The Career Journey

Career Course

ucicareercenter — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:06:55 +0000

This career course had been an interesting experience. Coming into this class, I wasn’t expecting much and just thought it would be a good class to take to prepare myself for the real world. I feel like I’m more prepared now that the course has come to an end. I’ve learned about myself and to trust and grow my strengths. I understand how important it is to express who I am and to just be myself, whether it is in an interview or a resume, and to showcase my personality to employers. I’ve learned to always be aware of the social connections around me because you never know what relationships can benefit your career. I feel like networking is always coming up. I recently talked to this guy from church who is an engineer. And I just started asking about his career and talked about my interests with my chemistry major and he was very willing to look out for internship opportunities at the company he worked for. I was amazed because networking is so easy and some people are so nice and willing to help if you just ask. I think it’s important to help others when networking and to find connections for others because you never know when you might need help and they might be there for you in your time of need.
This course has been very eye-opening and I would definitely recommend this course to others.

- Candace Liu

Looking Back, Pushing Forward

ucicareercenter — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:05:37 +0000

It’s amazing to see that through the generations, trends have faded and come back and the styles of people have changed. What also changed are the principles and values of the people during the shifting ages. It is good to know the differences in values between generations because when looking for jobs or networking, adapting to the generation of the interviewer can be extremely useful. Connecting with them and respecting their values can help win that job or gain an associate. Knowing what other people say about our generation can be helpful as well. Knowing that people say this Millennial Generation has a short attention span or understanding that we are assumed to lack communication skills, we can spin it to our advantage to say that we multitask and we use different techniques to keep in contact with others and us many social networks to network. I wish that I could experience the different generations and understand the strong values that were prevalent that carried the people through those times.
But I am also excited to see what the future generations have to offer as technology and networking are constantly improving.

- Candace Liu

Start as a Freshman

ucicareercenter — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:07:27 +0000

Unlike myself, I strongly recommend undergraduates to start thinking about what they want to do with their life during their freshman year. I regret not getting a head start and taking advantage of all the great resources that UCI has to offer. Most students who start college focus on making friends, fitting in, and looking for the next party with a keg. While all (or some) of these things are important, I warmly encourage you to get an internship and not worry about that part-time job at the mall just yet. If you feel that you need financial help, there are workshops held every Wednesday week called Student Support Services or SSS for short (it’s also on Facebook and the UCI website). They really help you pinch every penny and spend wisely. And guess what? They also get students involved in research to make some extra cash. I’ve heard that some students can even bank as much as $2,000. You can use your research experience from SSS to your advantage if you plan on going to grad school (since a lot of grad programs look to see if you’ve done research). As for me, I felt like I had no time to do internships or attend any SSS workshops. Now that I am graduating, I feel a bit guilty for not doing so. The experience could have really helped me out with my job search. Internships also help you figure out what you want to do in life, and it’s not like they require you to work full-time or anything. You can probably work up to 5-10 hours or even less, depending on who’s hiring you. I feel like I should have done internships because of the fact that I could have known what I liked and what I didn’t like in a real job. Internships help you weed out jobs that you find boring, and they help you find out what you like to do. I really really REALLY wish I could have gotten an internship as a copy editor, legal assistant, or ANY type of assistant for that matter. Now I’m not sure what exactly I’m going to do with my English major, other than the fact that I have to gamble on job offers and HOPEFULLY do something that I like or something that matters. I do have a big plan in mind for the future, but I would have liked to find out what I was truly passionate about during the past. As a senior who will be walking at the Humanities graduation ceremony in two weeks, I’m telling you to please, please, PLEASE get out there and discover those amazing possibilities early! Best of luck to you all!

Yury Tolentino

The Career Center

ucicareercenter — Tue, 25 May 2010 21:08:24 +0000

I’ve only been here for 2 1/2 years but over that time I most definitely did not use the career center’s resources as well as I could and should have. This being my last quarter I find myself wishing I knew what I had two years ago. I hope new students will realize that the career center could be a great tool in searching for a job and more importantly in planning for a career.

The Career Planning course offered by the career center was extremely helpful and eye-opening. I encourage everyone who has the time to enroll in it.

I think it would be nice if UCI created a required course for new and transfer students to UCI, or some kind of orientation series that familiarized students with the career center, its possible uses, and resources available.

~Syma

Creating Your Brand

ucicareercenter — Tue, 25 May 2010 21:07:23 +0000

In today’s world of individualistic impression it seems that branding is more important than ever. Essentially your brand much like a brand of a firm is a way creating a identity that sets you apart from others. Moreover, an individual brand is what labor economists would call a “market signal”. If your brand stands out it creates a signal that increases your employment prospects and ultimately your demand in the marketplace. This is why so many competitors focus on distinguishing themselves from other firms through advertisement and marketing.

Much of an individual brand is predicated by vision, innovation and performance. Hence, your brand is your past, present and your future. Those who fail to realize this face the possibility of being left behind in the marketplace as other individuals adapt and continue to reinvent themselves. However, one of the hallmarks of a brand recognition and loyalty is a proven track record of dependability. At the individual level this is accomplished via references and letters of recommendation or performance evaluations.

Finally, I would like to look at individual branding in terms of “product placement”. In the advertising world this consists of a firm strategically placing their product in a place of high visibility. Some examples, are actors either consuming or using a product such as a soft drink or cell phone in a popular television series or box office film. This concept has proven to be effective because it is more subtle than advertising yet memorable because of the mental linkages and coding. Moreover, this can be applied to enhancing and individual brand by strategically placing your product, “you” in places of high visibility. Some examples of this are industry trade shows, conducting informational interviews regarding with current industry professionals regarding the future of a particular firm of industry just to name a few. By doing so, you will have enhanced the visibility of your brand, thus becoming memorable and likely increasing your product demand. Ultimately, this means more options for you and greater entry into the market of your choosing.

- David Curry

What not to wear

ucicareercenter — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:53:24 +0000

I’ve never had a real job interview before, and the thought of one makes me pretty nervous. I’ve gotten plenty of tips and advice from everywhere though, including my sorority. The discussion of interviews this past week reminded me of the speaker we had come in and talk to us during one of our chapter meetings. She had also been a part of our sorority at a different school. What I remember the most is the list of things not to wear at an interview. She noted that she had seen people wearing everything on the list, and she worked in a professional industry. The list includes wild nail polish or makeup, crazy hair, jewelry that jangles, out-of-date suits, leather jackets, red or colored brief cases, cleavage, printed or trendy handbags, open-toed, backless, patterned or stiletto shoes, and bare legs. Most of them I can understand, but I was kind of surprised at bare legs and the shoes. I guess it really depends on what industry the job that in that one is interviewing for though.

- Jessica Chan

Best version of yourself

ucicareercenter — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:49:14 +0000

I’ll admit that part of me wanted to cry a little after reading Patrick Combs’s commencent speech to Harper College in 2003. It just reminded me that graduation really is coming and the life I’m so used to will be gone. I liked the part where he asked the families of graduates to let them enjoy their day of graduation rather than questioning what the next step is. My parents have been constantly bagging on me to hunt for a job and that seems to be the only thing we ever talk about now. The more pressured I feel the more freaked out I am, and all I want to do is enjoy my last few weeks as a college student.

I also loved the story he told about Eric Moussambani in the Olympics. It’s amazing to hear about someone who won nothing to be loved by the public just for trying. It reminded me of Michelle Kwan trying to win the gold medal many years ago. She won silver instead, but crowd still adored her, just for putting her all into it. There is so much pressure on everyone to be number one at anything and everything, including pressure from parents to get straight A’s. I think there are so many amazing people out there than are overshadowed just because they didn’t make the top spot. I used to want to be one of the most famous designers in the country, equivalent to that of Marc Jacobs or Louis Vuitton. Now, I’m realizing that may never become a reality, but I’m ok with that. Now, I just hope I’m happy with a roof over my head. Sure, it would be great to be rich, but they make up the smallest population in the U.S, so those that do make it are lucky. I think instead of striving to be number one people should strive to become the best version of themselves that they can be.

-Jessica Chan

Weaknessess into strengths?

ucicareercenter — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:46:45 +0000

I found it very interesting when I learned that you can’t turn your weaknesses into your strengths, but now that I think about it, it makes complete sense, and probably should have been obvious to me all along. I have always felt like I had such a natural artistic talent and it baffled me how some people couldn’t even draw a decent stick figure or shape. I remember asking my sister once, “Do you think someone who is not born with artistic talent can become just as good as someone who is?” Her reply was, “Uh yea, of course”, or something along those lines. I still had a doubt in my mind though, and I now know that I had a reason to. It is kind of fascinating to know that someone who is not born with artistic talent can train themselves in art for the next 50 years if they want, and still, they will never be as good as me. This also answered my question of whether or not people are really born with different talents or if we all start off with the same clean slate. Before, I had thought that maybe it was the way people were brought up or what they were exposed to that determined what they were and weren’t good at in life. I had always felt so dumb trying to do my math homework and I constantly had to ask my dad for help. I saw him as a genius, because it seemed like he could figure out everything. He use to tell me that being smart was all a part of genetics, and I’m still not sure if that is true or not but if it is then something must’ve been left out when I was put together. I’m now happy know to will never ever use any of the ridiculously complicated math I learned in high school. I now realize that my strengths lie in my creativity, as well as my adaptability and harmony. I never thought self-assessment could be an important part of the job search, but now I definitely see why it’s important to know what your strengths are.

- Jesica Chan

The People in My Life …

ucicareercenter — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:44:59 +0000

I am very thankful for the many people in my life who’ve motivated me to finish school. Now that I am weeks away from graduating I truly appreciate the motivating comments, and all the assistance I got from friends and family throughout my educational journey. I got through this while raising my two kids and there were times I found myself wondering if it was really worth it. At the end of the day I think it most certainly was and I know it feels great! Every time I was stuck wondering if it was worth it there was someone there to share with me how impressed they were that I was, at least by appearance , a decent parent and I was still slowly but steadily pushing forward with school. I don’t think those people knew what their comments meant to me but I know every time someone made such a comment I found myself with another burst of motivation that would help me get through the semester, and then quarter, and through the years. I hope everyone is able to appreciate the people in their lives who’ve helped them. If you’re up to it remember to thank them for the little things as well as the big things.

~Syma Aslam Chaudhry

Research while in college

ucicareercenter — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:43:43 +0000

If there is anything I would recommend doing while in college it would be research. At first I thought it would be something that would help me gain more experience but it turned out to be more than that. I found that the things I learned in class would be the very exact thing I do in research which turned out to be very helpful in cementing concepts. Not only is it easier to remember certain things in class it also gives you the chance to ask questions you would have never really asked in a huge class setting. However, I think one of the most important aspects about researching is the people you interact with. I found that the PI and the post-docs that I worked with genuinely love what they do. And for this reason it becomes easier to learn in this type of environment. I do not feel that any of my questions are dumb. A question I liked to ask to the researchers was “How did you end up at UCI researching?”. Each person’s answer was completely different stories. Their stories were about trails and errors, change of careers and what you should take out of life. Researching was one of the many experiences at UCI that I value. Because you don’t know who you’ll meet and what wisdom you can take away from it.

- Kathy Luong