The end of My first year

This has been a very interesting first year of grad school. I must say that going back to school was not as hard as I thought it would be. It seems now I am able to get more work done than I did when I was undergrad and I have have come up with five reasons why this year went by so smooth:

1. I got rid of all unnecessary stress (boys...)
2. I made a plan to get homework/ projects done and stuck too it
3. I said NO to going out when I knew my work was not done
4. I realized that I am the only one that can control my destiny
5. Working out gives me energy

I know what you are thinking, what a profound list! These may seem a little silly but for me personally they are my truths and have helped me get through this first year. I know I still have a few things to work on but I am more encouraged going into my second year.

My final project

Finding your "Why"

                                 

 This semester both of my classes required me to write a reflective essay after each project to describe my creative process, examine who my intended audience was and how I used my peer feedback. I must admit that this was my least favorite part of this semester, after completing a project the last thing I wanted to do was write an essay on why I completed the project. I now understand that the "why" is much more important than the project itself. What good is any project if there is no reasoning or goal behind it? I have heard my trainer talk about his "why" and it has finally clicked for me. The why in life is very important is give you a reason to take certain steps and make sacrifices.

 In terms of school, I have realized that I am very intrigued with all aspects of social media and would like to explore it more. Just a few days ago I found a paper from my freshman year in undergrad about social media. I am glad that I have kept this, I have decided it will be a key tool that I use to construct my thesis. In addition, I am also gaining a deeper understanding and connection with the IDT program. I never thought that I would say these words but I am excited to start summer school so I can learn more. I definitely say that I am getting my monies worth in graduate school.

Proud of My Work

I have worked so hard on my projects this semester. I wanted to share a few of my most proud moments for you to take a look at. I know you may not know what some of the topics are but I hope my digital narratives class has paid off and my audience will take away some knowledge.

 






 As you can see I really like Prezi. I would not mind exploring some certification courses to teach how to properly use this tool.

A hard lesson to learn

When I was younger I loved to read and write. I was always praised by my teachers for my writing skills. I think this praise went to my head too soon because now, I feel like my writing skills are now sub-par. I have lost my touch, the combination of grad school and being a site merchandiser has revealed why. The answer is simply lack of reading.

Most of my strong vocabulary and ability to write so passionately came from reading various genres of books and romanced by the authors words. it inspired me to create a story that was equally as impressive. So I am making a new goal for myself, I am going to read a book a month from the New York Times Bestseller List, I know that it changes but it will give me an idea of where I should start. I will also start using my tablet as an e-reader. I don't have space to create a library so having digital copies will help with traveling with a book and of course saving space.

If you have any suggestions on books that I should read, leave it in the comments below.As always I will chart my journey and let you know if my theory works!

Tools

In both f my classes this semester, I have been introduced to tools that I have never heard of. It has been a very fun and interesting experience to try them all out. Below are my thoughts.

1. Prezi- I really love this presentation tool. It takes a simple PowerPoint and brings it to life without too much extra fluff. I can see myself using this in a work setting to present to a group.

2. Storyboard- I am not a huge fan of this tool, but I think this may be due to my lack of training. I personally do not see how I could use this any capacity except for a comical animated short.

3. Animoto- I really like this tool and could see how it can be used for marketing purposes. I created a video about my best friends and everyone that saw it absolutely loved it. This tool allowed me to touch the audiences emotions. Check it out!

Work + Gym =Homework?

As my first year of grad school is coming to an end, I want to reflect on the journey so far.

When I began in August, i have to be honest that I really had no plan or method on balancing work and school. As time went on I found it was easier if I had a partner, lucky for me my best friend is also in school and we often met to do our homework together. Unfortunately towards the end of the semester thing started picking up at work, as some of you may know holiday time is very busy for any retailer. Due to this I started to neglecting my school work and as a result I took my grades from A's to B's.

This semester started off quite differently, I began working out like crazy, I even got a trainer! I thought for sure I would not be able to keep up with my work but the opposite happened, after my workouts, I had so much energy that I was able to get my homework/projects done. I have now committed my days to certain task, of course I am not perfect and I have days that I would rather sit or sleep but I can see the effects on my grades. I am missing less assignments so far I have received an A on all of my projects. The number one thing that I notice is, i am learning. I can finally see the point on all of these projects that I do. So much so that I decided starting this summer all the projects I do will be related and information that I can use to create my thesis.

All in all grad school is not hard but it not easier either, it truly is what you make of it. I am proud of myself for taking this journey and I hope that it pays in my future!

Grad School

 About a year ago I decided that I wanted to go back to school and focus on the digital world. I have found my work in e-commerce to be very fascinating and have decided this is the field that I would like to develop my career in. I was able to find a wonderful program at State University of New York at Utica/Rome, that is 100% online.  (As you can see, I am getting closer to New York!) My master of science will be in Information Design and Technology, I really has chosen to focus on social media for many of my projects and this is the topic that I will most likely write my thesis on. I feel that social media is here to stay and that it plays a large role in attracting. retaining customers in any business.

So far all of my classes have been great and I realized what graduate school is really about, it is truly about using the tools that the professors provide to guide your own learning experience. School is what you make of it and it is up to you to decided how much or little that you learn. I can honestly that unlike undergrad, I am focused on actually learning something that I can use either in my job today or for any future endeavors that I decide to take. 

I am hoping that after I finish next year that I finally find a job and am able to move to New York. It is a big move and ambitious but if I don't try, I know that I will never forgive myself. As always I will keep you posted about my journey and how it turns out!

Pressures of Life

This week have by far been the most stressful week that I have had this year. I know that sounds crazy because it only April but it so true. The week started on a good note on Monday but it did not last for long, immediately after walking into my office I was bombarded with a list of projects that needed to be completed by the end of the week along with my weekly projects for school. On top of that when I arrived home on Tuesday, I walked into my bathroom to find water everywhere. I immediately called emergency maintenance who informed me the issue would not be fixed until the next day!!! I stayed up until 4 am because I could not sleep with the constant noise of the water running and fear the my entire apartment would be flooded.

Thank God, I finally received my break today! After a month of failed searching and being overwhelmed by prices, I finally found my perfect apartment. It will require me to downsize slightly but it is a welcome adjustment for the community that I am about to join. I no longer have to worry about a sketchy character approaching me on a routine trip to the grocery store, I know this can happen anywhere but in my current area it is more likely to happen every time I shop. For me this is the most important thing when I am looking at a potential neighborhood. I can't stop smiling or obsessing over the details now I have to deal with the hard part, de-cluttering and getting rid of things that I no longer need. I am such a pack rat so it will be an emotional process for me.

Overall being an adult is much more difficult than I thought, but day by day I am learning that things happen and you have to deal with the good and the bad. although this is not the life that I envisioned for myself as a little girl, I would change any moment of it. I know that the old saying "everything happens for a reason", is completely true and all of my life lessons come in handy.

Until next time. Have a safe and happy rest of you weekend!

Two years later!

Wow it has been quote a while since I have posted so I guess I should catch you up on what been going on. Since graduating I have had three different jobs. I was first a store manager of a Plato's closet, and Executive Assistant to a Real Estate Agent and now I am a Merchandising manager for an e-retailer and I am now attending graduate school

The last two years have been absolutely crazy but I can honestly say that I would not change any of it. Each of my experiences has helped me become the person that I am today. Now I know you may be wondering why, I changed jobs so many times in two years and the answer simply is, I was not happy. Being a college graduate in this era is tough, upon graduating I found out that having a degree did not mean that I was entitled to any job but especially not one in my field of study. I struggled with this and after a year of being angry about it, I realized that I am not the only person going to this difficult journey. I happily excepted positions that I was offered and became less emotional about not being off "my dream job" right away.

Along my journey I have also realized that I have to make opportunities happen, I cannot just sit around and hope that Oprah knocks at my door and ask me to come work for her. If this is truly my goal I need to take the necessary steps to move forward and take ever fail as a opportunity to grow into a better person.

I still very much want to move to New York and I decided that I will. I want to finish grad school before I make any move but I know that  will never forgive myself if I don't go. Even if  I go for a few months and come back, at least I went.

Until next time... Have a Happy Easter!!