Weekly Reflection #10

I had heard about the "Pecha Kucha" style of presenting from one of the past leadership groups I was in at CCA, but I had never done one myself. It seemed more intimidating than any presentation I had done in the past since it seemed to be more restricting than helpful in any way.

There would have to be twenty slides, each twenty seconds long, whole presentation was to be six minutes and forty seconds long. The time limit would have been fine though it's very disorienting if your slide changes to the next one while still talking about the past one. There are also certain topics that deserve more attention than others.

It does not help that I have a huge fear of public speaking and the memory of a gold fish because of my anxiety, which this whole experience triggered my social anxiety disorder even more. I was in complete panic-mode the whole day and the weekend preparing for it.

I had tried my best to form a solid foundation for me to do a good job at my "Pecha Kucha." My topic was substancial and something I truly use in my every-day life, I had done some extra research to verify the information I was going to give out, I created a script that was divided up by slides and timed for twenty seconds, and finally, I created a presentation where images took over the space of text.

I think the last part was where I could have gone wrong. From what I had noticed from other students was that they had added some bullet points or text that would help them identify what part of the presentation they were on. With my memory, this would have been especially useful but I was following the rules too closely.

I had also noticed that some of the presenters before me had brought up some notes with them. That would also been very helpful for me but I had not thought of it before that, so during the intermission, I ran into the other room, tried creating a note sheet but I had run out of time. It was not helpful for me at that point since it was unfinished.

Some other tricks I noticed were people bringing their wrist watches up with them when presenting. Every so often, they would check their watch to pace themselves while delivering the presentation. This was very smart of them. Just these little tricks people used to assure them throughout the whole presentation would have been very useful for me but now I know if there ever comes a next time.

I think what I would borrow from this "Pecha Kucha" that I would implement into presentations and interviews is not trying to stay on script and go with the flow. I notice that in presentations like this and interviews, I try to say things like I prepared in my script—word-for-word—but I should allow myself to stray; especially if the conversation is going one directions and not how it was planned.

Weekly Reflection #9

Having the guest panel of alumni speakers was really helpful. Not only did it allow me to visualize where I could be in some years but they also gave us a lot of helpful insights. A lot of us are in the same situation where we are sort of stressing about not being able to secure an internship at this point in the year.

There was a few methods that they recommended. One of them was applying to over a hundred internships because it improves the odds of us finding internships. There would be more emails from recruiters; maybe thirty. From all of those, maybe do well in two interviews and get an offer from one.

Another method was creating connection. You would invite professionals to have a coffee chat with you. There would have to be a connection made first. For example, enjoying their work, going to the same school, growing up in the same city, etc. Through that, there could be mentorship or even a recommendation to their company.

To me personally, they recommended adding more UX keywords into my resume, since I have more graphic design experience; though, they said that my experience is valued and not a negative. That I should try to apply to more internships that prefer visual design experience. After the talk, I have put those recommendations into practice. I have even started modifying my resume to try to match the jobs I'm applying to, rather than just sending in a general resume. I will try to connect with one of the panelists this weekend since I will have a little bit more time for any additional tips; maybe mentorship.

Weekly Reflection #8

Through the Learning and Reflection workshop exercise, I have noticed that I put too much attention into the application process of internships rather than preparing for the interviews, like some of my other peers. I think this is because in my mind, I first need to get interview for me to even start worrying about the interview.

There to be a focus on networking. They believe that networking is a big part of the professional practice. I also believe that it is important. I remember hearing at a LinkedIn talk that 83% of people hired through a reference. Though I think it is important, I feel like it is a cold way to connect with people because it seems like you're only connecting with them for your own self interest.

What I have learned in my profession journey is that I need to give myself more credit than what I normally give myself. Normally I am too critical on myself that leads me into a dark hole. I need to realize that I have so much knowledge; so much success that would be in-imaginable for someone from my background.