Freshmen
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
What’s it like to be an….Interior Design Assistant?
My job title is: Interior Design Assistant at a small but expanding design agency
What does a normal day look like? Is it consistent throughout the year? If you’ve had this position for a while, how have things changed?
A Normal Day: I never know what to expect on a daily basis. I work mostly with designers who need my assistance for a number of reasons. Some of the assistance I provide includes: searching for a fabric, piece of furniture, accessory, light fixture, tile, etc… that fits into a given design; making deliveries to or picking up items from clients’ homes, vendors or retail stores like Pottery Barn. Attending every rep meeting with sales representatives from many vendors. For example, each fabric line we carry has a rep and they usually come in a few times a year to update our library and introduce us to new products. (Sometimes they even take us out to dinner!) I also take care of our company’s huge library of design materials- each item has a specific home in our library, so I make sure things are where they belong.
My job is fairly consistent throughout the year. It does get busier during the holidays when we are shopping for client gifts, wrapping and decorating. I have been at my job for more than a year. It keeps getting busier and I have much more responsibility now.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
What’s it like to be a …Senior Architect?
I don’t know about you but when I think about the field of architecture, I think grand buildings, creative structures, post-modern lines. But patience? That’s not a quality I normally associate with the profession. Turns out, that’s an essential. Read on for a fascinating peak into the life of an architect.
My job title is: Senior Architect (very recently retired)
My actual position is (if this differs from job title):
Job responsibilities included project management and oversight. I was responsible for leading and scheduling a group of employees and for reviewing their work. Generally, the Project Manager is responsible for a project’s client contact, schedule and budget.
What does a normal day look like? Is it consistent throughout the year? If you’ve had this position for a while, how have things changed?
Generally the work day is fairly consistent, averaging 8 to 10 hours per day. I think the biggest change over the last few years is that project schedules have been compressed, primarily due to the use of the computer and clients’ needs to get immediate returns on their investments.
What other, if any, positions have you held prior to your current job? How did you get to where you are now?
In the architectural field, you are required to serve a period of internship prior to being able to take an exam for licensing. Even after licensing, a period of learning continues. One intermediate step before becoming a project manager is to be a Job Captain or Project Architect, who is responsible for project design and coordination with other design disciplines involved and works with the Project Manager.
Monday, July 07, 2008
What’s it like to be a …..Curator of Archives?
Check out the following for a glimpse into a curator’s world, where multi-tasking and creative thinking are essential survival tools:
Q. What does your typical day look like?
A.Typically I spend the first hour of the day answering email, which comes from around the world; usually inquiring about resources available in our collections.
○ Then I move on to specific projects underway, which can range from reviewing finding aids for processed collections, to producing reports (including statistical summaries) of date we collect for the college, the seminary, or the denomination (we serve as the archives for all three).
○Probably ten percent of my time every week is spent in some sort of committee related function.
○ Throughout the day I am on-call for researchers who come in and have questions about the collections – from genealogists to post-doctoral scholars.
○ I determine which collections to acquire and then spend time working on acquiring those collections. This requires a sense of what data is or may become of interest to the wide range of researchers that will visit our collection.
○ I work on the various administrative functions (budget, personnel, etc.) necessary to run the department.
○I spend time researching and doing some writing on the history of the three member institutions (denomination, college, seminary), some of this writing is intended for publication.
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Friday, July 04, 2008
What’s it like to be a…Marketing Specialist?
Marketing Specialist at a multi-national footwear company:
A typical day for me starts with checking my email. Usually there are orders to be filled for the sales people out on the road or questions from the creative department on the projects that we are working on. Throughout the day I do the majority of my work on the computer. I use Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Publisher to work on catalogs and buyers guides, filling orders, coming up with and proofing ads, etc.
This is usually pretty consistent throughout the year. My focus changes a little bit depending on if we are working on a new line of shoes or not. A new line of shoes means a new catalog and that makes things a little busier. Also, after a new line comes out the sales people are making more visits to accounts so usually requests for orders are more frequent.
I started my career path working in shoe sales, but I also interned on Capitol Hill, worked as an administrative assistant, and managed a retail clothing boutique.
I came to the company where I am at now because a friend of mine worked here. I was looking for a new job and she told me that I could forward my resume to her boss. I came in to meet with him for an informational meeting. When a position opened up, they thought of me for the job and, after interviewing, I was offered my position.
In terms of educational background, I received a BA in business and political science from Calvin. I feel that my education, combined with my work experience is very beneficial in my position. I gained confidence in my writing and presentation skills while an intern. I learned leadership and problem solving while working in retail and I learned multitasking and office skills while working as an administrative assistant. I feel that all of those skills make someone in my position successful.
One of the greatest rewards of this position is being able to see a finished product after hard work. Completing catalogs or seeing the final version of an ad is exciting. A good day is one that is busy with all different kinds of work.
The biggest trend/change I see in the future is the shift towards technology. In the next 5-10 years it will be essential for people to have a good understanding of computers and technology because that is where we are headed.
For further information on marketing careers, check out American Marketing Association‘s Career Management/Ask the Expert link.
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Tuesday, July 01, 2008
What’s it like to be a ____? (series intro)
Freshmen ask. Seniors ask. Even grads arrive in my office with variations on the same question. Sometimes even wistfully, they ask something to this effect, “I’d like to know where to go with my major/gifts/talents, but how do I find out what’s out there?”
Good question. How do you know where to head if you don’t know what the destination will look like? What’s it like to be a doctor, lawyer, or social worker? Or going beyond the obvious, what’s it like to be a child life specialist, a credit analyst, an archivist? A marketing specialist or actuary? What do these people do every day and how do you know if it will a good fit for you in particular?
Of course, there’s always the web. One can start researching careers at sites like Career Browser or the gold standard of them all, O*Net. Great sites. Helpful information but, at best, still generic. Not personalized. Not necessarily what you have been gifted to do.
What I typically suggest is that people follow up with their own informational interviews, i.e. that they spend time with a professional who can pass along rubber-meets-the-road type of advice. Stuff you can’t get from books.
So to help students in that fact finding endeavor, I have decided to put on my own research cap and run a series of blog entries straight from the mouths of professionals in the field. It’s all up and coming under the title of “What’s it like to be a ______?” So check out the forthcoming stories or email if you’re interested in letting students know what you do every day.
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Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Would You Steal This Job….
I recently came across a site running what I would love to cover--mini stories of actual people from a rather interesting spectrum of jobs. Check out Would You Steal This Job for at least a cursory introduction to jobs like community director, college recruiter and photographer, just to name a few. If you’ve found yourself wondering, as I have, what’s that job like? Well, here’s a place that will provide you with a quick glimpse. Not exactly a day-in-the-life-of, but at least some sites for further research.
And, a closing note for today. Aunt Bonnie will be taking spring break until the last week of March when blogging will resume.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Hiring for attitude….
I visited a place yesterday where precision counts. Well, okay, I was just getting a haircut but the opening line still applies, right? I mean, who wants a bad haircut. The point is that during our extended one-way conversation (stylist as speaker and me as listener), she went on to talk about who gets hired now days and why. To quote, “We hire for attitude. Technique and skills we can teach but not attitude.”
Attitude in that setting means bending over backwards, doing more than what’s expected. And smiling graciously in the process.
So those summer and part time job experiences? Great forays into the Land of the Great Attitude, where you can perfect your approach and collect stories along the way to demonstrate your successes.
Friday, February 10, 2006
MySpace…not just for kids
Looks there are plenty of people finding fascinating material on MySpace this week. That would include local high school administrators who found pics of their students drinking at a weekend party. And there’s no closure yet as some students and parents alike refuse to accept the two week extra-curricular suspension penalty. We’ll see whether or not the issue ends up in court but the issue leaves a divided student body and another illustration of unanticipated MySpace consequences.
A recent issue of Money magazine (February 2006) advises parents to “counsel teens and even post college kids to be aware of the potential long-term consequences...” (Talkin’ ‘bout MySpace Generation, p. 27). But 2 minutes and a very cursory glance at MySpace contributors makes it plain that post college kids aren’t the only ones who need advice. How about 27 year olds who admit that they are the type of person who will wait in the car to drive you away after you, the perpetrator, commit a nasty prank? Hmmmm. And the employment sector for this person would be.....?
Evidently, removing injurious information may not be enough, as Money mag goes on to talk about search engines, such as Archive.org, designed to cull information assumed to be deleted from the the web.
Best course of action, my 27 year old “friend”, is to change your profile, edit your entry and alter your on-line persona. You’ve got a larger audience than happy stud muffins reading about your meant-to-be-humorous, but nonetheless deviant, predilections.
Monday, January 23, 2006
New Years, Aunt Bonnie style….
With all the schedule-destroying intrusions which have happened this past month, my actual Aunt Bonnie’s New Year’s celebration day this year is going to occur on Feb. 1. Yup. The New Years resolutions, fresh starts. All that stuff begins on my very own, personally declared “new year.”
I’ve been known to do this sort of thing in the past. Move a scheduled date to one which works better. So, for instance, if my birthday comes on a Monday, or some other “dull” day, I might move it to a Friday for that year. Given that my birthday falls on Sept. 11, I had a few years where I celebrated on every good day for a whole month.
Okay, so where’s this heading??? It’s actually more than sheer babble, as it has job search implications as well.
If you’re one of those moderately to very frustrated job searchers, someone whose job search is lasting way longer than planned, why not look at the calendar and choose a new DAY ONE? Make it at least a week away to allow yourself time to reassess what you’ve been doing and why you’ve not achieved results (the most common cause being too much time spent on Internet job boards). Revise your plan and re-launch. Fresh-spirited and enthused.
So Happy New Years...on whichever day you choose.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Passion
There’s a little plaque which graces my wall. It’s rather crude and obviously made by hand. But I picked it up from a street vendor a number of years ago because of the saying, “Do your homework and know your facts. But remember, it’s passion that persuades.”
I’ve posted a number of blogs over the last few months on choosing a major and career decision making but not much about passion, most likely because there’s a part of me that thinks passion, in the sense of “do what you totally love”, is over rated. There are few people indeed who remain passionate about their careers. Reality sets in sooner or later. Hopefully, what they do day to day will hold a core of meaningful activity amidst the minutia of seemingly irrelevant details.
But when you connect passion--defined here as what keeps you up at night; what you long to see righted, fixed or restored; or, more positively perhaps, what brings you joy--with life calling, the two concepts help set life direction which transcends specific jobs or careers.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Talking turkey at Christmas time….or, some thoughts for parents
So, did “the topic” come up over Thanksgiving break? If you have an underclassman in the family, the question might have run something like this: so, have you decided on a major yet? Taken any courses which look interesting and might lead to something? For parents of seniors, the tactful, roundabout approach may have been abandoned for something more direct like--so, what are you planning on doing after gradutation?
In case your questions ended in a very short conversation, Johnson and Schelhas-Miller in their recent book, Don’t Tell Me What to Do, Just Send Money The Essential Parenting Guide to the College Years, include some very helpful advice.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
What you don’t need to know first
I was talking with a very bright sophomore this morning about choosing a major. With a next- semester-choosing-a-major-deadline looming, he was still not sure about what to go. When I suggested he come in to talk it over, his reply was that he couldn’t do that because he couldn’t come in with any ideas.
Actually, Not/Nada/Nope. You don’t need to come in with ideas. That’s where we, the career counselors, come in. We’re here to listen and talk things over, to look for and discover together your strengths. So, all you who are waiting until things clear up, wait no more. Just show up. We’ll do the figuring out part together.
Friday, November 04, 2005
Crucial conversations
Whether it’s an intimate conversation at home or high stakes discussion at work, everyone eventually needs a bit of advice on handling heated conversations. And that’s what I came across this week in my search for conflict management material, a nifty little web site on
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High.
You can, of course, purchase the book through this site. But they also offer free material, stuff to launch your self assessment boat as you explore your (conversational) Style Under Stress or fill in a second questionaire designed to help determine how well your family, team, and organization handle crucial confrontations.
In summary, let me close with one of the following maxims. Or rather you can close with the phrase of your own choosing (hey, it’s Friday afternoon when one cannot expect profundity or maybe even lucidity):
--a stitch in time saves nine
--to be forewarned is to be forearmed
--bad choice makers end up as wrong road takers (a rather homey aphorism I just made up upon exiting today’s blog).
Happy weekend!
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Employer comment on choosing a major….
With input too lengthy for the comment section, a local employer emailed me directly with her perspective on choosing a major. Read on for her sage advice....
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Can career counselors wave magic wands?
Envision the following scenario:
Person X wakes up full of hope. While brushing their teeth, an internal dialogue goes something like this...."ah, today’s my appointment with that career counselor. Finally. It took me three weeks to get in. But by the end of the day I’ll know (choose one) a) what I should major in
b) which career I should choose c) where there’s a decent job opening.” That kind of internal monolgue would bring a smile to anyone’s face, right?
As much as I would like to, however, I cannot do any of the above. I would love to know which major/career is perfect for every person and have a pocket full of job openings waiting to be filled. But I don’t. And sometimes people leave without the 100% clarity on the next step they were wishing for.
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Most recent entries
- What’s it like to be an….Interior Design Assistant?
- What’s it like to be a …Senior Architect?
- What’s it like to be a …..Curator of Archives?
- What’s it like to be a…Marketing Specialist?
- What’s it like to be a ____? (series intro)
- Networking 101
- The Buzz About Strengths
- How to communicate strengths to your boss
- Getting back in gear…
- Job Fairs: Looking Good on Less
- Job Fairs 101
- Major Selection: a long distance view
- Job Search Traps: What To Do With a History Major
- Thoughts for Parents from the Director
- Choosing a Major--Initial Thoughts
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