Networking

Networking is not something that I expected to be going over in class, but I am really glad that we did. Looking back on all of the jobs that I have worked up until this point have all been through networking. While I knew how important it has been to network for the little summer jobs that I've done, I never really thought seriously about networking in a profession. Hearing about the different stories from classmates and our professor made me realize that I am already behind on networking for my future career. I'm currently planning on going into information systems and am hoping to find an organization that holds events where I can start networking and hopefully find a good starting job.

What also struck me is how important it is to never stop networking throughout not only a career, but a lifetime. I know of friends and family that have changed career paths multiple times and having different connections in different fields would be extremely helpful. I am excited to get started and hope to be successful in my networking endeavors.

Table Manners

I'll be honest, when we started having a discussion on table manners in class, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Memories of all those etiquette dinners I had at youth camps came flooding back, but I really couldn't imagine it being much of problem in the business world. After class, I returned back to my apartment to grab some lunch before I started on my homework. My peanut butter sandwich was great, until my roommate came in and started to eat his own lunch. I'll start off by saying he is a great guy. I've gotten to be pretty good friends with him and we hang out often. However, he has, hands down, the worst table manners I've ever seen. To the point where I can still hear him chewing his food in the next room, no joke. I couldn't help but laugh at my arrogance for dismissing what we learned about in class as trivial. This small experience made me realize that I really need to pay attention to how I present myself. I could be just as bad or even worse than those around me and not even realize it! I'll be making sure to check myself on my manners from here on out. Even something small as table manners can drastically change the way we perceive those around us.

First Week in MCOM

What I learned in MCOM this week was that I have quite a bit of work ahead of myself. We had to write a formal letter to our professor and when I was doing so I realized how often I rely on Google, word processors, and other means to understand grammar principles and punctuation. To be honest I was a little embarrassed at how poor my letter was, but I am hoping to use that as motivation to move forward and work hard in the class so that I can become a better writer.

I also learned how important the class will be for my future. I was just taking it to get the class out of the way early but I am starting to feel like it will be a class where I learn things that will benefit me throughout my career. I wouldn't want to be in the position I am in now trying to apply to different companies with poor writing abilities and I'm hoping that I can solve those problems by the end of the semester.