up. I have already begun working on my final report for the internship, and it has been a good way to relieve the suspense of waiting for feedback on my last 3 ePortfolio comps. I have also logged into Second Life a few times and chatted with Snow about possible upcoming projects for the virtual collection. I created a book featuring the bios and photos of the students in LIBR 287; everything I have done so far is on display on the second floor of Hampton Court Castle.

Last night, I attended the class meeting in Second Life and they discussed the upcoming Renaissance Faire. Each student will be presenting an exhibit at the Faire and will also be doing activities like jousting and listening to musicians perform. I suggested having the students provide links to their machinima presentations so I could document them for the collection, and Lori and Snow thought that was a good idea. So far, the collection has progressed extremely well, and has gotten a lot bigger since when I started. I hope to assist with presenting the final work at the Renaissance Faire when visitors arrive, and I also hope to continue with similar Second Life activities in the future even after I graduate.

Week 9: Personality Types=Career Match?

I first got introduced to the whole personality test idea as an undergraduate student at Sacramento State University. I visited with the career counselor and she suggested I take a test to determine my personality type so I could find a good career. My results ended up being Introvert, Intuitive, Thinker, and Perceiver. Then I went to this week's discussion--many years later, another personality test--and got the same results. There's something about the networking-with-others idea that keeps popping up, basically saying that I'm afraid to ask for help, which, I'll admit, I am. I remember one thing from the undergraduate test that said "people will enjoy helping you." Really? I always thought I was coming across as a nagging dummy when I asked a lot of questions. In the words of my mother: "you can't get a job unless you learn how to communicate with people." Blah, blah, blah. Coming from her, it was annoying and frustrating, but when a friend or a mentor tells me that, my reaction changes; I'm calmer and more willing to let them walk all over me. It's true what I've heard: your relationship with your classmates and friends is different from that with your family.

As for finding virtual work, which is obviously the type of career I will excel in, all the job searches I've performed through apps and the Internet have led me to jobs suitable for engineers and computer science majors. My post for the week 9 discussion says a little more about this, and all I can say is that I keep thinking I chose the wrong major for virtual employment. (I've told my parents a couple times that I should have majored in business or engineering so I could get a job).

Week 8: Self-Motivation

I'm really liking the topic for this week's discussion. As I told a friend of mine yesterday, I'm currently taking virtual work very seriously at the moment, and when I say 'virtual work,' I mean virtual employment, not just an internship. I believe I am somewhat self-motivated, since after taking the quiz, I found I scored in the 'okay' department. Turns out I can achieve more than what I am doing, and surprisingly, I believe it with everything that's gone on in my academic life right now.

Last night, I met with Dr. Simmons, my ePortfolio advisor, in her online Collaborate office hour, to talk to her about the comment she made on my Comp N. I had to revise it because my explication was nowhere near being related to the library science field, and it sounded like I had just done a general Internet search for a few keywords in the comp and wrote a mini research paper on it. The real idea is to use my own knowledge from the program, use outside sources to back up my ideas, and apply what I have learned in the evidence section. As of yet, I have 9 passed and submitted number 10 (Comp N), so I've got 4 to 5 more to turn in and pass. After speaking with her, I motivated myself to go back and look at all the PDF files I had downloaded from past semesters and read through them. I also logged into the King Library website to use the EBSCOHost database and look into some articles there.

One thing I did mention last night, too, was the Ken Haycock Portable MLIS. I found it on Amazon, but I was thinking more along the lines of borrowing it from somebody so I don't have to buy it. Just wondering if anyone has it...