Monday, August 12, 2013

TEDxSanAntonio Video Trailer Contest

Family and Friends in and around the San Antonio area,
Have you ever considered yourself an amateur film maker? Maybe you aren't sure or you've never actually picked up your video camera, but you thought about it in your day dreams over your soggy cereal?  I have an opportunity for you to try out your film making skills to make a 30 second- 1 minute long video trailer for TEDxSanAntonio and win free tickets to TEDxSanAntonio plus become a star! It's true, guaranteed to make you as famous as a rockstar! (That might be a slight exaggeration) Its a fantastic opportunity for anyone thinking about filmmaking to try out their skills with because as we haven't had any submissions, it is very likely that you could win by just submitting!! Think about it!!  Do it quickly though because the deadline is September 1 at midnight!!  Click here for more details.

It's official: The job search is over!!!

Somebody hired me! Somebody is going to pay me in something other than experience. I'm so ecstatic I could jump to the moon using joy as my fuel.
I don't know how it happened? I had set a goal to be gainfully employed by the beginning of summer and when that didn't happen, plan B went into effect; Intern until a job with payment of green is attained (preferably by the end of the summer).  I met my goal! I didn't think it would happen, but it did.

 The thing about job hunting is that its treacherous to the ego. I had started to loose hope that I was worth anything. My ego has had a refill of late from the joy of being hired, but last week, my ego looked something like the mermaids that Ursala in "The Little Mermaid" had turned into withered, writhing creatures at the bottom of her cave.  They would reach out for help as any other sea animal passed, but instead of help they received glares, pitiful and frightened looks.  No one glared at me, or screamed at me, however all the same, I felt disregarded and useless.

I wish that I had blogged during the job hunt because there's a lot of good writing material there. There are so many emotions, its like being on a constant emotional roller coaster.  I can see why after a while, people just stop looking, when you feel like your qualifications aren't what the world wants, its easy to curl up in a ball and close your eyes to the rest of the world. Believe me, I wanted to do that so many times, and I was only in the "game" for a few months. Some people look for much longer than I did. I can't imagine the state of their self-esteems.  And after being ignored, looked over, told that you're not good enough so many times, you start to believe it.  Had I kept a blog it would have looked something like this:

Day 1: I spent 5 hours looking at jobs on the internet today. I signed up for every job search engine ever created, maybe even some that are scams. I don't know what I'm doing...

Day 3: I'm trying to stay organized with how many jobs I'm applying to by keeping an excel sheet, but really its just depressing to look at. I've applied to at least 20 jobs now, and no one has replied yet.  I even applied as an unpaid intern to multiple places, and I'm still not getting a response.  Seriously, am I that undesirable??

Day 10: No one is responding. If I have to write another cover letter or fill out another application, I might murder my computer.

Day 14: I sent out my resume to family and friends with a description of jobs to look out for. Why didn't I do that earlier?

Day20: Someone said they may have a job for me? Sending out my resume to my friends and family was a brilliant idea!! The job sounds amazing. I'm really excited about it.  It's working at a non-profit working with women and their families and I'd be helping to run it.

Day 25: It would have been perfect but it doesn't start for another three months at least. My hopes are a little higher, but still no job....

Day 27: I've lost track of how many jobs I've applied to now. My excel sheet is disjointed and depressing. It just shows how many companies think that I'm not worth their time.

Day 30: I applied to a job on craigslist. It was for a production company and they emailed saying they want to interview me. They want to interview me! No one to date has wanted to interview me....

Day 35: I had the interview. I asked him how I did at the end. He said I seemed nervous.  Thats not good. I didn't feel too nervous in that interview and if I come off as nervous when I don't feel too nervous what do I look like when I am nervous?

Friday: I sent my resume to a contact at the Free Trade Alliance today and we had a conversation about a job opening that might be available. It would be a perfect fit for me!

Monday morning: I got an email from the Production company. I didn't get offered the job. When I get bad news, my immediate reaction is to fall. My legs stop offering their standing services. I wasn't sure I would have taken the job anyways because the pay would have been really low, but at least I would like to know that I am wanted.

Monday afternoon:  I have an interview. My contact at the FTA called and said they want me to come in an interview. I have to find my suit and print out a recent copy of my resume.  From 4pm-10pm I spend preparing for the interviewing.

Tuesday: The interview went well... I think... Kyle told me last night that he thinks I sit too straight and pronounce my words too much like an actor. So I leaned in my chair and tried to have a more relaxed way of talking. I also did power poses from a TED talk before my interview.  Try it, I think it works! Oh my gosh, they're calling me right now. I'm interviewing again tomorrow!!

Wednesday: On Monday night, Kyle and I had worked on a brand for me.  I had a three sentence brand response to "Tell me about yourself." We read that they don't really want to know you, they just want to know what you have to offer. My branding didn't work. He wanted to know me past that. I never know where to begin with this question. I have a quilt of experiences that are patched together randomly.  I think its beautiful and it works, but not everyone sees its beauty.  Some see it as a raggedy blanket that doesn't have matching patches. He seemed to see it though because he's offering me the job.

Thursday: I just accepted the offer. Its lower than I wanted, but I am proud of myself because I discussed the salary and got a slightly better offer. I read that employers respect employees who are willing to have this difficult conversation. I hope that is true.  I'm employed! I'm employed! I have a job!!

Friday, June 14, 2013

The last semester nearly killed me

Classes began, teachers were kind, I had high hopes for an easier semester. I was wrong. I was so wrong, there isn't really even an analogy to capture the wrongness of my assumption. It wasn't really my classes that killed me, because although they were challenging they were manageable. It was overwhelming number of things needing attention. 1) find an international internship for the summer. 2) find a job, one in which money is exchanged. 3) Compete in Free Trade Alliance business plan competition.  There was more, there must of been more, but at this point, my brain has stopped functioning. No one explained that brain malfunction would be a side-effect of grad school, nor did they illiterate the draining of energy that may or may not ever return. Grad school is a vampire! But instead of drinking blood, it feeds on brain power and energy, both of which have been fully depleted. I'm running on fumes at this point, my reservoirs are  nearly completely sapped and somehow I'm supposed to produce magnificent products. How, I ask, can I do that without a functioning brain??

So for now I'm an intern. An unpaid intern at that.
Mondays- I work for Hemisphere planning development department. 
Tuesdays-Thursday- I work for the Economic Development Department (EDD). Check out the blog I'm helping contribute to. Make comments! They'll love me if people make comments!
Friday- I work as a lab monitor at UTSA and a TA for a class I've never taken, trying to help students in a program, I don't know how to use. Ahhhh!!!  But I'm paid, $11/hour. Yea baby! I'm rolling in the doe!
My extra time, I'll be spending applying for jobs.
The weekends are mine... I think.... At least in my mind. I plan to do a lot of sleeping. A LOT!

Did I mention that I went to Costa Rica? That'll have to be another post. Okay. I'm off.

Your mission, should you wish to accept it: Go read my post at the EDD, make comments, share the blog, make me look good.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Kyle is a sickie

I'm a little concerned about our lives when we are old and decrepit. Kyle's been sick for four days now; we're pretty sure its the flu, but its already the second time in 2013 that he's been sick. He started off the New Year with a pretty wicked cough and now before its even February, he's got the flu.  He had 103 temperature last night.  I knew we should have gotten flu shots.

Every time Kyle gets sick however, I go a little crazy. He's such a cranky-pants when he's sick.  (I'm sure I'm just a ball of sunshine.)  I just can't handle so much frowning so consecutively... If his immune system is this week when he's in his 20s, will he ever get out of bed after the age of 60?  Or will we turn out like the grandparents in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and never leave the comfort of our bed?  Maybe he'll turn out to be like Grandpa Joe and miraculously jump out of bed one day and then we'll have a life time supply of chocolate. I like that ending!

Friday, January 25, 2013

I've made a resolution, just now... so I'm not sure it can be considered a New Years Resolution, but its a resolution all the same. Instead of writing stories as has been my pattern in the past I'm going to use the blog as a sounding board.  That is sometimes I might just write a few sentences about the thrilling or mundane. That is until I have time again to incorporate blog writing into my life once again.

Update:
  • Grad school is half way over... 
    • WHAT!?? Yes, this one year program that I started in June ends in August 2013!  This is my last semester of courses, I have an international internship, and then...I have a masters!
    • My courses this semester are Management Science (STATS), International Fincance, International Economics, International Marketing.  Plus two weekend courses.. Human relations and.... I don't remember
    • Anyone want to give me a job?  Or an internship?
  •  WARSIM has great plans for this year... I'm not sure how much Kyle wants out on the internet so I'll just say, the plans are gonna be great!
  • We are both volunteering with TEDxSanAntonio.  TED Talks are amazing and if you haven't watched them, you are severely missing out. TEDx are locally organized events in the spirit of real  TED. It's a great opportunity to work on something I'm so passionate about. I even wrote a blog post for them. You can read it here.

Tuesday, January 01, 2013

Happy New Year 2013

How is it a new year again?  How do the years fly by so quickly?  This time last year, we were packing up our apartment in Korea.  It was an arduous process which included LOTS and LOTS of boxes posted home.  Nearly $700 later, it was all sent.  Had we flown directly home, we wouldn't have had to pay even close to that, but we weren't flying home.  At least not straight home.  We were hoping on a plane to Malaysia for our four month adventure through Southeast Asia with stops in England, Ireland, and New York on our way home.  It wasn't as easy as we had thought it would be. Tears were shed.  It was an end to an era.  An end to our time in Korea.  And we would it miss it, but mostly we would miss the community of friends we had formed.  In my life, I've become accustomed to change, and I don't dread it like I might have in the past, but it is still hard saying goodbye.

Here's a brief overview of 2012.

Jan- Malyasia and Laos
Feb- Vietnam and Cambodia
March- Cambodia and Thailand
April- Jennifer travels Thailand with us.
          We visit our friends in both England and Ireland.
          Visit Jen along with other friends in NYC.
          Arrive home to live with my mother and grandmother in the new house.
May- Lots of projects and cleaning
June- Vanessa starts grad school.
July- Grad school = NO LIFE!
Aug- WARSIM is created
Sept- San Antonio Airsoft is purchased by Warsim.
Oct- Grad school is less intense than in the summer, but still has taken over my life.
Nov-.....same same
Dec- Warsim nearly quadruples sales from San Antonio Airsoft last year this month.

As for 2013, we'll still be chugging away.  I'm looking forward to putting my degree to use starting summer time, and Warsim has big plans, big plans.... look out 2013, here we come.