Dreams of Risk (Week 8)

Today I will revert back to my original topic of professionalism. When I think of famous artist in the business of making music I think of people that were born to do it, lucky or just knew the right people. I know they are professionals but I respect them in a different (not greater) way than I do business professionals that stay behind the scenes. As a child I loved to imagine myself as a star on stage singing at award shows and doing interviews on television. When I got older my aspirations grew to become more realistic. I now like to imagine myself in my office with all of my awards and achievements on the walls around me, with my Doctorate being one of them.

This weekend I sang a song with my friend at a show called Apollo Night. Apollo Night is put on by the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). You showcase a talent and can advance to the finals if you're not booed off of stage in the process. Luckily we weren't booed. We made it to the finals and won. After it was over my friend posted the video on Facebook. Another friend of mine in Tennessee called me and was very persistent about me recording. He does this for a living and works with a lot of well-known artists. It scares me to think about that as an option for the future.

We talked about it and in the conversation he asked me why I would not have considered it as a career option. I told him the truth and that is that there are so many people that are talented in various ways. This does not mean that in their lifetimes they will receive the opportunity to make ridiculous amounts of money and be known all over the world. I would love it but I never want to be a starving artist because it did not work out. Am I being pessimistic or am I being real? I say all of this to say, I hate that chasing dreams is such a risk. I don't think I'll love my dream after it fails. So many people try their whole lives or do it simply because they love it and I respect them for it. I just don't think that I have it in me.

The photo above was taken directly from http://www.treehugger.com

Fake it 'Til You Make It (Week 6)

I have a friend that always used to say "fake it 'til you make it." I hate the phrase. All it meant to me was that I had to suffer in uncertainty until I was finally to a place of content. It meant, feel an uncomfortable feeling until you eventually get used to it. Once I decided to do try applying this phrase I found that it was beyond useful in so many aspects of my life.

I have an advisor that is always emphasizing the need to develop myself as a leader and I appreciate his persistence. However, I read books and articles, listened to lectures, and attended programs all aimed at making a leader out of me. I have heard so many quotes that were intended to inspire me. My inner desires to lead have never really been sparked. I guess I'd like to hear of traits that leaders posses that are similar to qualities that I ALREADY posses myself.

While reading an interview conducted by Adam Bryant for New York Times entitled "He's Not Bill Gates, or Fred Astaire," I read something that was "real," for lack of a better term. Vineet Nayar is the Chief Executive of HCL Technologies told of his most effective leadership ability. I will leave you with his quote:

"The first day coming out of B-school, I joined HCL, and I became a boss of two people. And what I learned immediately is that they were as smart as me, their aspirations were just as great, but they did not know what to do. I also discovered that I did not know what to do, but I lied through my teeth in those early days, projecting this sense that I knew what had to be done. I did not know where I had to go, and I was projecting as if I knew. I assume that you expect me to know where I am going, and you will respect me for that, and the day I tell you both of us are in the same boat, we would fail. That was a very big learning for me."

The photo above was taken from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/business/14cornerweb.html?pagewanted=1&ref=business

Non-Conventional = Non Professional :( (Week 5)

I guess that it could work against me or for me that I am not completely sure of myself yet. Hopefully it does the latter. There are times when I hate putting on my boots (that sound like they have a heel) and my red pea coat. At times they add to my professionalism and other times they make me stick out in a sea of students that did not feel the need to get dressed for class. They are my boots and my coat, I bought them but somedays I just hate them. It reminds me that I grew up in Athens, Ohio, a place where being free, not matching, and wearing hand-me-downs can be the norm. Somedays I just want to be that.

Recently I had a professor that was just that. Her clothes did not match. She never came in with heels and a suit. In fact, she came in with knee high rainbow socks and jeans. She let us know when she was angry and made us laugh when she was happy. She cussed when she felt like it and told us things about herself when she had time. On the first day of class she scared most of the students with her stand-off attitude and blunt expression. We soon got used to the way that she conducted her class and I quickly loved it. I found her refreshing and very comical at times. Above all, she was extremely intelligent and shared her knowledge with us in ways that we had never expected. She told us the truth about what we were learning and forced us to do better. As a professor she did her job in a manner that was unconventional and I enjoyed it more than I have ever enjoyed any class. Being in her class I learned so much and value the time that I spent in that environment.

I luckily attend a school that accepts all types students and professors as long as they are willing to learn and equipped to teach. However, every employer is not like Ohio University. My mother is a professor at a school that is much more conservative. Her students call her Ms. and professors can be like parents. Many places run similar to her university, where traditional is professional. It is so unfortunate that professionalism is so closely associated with traditionalism. My professor did her job in a manner that, as a student, I found more effect than the traditional lecture course. Hopefully as time moves on there will be a wider acceptance of knowledge rather than appearance and traditionalism.

MAC vs. PC RIVALRY (Week 7)

As soon as I click on the Safari icon on my computer a window pops up. And the first thing I see in that window is an advertisement for the IPad. I have a Mac laptop, I use an ipod and I do not get along with my phone because it functions like a PC. I say all of this to say that I am a lover of Apple. It is actually funny how people have taken sides as of late. PCs and Macs have become like rival football teams and you are either a fan of one or the other. I have chosen sides and I will forever be a Mac person.

I think its slightly worrisome to think that I could possibly end up at my dream job, go to work on the first day, sit down and have my brain shut down at the sight of a horrid PC on my desk. Last summer I worked at a summer program for high school students called Camp IT. We were teaching Information Technology though I know absolutely nothing about it. Not only did I not know about information technology, I had no idea how to work the PC at my desk!

How do we go about fixing this problem of rival users. I have no idea. Students in so many schools learn about information technology in classes that are required, however, some of those classes are taught using PCs and the better funded classes are using Macs. We have at least taken one step in the right direction. For example, here at Ohio University we have both options available. If I'm lucky we will all switch to Macs because they just work better.

Gratification vs. Money (Week 4)

I grew up in Athens, Ohio. It can be appreciated by some for its small town beauty while being looked down upon by others for the obvious poverty and lack of variety. I see Athens in a generally good light. It has its negatives, but what place doesn't. Southeastern Ohio, in general, tends to be very poor and decrepit. What used to be a place that was full of life has slowly but surely become weak and unable to withstand today's society. While I do happen to come from the poorest county in Ohio I was very fortunate to have good parents. My mother, Melissa Forte, recently received her MFA (Master of Fine Arts), which is the equivalent of a PHD in Film. In order to complete her dissertation, she was required to screen her film. She has worked for years on this documentary and screened it this past Saturday at Stuarts Opera House in Nelsonville, Ohio.



My mom has been making films since I can remember. While I was excited to see her screen the film that earned her an MFA, I was also certain that it was be just as good as the work she has always done. She has never been average and I expected to see that on Saturday. Of course, what I did see was above average, but it shocked me more than usual. I watched her film about a man named Sam Jones (in photo to the left). Jones was once a National Bando Champion Boxer. He now has a gym in Glouster, Ohio where he not only coaches boxers but he mentors young men and women. What is most touching about this story is that Glouster is a place that is stricken with poverty. It has been neglected and overlooked. However, Sam Jones, with all of his talent and opportunties awaiting him, decided to stay in Glouster and help other young men and women achieve greatness. And he has done just that.



What shocked me about her film was that as I watched her film I felt for the people of Glouster, I wanted to know Sam Jones, I cried at the intensity of his lasting effect on people. When my mother spoke after her film was given a standing ovation, she did not describe it simply as her profession but as a something that was embedded in her. I say all of this to say that on Saturday night I got one step closer on my saunter to the professional life. I have always wanted to make money a deal with my job rather than enjoy my job and deal with money. I want to one day be able to express the same amount passion for my work that mother did during her screening. This is not so in the case of my mother but in my case money may not be flowing incessantly. I hope that I can make up for that with gratification in my work.

A Hurdle Jumped

Just yesterday I watched a preacher on tv say something to the effect of "anything worth having is worth working for." It caught my attention because, like many people my age, I find it hard to stay motivated and even harder to push myself. I sometimes like to picture myself years from now in a huge brownstone with a husband and kids that are off in other cities working their high profile jobs and raising my grandchildren. I sit comfortably in my brown leather chair drinking a glass of Sauvignon Blanc before deciding to take a stroll. And as I walk through my home and into my office I can look proudly onto my wall of accomplishments. I want degrees from outstanding schools, awards for creating necessary change, letters of appreciation and pictures of me with important people that have done even more than myself (To the left is the first in my collection).

Dreaming big is important, but over the last couple years of college I've realized that my dream lacks one aspect and that is the accomplishment itself. I have no idea how I will get the things that I want, but I know I want them. Creating change, being recognized and ect. come at a cost, a long life of hard work. I hope that when people speak about me they will be cognizant of my capacity to obtain professional standards. I say this because years ago this would not have been possible for a black woman. My two most obvious characteristics have historically and presently work against me.

I realize that the reason that I able to sit and dream of a life of luxury and accomplishment is because of those who came before me and protested, lost loved ones, were thrown in jail, and even died. While MLK Jr. Day is over, I feel it necessary to engage in a dedication to the people of my race. I am growing and my goals are changing and becoming more clear. I want nothing more than to use all of the resources made available to me by people like Ida B. Wells-Barnett, W.E.B DuBois, Martin Luther King Jr., James Bevel, Angela Davis (as seen in photo above) and so many others. Years ago my dreams of becoming a professional would have been forever locked in my mind with the certainty that they would never come to frutition. One day I hope to become a professional, in one thing or another, with the aptness to say that I jumped that hurdle.

I guess what I am trying to say is that just as my history has shown, hard work is worth every bit of the outcome. It is something that I've come to understand in my college career. And though I live in a time where young people like myself tend to be lazy, I have a reason (like everyone) to want to accomplish big things even though it means actually doing work.

Personality vs. Professionalism

Today I have a story to share in addition to a memory from years ago. This Saturday I worked in my office. I work at the Office for Multicultural Student Access and Retention, which by the way, is incredibly hard to say when answering the phone. Earlier in the week I tried to say it when I answered it. I was so relieved to find out that the person on the other end had hung up. Anyway, this Saturday I worked the interviews for the Templeton Scholarship. My job was to organize the meetings by taking each prospect to their interviewing room, making families comfortable, and answering any questions.

While I was trying to remember everyone's name and which rooms were which, I completely messed up someone's interview. I was so nervous when I realized what I had done. Now what I did next may have been unprofessional but I was scared. I was afraid to tell my boss so I told another person that worked in the office. However, it was handled very well after that. She fixed it without causing any attention to the issue. I immediately thought of my blog and the questions I had asked in the previous post. It brings me to one more question. Is fear acceptable on a job? I honestly do not think so.

When I was a senior in high school my advisor called me into her office to tell me that I was eligible for a full-ride scholarship to OU. I was overjoyed to hear that I had a chance at a college career. However, I am from the poorest county in Ohio and learning how to be professional and present oneself well are not easy traits to learn in a place like Athens. When I was working this Saturday, it brought me back to the day I had to do my interview. I remember being so afraid before I left the house. No one was around to be there to soothe me and the wait was agonizing.

That was the day that I learned that interviews simply mean that you seem to have what it takes to obtain something and people interview in order to get to know you. It was a series of three interviews and in the end it paid off to be personable and not overly professional. While professionalism is important, I learned that having a personality always works in one's favor. I know this because today I am an Appalachian Scholar.

"PROFESSIONAL"

The word "professional" is such an ambiguous one, making for much confusion in the life of a twenty year old. I often feel that on the expedition to maturity one must always find themselves at the "professional stop." This stop includes decisions that seem so small and yet can have a debilitating or advantageous effect on one's professional future. For example, if I put this picture on my Facebook, is it possible that I could be overlooked as a candidate for a job? Can I hide this tattoo from a potential employer? Is Times New Roman the only font that is acceptable in this professional blog? If I write my true, yet offensive, political beliefs on Twitter could I be fired from my job? Luckily I have never had to make a decision even remotely close to the latter. However, I wonder what "professional" really is.

As a young adult I often wonder what it takes to be professional. Does one have to work in a particular profession to be a professional? Can one be professional outside of the workplace? Most importantly, can professionalism itself be detrimental to one's professional life, if overdone? For example, shamefully, I watch the show entitled "I Want to Work for Diddy 2" ( http://www.vh1.com/shows/i_want_to_work_for_diddy/season_1/series.jhtml ) My favorite contestant was a young man named Daniel. I felt that he was a strong worker, possessed the mind of an individual and the traits of a leader. He made it to the final episode and was not chosen. One thing that I liked about him was his ability to speak effectively and present himself in a professional manner. However, I feel like those traits worked against him, in that they portrayed him as unable to perform tasks and more so able to make the task sound good. I wonder if because I can present myself in a professional manner that it causes people to question whether I speak well or am actually an effective worker.

I am twenty years old and a full-time student. My major is Sociology Pre-Law and I minor in African American Studies. Understanding the society that one lives in and the societies that he or she connects with is important to the functioning of that society. African American Studies should be important to more than just African Americans because it is a part of the American society and the functionality of all the world. Hopefully my time in school will prepare me for a future in something, maybe sociology or maybe something I never expected. All I know is that I need to possess this quality called professionalism to get there. Therefore, with this blog, I plan on sharing, with all of my readers, my journey to PROFESSIONALISM. Who knows what that will entail but hopefully what I learn will help me to develop the necessary traits of a professional.