Be very careful....

So I just browsed through Vanessa's blog regarding how employers gather information about you from surfing the 'Net; I have to say, it's spot on. How your employers view you before you even get to the interviewing process is extremely important: it can mean the difference between not even getting the first interview and getting called back for a second interview. Let's face it, most employers want candidates who can be relied on to be professional and discreet--which you cannot be when you post silly or, at worst, risque blurbs in your online blogs (thank goodness for the guidelines provided by Berkeley; it helps me to be discreet in other areas).

So having said that, I am certainly glad that I have not posted any information that future prospective employers can use against me. Berkeley College has prepared me in this area, particularly with the Business 220 (Placement Seminar) course. You don't want to give your prospective employer a chance to reject you before you even open your mouth. So along with dress, grooming, and being well spoken, it's important to be well thought of. If your employer thinks highly of you during the interviewing process, he or she is more likely to hold you in high regard should you be selected as the best candidate for the job. The opposite holds true, as well, unfortunately; if you make a poor impression on the interviewer (if he or she conjures up a mental image that is less than desirable based on things you've posted on the Internet), there's a good chance that you won't get the job you wanted; or if you do, your employer may wonder how much company time will be spent doing work vs. networking sites, such as Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter. Enjoy them, but keep them to a minimum. And by all means, keep your personal exploits your personal business. You'll be grateful for it.

In a little over a month....

This winter quarter will be over, and I'll be graduating. Time is going by MUCH too fast for me, but in a way I'm glad. I'll have my degree in Finance and be able to work in my chosen field. I am definitely glad I decided to go back to school and get my Bachelor's. There's just a sense of contentment and accomplishment that I'm feeling right now that I didn't feel when I didn't finish school the first time. When I worked for the employer prior to the employer I'm with now, I felt trapped in that position and in that job. And the manager even said to me that because I didn't graduate from college and didn't have a degree, this was why there were others promoted over me. So it showed me that employers still consider that "piece of paper" important....no matter what field you hope to enter into.

So when I took the job with my current employer, I knew I wanted to go back to school at some point and bring my skills up to date with the current workplace technology. I do feel that my going back to school has helped me with my current employer, too; I've actually been given more responsibility in addition to what I was hired for. This is the type of progress that prospective employers will consider on a job interview. So even if I have to stay in my current position a little longer, I don't consider it being stuck anymore. I feel that as my educational training increases, so do my responsibilities at work. And this keeps me from getting bored and listless.

Again, though, I wish was able to interact more with the student body in person (and more than just sitting with the students in the computer lab in the Newark campus, doing our homework). I hope to be able to come to a Berkeley campus one day and share my experiences face-to-face.

MBA

So this week in Business 482, we're discussing whether we want to continue in our education and pursue a Master's degree in our chosen fields or whether we would stop after obtaining our Bachelor's degree. And it got me to thinking: would I really want to stay in school another few years, trying to obtaining my Master's degree? And if I did, would I stop for a few years and then resume my education? Or would I just continue on, knowing that time is not necessarily on my side when it comes to pursuing my career goals? This isn't the type of decision that requires a lot of planning and forethought; I can't just decide on a whim that I want to go back to school. When I re-enrolled in school and chose Berkeley, I gave it a lot of thought even then, and then I planned ahead.

This is not to discourage anyone else who plans to continue on in their educational goals. I just wonder if it would be something that I would consider down the road. I know that I was able to motivate myself (and other family members and friends motivated me, as well), and just getting back into school was an accomplishment in itself. I don't want to say that I'm fine where I am; I'll just say that I'll have to ponder if I really want to continue on. Again, it would require lots and lots of planning and adjustment of my work and home schedules. Now does this mean I won't go back for my Master's? No, it just means I'll have to carefully weigh my options.

Week 7 already?!

I really can't believe that we've been going for seven weeks. It's a good thing, though, that I've been keeping so busy that I've barely noticed that we're near the end of the seventh week. In three more weeks, I'll have to submit a final paper, as well as a weekly journal detailing the duties I had to perform during my internship, for my Business 482 class. Focusing primarily of the financial aspects and duties of my current employer has really opened my eyes to how important accounting and bookkeeping are to not only run a company, but to keep it afloat. An examination--and a thorough re-examination--of accounting policies and company procedures can help management identify the strengths and the weaknesses of the corporation, and how to minimize the financial weak spots as much as possible.

Also, in my Finance 315 class, we're covering bond (debt) instruments and how these are repaid. A thorough examination of the different types of bonds can help investors make the right financing decisions. The drawback with bonds, however, is that if a company is ever to go bankrupt, an investor may never receive any return or portion of his or her investment, as the company must paid all its other debts first; and then whatever is left over goes to the repayment of the bonds. Government-issued bonds are seen as more secure, as the government is seen as having the means for repayment. What I also discovered is that while some bonds may not be practical for earning returns, they may help in financing long-term retirement. The chapter also referred the reader--me--to different websites to see the different interest rates for different types of bonds. A good way to do research on one's own beyond the classroom. ;)

Technology in the workplace....

So this is what we're discussing in Business 482 this week--the impact of technology on the workplace, and how in some cases it has helped or hurt--or both. I talked about how the technology and the computer systems we use at my place of employment make things a lot easier, considering how they used to do things years ago (I work for what used to be the YWCA of Summit). A co-worker told me that instead of doing things by computer, they would actually register people by hand and that the lines would be almost around the corner and down the street on registration days. Fast-forward to the 21st century, and now almost everything our members want to register for can be done either online or in person--whereas before, there was only one option.

However, I pointed out in our discussion that our system was not perfect by any means, even though it made certain processes easier and quicker. I explained to the professor and the students that sometimes our webserver and/or accounting system may shut down, which pretty much slows up our workload and leaves us at the mercy of the computer system and/or software until the problem is resolved. And even with registration, sometimes the log-ins that customers have created for themselves do not work (usually it's because the username and password are not in sync with the customer's account number). But this is the world we live and work in--conference calls done by computer, work done from home using the company's software, etc. This is the world we find ourselves in, fellow students. We're getting a taste of that right now (particularly if you're an online student like myself and have to type in responses instead of raising your hand in a classroom).

This is why business and technology courses are so necessary in this day and age; you could be left behind in the workplace by failing to keep up with the latest technology that are part of employers' companies. You also have to continue to practice what you've learned as far as business and technology are concerned, so I plan to keep my CIS skills fresh by using the books that I used for class to practice and stay ahead of the curve.

Ethics in business....

So this week in Business 482, we're discussing situations that have occurred in our places of employment that could be considered unethical. We've all had some tales of deception to share, particularly with regard to the business of sales. We all pretty much shared how there was deliberate withholding of information with some of our employers; others shared how some workers who weren't exactly licensed or trained to perform certain tasks would still perform these tasks for the company. This leads me to think: does the company really have the customers' interest or their bottom line at heart? What if someone were to be seriously hurt by some misdeed performed by someone at the company?

These are the things you'll have to face if any of you are either working or are business students; where will you draw the line? No one else can be your conscience; you have to make these decisions on your own. Will you do something that you feel is morally wrong or unethical if it means a consistent paycheck? What do you consider unethical? These are decisions that you will have to face every day of your working lives--well beyond the classrooms of Berkeley College.

I offered some insight regarding a company I used to work for; this company has since been in the newspaper in an unfavorable light for "unethical business practices". To sum it up, I was a part of a company where we would have to withhold information from customers in order to make our offer attractive. The thing is, I didn't know that we were being dishonest until I overheard a conversation between two of my co-workers; I decided that I needed to seek employment elsewhere. But this is a decision we all must face. Follow your conscience, and you'll always make the right decision, fellow students.

I just made the President's list!!!!

So I got a letter in the mail today from Berkeley College, and when I opened it, there was a letter of congratulations telling me that based on my performance from last quarter, I had made the President's list!!! I am SO happy about this; prior to last quarter, I had done okay, but not well enough to even think about being considered for a Dean's or President's list. Now I really feel that all my hard work is not for naught, that I really can achieve anything I put my mind to. After a whole quarter of second-guessing myself and thinking, "I could've done this or that better" and feeling that I wouldn't get the grades I wanted, I not only got A's in every single course, but my scholastic achievement did not go unnoticed.

It just goes to show that no matter how much you have on your plate, you can achieve it if you focus and cut out the unnecessary clutter (too much t.v., recreation, etc.; these things have their place, but it's like dessert AFTER dinner, and even then, not so much). And again, I have to commend Berkeley College for being ahead of the pack when it comes to distance learning. Berkeley understands that people returning to school have full lives and need to be able to find a class schedule that suits them while still working and caring for families, etc. The Online Distance Learning program is a wonderful program, and I foresee more students making use of this service in the near future.

This is exactly why I would recommend Berkeley College to anyone looking to go back to school; the courses and the professors will challenge you, but in a good way. And you'll actually get the benefit of using the skills you've acquired in the classroom in a job setting.

Graduation is right around the corner.....

I mean, literally. I just got a Tweet on my cellphone from Berkeley College via Mike that our commencement ceremony is April 30, 2010. That's on a Friday, so I'll definitely be taking off from work. I am really, really excited now. It's not just a dream; after my internship and this Finance course, I'm officially done with school and will be graduating. Should I decide to go back for my Master's, I know that I'll definitely be going back to Berkeley College. And I will continue to blog as an alumnus for Berkeley College, the way that Aleksandra and Vanessa are. Learning and growing doesn't stop after you've graduated from school. Besides, I want newer students and those students who are thinking about throwing in the towel to read this blog one day and draw strength and encouragement from it, because one day, they'll be in the same situation--about to call themselves Berkeley College graduates.

As I stated at the beginning of my journey, when I first made the decision to go back to college, I had no idea what I was in for. There were many times when I felt like and thought about giving up. But I thought about my niece, who is still in school, and I wanted to show her that you don't give up when you hit a rought patch or two. And also, anything worth having is worth working for. Everything doesn't come easily; sometimes a little more time and effort is required. I want to wish the students of Berkeley College continued success at this time, and I will continue to blog to inspire you and encourage you to keep going.

Before you invest a penny....

I STRONGLY urge you business and finance students to take Finance 315; it is a real eye-opener. So I just discovered something this week that I'll admit that I've been a bit ignorant about: stock dividends are NOT a way for a company to increase earnings. They are a way for a company to recapitalize and have no bearing on the assets or liabilities of the firm. Many investors, when they first start out, erroneously believe that stock dividends are a way for a company to increase earnings. The only instance in which this would be even partially true would be if it were a cash dividend. I'm still learning the workings of the stock I own in certain companies; thank goodness there's a course like this one to guide me in my understanding.

As regards my internship, we are all looking at strengths and potential opportunities and/or threats to the organizations we're interning for (in my case, it's my current employer). When I think about it, this is what employers ask for all the time: input from us about how we feel the organization or firm is doing and where we need to improve, if at all. So this is good training for when you enter the work force. Of course, being a part of the work force, it really reinforces what I've learned in the past. Companies look for creative, self-motivated individuals who can come up with good ideas to strengthen the company and help it to grow even more.

A post on our Internship discussion board....

The professor posted a story that he felt would be of interest to us with regard to the job market in 2010. I have to say that while I admired the writer's optimism and hopefulness, I couldn't catch his enthusiasm completely. The writer stated that the job market seemed to be turning around, and there were only slightly less hires in 2010 than there had been in the past two years. While this is true, a classmate of mine brought up a very good point: the writer didn't mention which industries were seeing a surge in the hiring process. Interestingly enough, what was also brought out was that the article conveniently left out how some of the positions being filled are replacement positions (the previous workers may have been fired or laid off), which doesn't account for the people NOW without employment. So the article inspires hope, but it's not without some concern or caution.

With regard to my Finance 315 class, I am doing MUCH better this time around. I thought I had messed up on my last assignment, but I missed a perfect score by a half-point. I'm glad to be understanding it better this time around, and I'm confident that if I'm making investment choices, I'll make the choices that won't cost me most or all of my money. What I'm doing, as well, is examining all of the investment and/or savings choices that my financial institution offers and see how viable it is or if I should bypass it and save my money.