Networking, networking, networking

One of the coolest things about this blog assignment is the opportunity to have a glimpse of what is going on in everyone else's heads during the semester. It is fascinating to be able to track patterns such as areas that we are all weak in, or common sentiments, and also to see the contrast in the different ways that people view the same scenarios. There are so many different styles of writing and different ways of thinking in even the very small sample size of our classroom! A lot of people have brought up how networking is awesome because it opens up doors and opportunities for you (and I agree with that), but I think that the most impressive thing about networking or interacting with other people in general is the exchange of ideas that can occur. I am currently reading a book about polio virus in the U.S. and the over 50 year process to develop a vaccine. For the first 40 years or so of research, very little progress was made towards developing a vaccine or learning much about the virus at all. However, one man in particular united the efforts of all the top specialists in the country and the resulting exchange of knowledge quickly led to a safe and effective vaccine. Although it is not very likely that if you network you will save thousands of lives, it is likely that if you network effectively you will dramatically increase your opportunities and capabilities.

Silver Linings

This week served as a potent reminder of how crazy I am to work full-time while attending school full-time. The second week of classes coincided with a large-scale restructure at work, which has demanded much of my attention and time. As such, my spare time has been worn thin and my stress levels have been running high. However, I believe that such experiences present opportunities to grow and progress. As evidence of this, the first chapter of the book (which is largely focused on management) resonated strongly with me and inspired  me to prepare a presentation for my team built on some of the principles I read about. It is often said that teaching is the best way to learn concepts, and I feel that as a leader in the workforce I am in the ideal position to immediately benefit from what I am learning in this class. Ultimately, I think that the most important thing is to maintain a positive attitude no matter what comes your way. There is a silver lining to every cloud. I think that despite how difficult this semester may be, the experience that I am poised to gain will far outweigh the stress that I endure in the process.

M COM 320 Observations

It is fascinating how different classes at a university are between majors. As a senior in the Public Health (Health Science) major, I have spent hours poring over complex concepts of organic chemistry, physics, molecular biology, and so on. As such, I have developed a certain level of comfort and confidence in dealing with these types of classes. What a shock it was to find myself stumped at many of the simple sentence structure questions I encountered on the first quiz of M Com 320!

I could tell this class would be different from the first 5 minutes of sitting in the classroom. Different types of people, different interests, different kind of professor, and most importantly, a different learning goal. I have mostly worked in class with students who were pre-med, pre-dental, pre-chiropractic, or some other variation of health nut. As such, the goal of many of my classes has been to learn concepts in order to score well on the MCAT, DAT, or other test. The way that Professor Middleton presented herself in the first class was a far cry from how nearly all of my other classes have been initiated. There was energy in the room, music was blaring, and it was clear that she felt like she was able to provide us with capabilities that would benefit us for the rest of our lives. What test do I think this class will prepare me for? The test of life.