Personal Philosophy & Career Goals.....

Discuss your personal philosophy concerning your professional life
How is or isn't this philosophy interdisciplinary?
How have your career goals altered?

Dani Dennison

For me my professional career is important. However, I only work so that I may live comfortably. What matters to me more is family, travel, and time to enjoy the simple things. Therefore, it is my goal to enjoy my job rather than have a goal of a certain salary or prestige. I do enjoy leading and motivating others. However, I enjoy developing, training, and helping others become better professionals. In some ways I have actually had two dream jobs and I currently have two jobs that I really enjoy. My philosophy is pretty interdisciplinary. The more that I think about it, the more it seems it really is interdisciplinary. To review, my minor is Hospitality Management, English, and Education. The core of Hospitality is service. The core of education is patience and customizing how you teach. As a leader and trainer in the Hospitality field, I feel that in order to teach you best I must serve you best. I feel teaching in itself, if done properly follows a lot of the service guidelines taught in most Hospitality Management courses. As I have gotten older and matured, I am no longer focused on becoming a leader at Disney only. I have opened myself to many other possibilities. Of course if becoming a manager at Disney did come about in the future I would not be mad at all. Finally, I feel that I become more of an interdisciplinary person after completing Cornerstone. So I would love to hear how you all feel so far in the program....

Natyeli Callum

When it came to my professional life I never really put much thought into what I wanted to do. I was in one of the hardest honors programs in high school and was always told that I needed to be successful in some high paying job. So I graduated with honors came to UCF and had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do. I did know that if I could not even sit through the classes I was taking there was no way I was going to make a career out of it. It took a lot to silence the voices in my head telling me what I was supposed to want. Ultimately, I chose teaching which as some may imagine is not on the list of careers my family had so graciously laid out for me. I love being in the classroom and the idea of being such an important part of a child's development is the most rewarding thing I can do with my time. So, in a nut shell that is how I reached my current professional philosophy: do what makes you happy. Obviously, it is not as simple as it sounds since salary and living expenses are factors in everyday life, but I no longer see the huge house with the big pool on the beach as my perfect picture. Honestly, how did I assume I would get all of that?? I don't think I would have time to enjoy it with the demanding career it would take to have it.

I do think that this philosophy is interdisciplinary because I formed my degree based on the classes I did enjoy and the the ones that were the most important to me. I love elementary education and psychology has always interested me. Spanish is my culture and I was determined to embrace it. So in the end I found teaching second language learners in the U.S. and abroad to be a perfect interdisciplinary career for me.

I think it is obvious how my career goals have altered in my time at UCF. It took a while to realize the difference between what I wanted and what everybody had been telling me I wanted. I guess you could say my career goals are more realistic now than in high school. Additionally, my goals are entirely mine and what I have found to be best suited towards my personality and interests. I went to high school with the people who are only successful if they are working constantly and earning a lot of money. I think that is amazing and admirable, I just know now that it is not me.

Ok, enough about us, we want to hear about you....have any of you changed your professional philosophy over the years? How does your IDS major express your professional philosophy?

Cover Letters & Resume

First of all from experience, a good piece of advice is to remember that whenever you apply for a job, online is not the best way to go. It is pretty much guaranteed that no human will ever look at your resume. The best way to ensure that you get your foot in the door when applying on-line is to include key words and phrases in your resume that are in the desired qualifications of the job posting. You will need multiple copies of your resume. This is especially true when looking at multiple industries i.e. health vs. education. It may be a good idea to provide a fairly detailed description of the IDS degree. What is it? What makes it special? Why did you choose the different areas?

Cover letters are crucial. This again goes back to the importance of adjusting your resume to match the desired qualifications. Your cover letter needs to be specific to the position. It is also wise to research the organization and included some of what you have learned about the organization in the cover letter. Whenever you have the opportunity to apply in person then definitely do so. Generally speaking your cover letter should never be longer than a page. The same goes for your resume. Therefore, your cover letter needs to let the employer know about things your resume does not. The intro to the letter is generally a little about you and what you want. Then you should include why you would be an asset to the company. In the body you should inform them of any experiences you have that would be valuable as well as the best times to contact you. In addition, the cover letter is also a reflection of your writing abilities and professionalism.
Being in the hospitality industry, cover letters have not been so important thus far. However, when looking for your first entry level position you will need to be able to present yourself professionally through your resume and cover letter.

We can't personally give you our examples because like I said hospitality up to this point has not required one. We looked up some good examples for you guys to take a look at. I know when it comes to cover letters I am not so sure what to include. You don't want to ramble on but you should include information that makes you stand out among all the other pieces of paper in the pile.

The following links are simple but good resources to get you started on writing cover letters...

http://www.quintcareers.com/cover_letter_samples.html

http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/coverletters/ht/coverletter.htm.

We tend to focus on the interview but remember, in order to actually get an interview you must first have a personalized, impressive resume and cover letter.

Professional Opportunities & Job Skills

So this week we have more of a personal experiences topic. That's why we have decided that we are going to write our blogs separate. The things we've gone through professionally and what we have gained after having "survived" some of these experiences.

Natyeli:

When I try to think about how I have used my interdisciplinary skills in my professional life, I realize how important incorporating multiple skills and knowledge really is. Professional I can worked in hospitality for years to get through school. However, in terms of my career I have worked in schools and non profit organizations. In every case I have had to juggle multiple disciplines. Working in bars and restaurants for years has developed great communication skills which are vital when entering the workforce. In this industry you work with people, you have the good days and the horrible days when you just can't catch a break. It is because you are working with so many different people on a regular basis that a single day can be an emotion roller coaster. When all is said and done you go home with some money in your pocket and lot of experience with people. I have learned how to keep people happy and how to put on a happy face when they are not. I can honestly say that everyone can benefit from working in the service industry. When working in elementary schools, I have used psychology and obviously teaching skills to determine the best way to help a certain student. In addition, the communication skills I've developed through serving has helped me become more comfortable with job interviews and new situations. People skills are extremely valuable and I would say have to be developed not taught.

I would say that my strongest job skill would be enthusiasm for what I am doing. If you enjoy what you do then you will do it well. From what I've learned it really is that simple. However, enthusiasm or better yet the lack of enthusiasm has also been my weak point. After working in the service industry for almost seven years (hosting was my first job at 16) the enthusiasm tends to fade. With me personally I have realized that once this happens, it is almost impossible to strive for success. I become careless and worse at my job and as a result I am unhappy with myself. We all need jobs and for that reason are forced to stay in spite of the bad stuff. Luckily, I do not plan to be a server for the rest of my life but I know now that it would be impossible for me to be good at a job or career that I did not genuinely enjoy. Anyway, it is for this reason that you guys constantly hear me talk about loving what you do and being passionate about what you are choosing to invest your time.

For me, it is important to be involved in clubs and organizations that involve helping or mentoring children. I would ultimately like to teach elementary ESOL classes. Children make me happy and being around kids is something that I have never stopped enjoying. Therefore, organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Junior Achievement or any mentorship program at a school would be helpful for my career path. As far as internships go, they are the best way to gain hands on experience. I have already shared with you guys about how a previous internship experience helped me decide what I did not want to do as a career. In contrast, a good internship experience can be very informative and enjoyable. The most fun I had was with my Junior Achievement experience in an ESOL class. Half the class spoke little to no English and I was so scared before my first lesson. In the end, that experience is what helped me pin point exactly what position I wanted to work toward. The students were fun and happy. They were forgiving and helpful when I made mistakes with my Spanish. I loved it.

Dani:

I am in a unique position. I have been in school for a long time. I took two and a half years off from school because of a job and upon returning to school have had to attend part time because of work. In my field, hospitality, experience is vital. There is only so much good classroom learning can do when you are in the hospitality field. Most of my experience is with the Disney company. I started with them back in 2002 as a part time manager of The Disney Store. My store fell victim to the huge store closings that occured back then. It was around this time that I changed my major to Hospitality Management and went to Walt Disney World since retail is not considered part of the hospitality industry. I have done many things at WDW. I started in merchandise, was promoted to research, left the company for a management internship with Universal, returned to Disney in Sales (where I spent those two and a half yars around from school and traveling the California and on the cruise ships instead). It was a big decision to leave my well paying sales role and return to school. I very well may never earn that amount of money again.

In the end, because of changing to Interdisciplinary studies, I will be doing more of what I love. I love teaching and serving people. And that is why my IDS degree is Hospitality Management, English, and Education. I currently work two jobs, one of which is a new job starting this week, but it is a job I have already done. My favorite job of the two is at the Rosen College. I am one of two supervisors of a research and sales project. I work with 20 students, have one boss to report to, and we partner with the Orando Convention and Visitors Bureau. My greatest strength in this role, is that I listen and care about my team. I develop practices and tasks based on the team's feedback. My greatest weakness is probably remaining happy in a job.

After returning to school I left the sales role and moved into an office, a call center to be exact with Disney. I thought I was going to love it. Instead after 7 months I wanted out. An opportunity for a dream job came about: the Dream Squad. It was a temporary role, and this was the last time they were going to hire for this role. I took it. It was indeed everything I wanted, except a team to lead, but that was ok. I was doing some amazing things for our guests. As the time came for the role to end I had no other job in the company to go to. I had hoped to make connections and become a manager at Disney, but alas the major budget cuts, and the system the company has in place to become a manager were against me. I was desperate. Low and behold, The American Idol Experience was going to open and I got an interview to be on the opening team. I did NOT want to go to Attraction Operations, but it was the only option. I was offered the role of opening team trainer and although I was offered more money per hour than any other trainer, it was still the lowest wage I had earned in years. That's what prompted me to look for another part time role and how I found the supervisor opportunity. Things have started to move in Disney again and so I was able to move back to the research department this week. It feels odd going back to a position I held five years ago. I am still not earning a whole lot and I often question my success for having to return to an old position, but it is still better than being in operations.

There are a ton of hospitality organizations. But I am most interested in joining Toastmasters because I love to speak. I want to learn more about training and be able to write training programs and maybe become a consulted for the hospitality industry in regards to training.

So enough about us, tell us about your experience so far and types of positions and opportunities that are of interest to you. How have you used interdisciplinary skills in your professional life?

Think about it....

Quite frankly I am not sure if our education system focuses enough on critical thinking. This skill involves detailed thought that examiness a specific claim, observation, or situation. You may think of it as questioning skills. Critical thinking enables you to analyze a situation and determine what to do or make a judgement on the situation. This skills transcends the world of academics. For example, think about a time when you missed class. You get in contact with someone you know who is also in the class. You ask them, "so what did I miss?" Their response is "oh nothing we did not talk about much." Now this situation, as simple as it may be, requires you to think critically. Let's say the teacher always has the class complete a quiz, everyday. Let's also consider that you know a project is coming up soon and the professor may have talked about the requirements. So, when taking this into consideration as well as other past experiences in class and what you know about this particular classmate, should you be satisfied with his / her response?

What critical thinking enables you to do is gather up information from a multitude of sources, analyze the different information pertaining to the specific situation, and then make some sort of conclusion about the situation. Another way that critical thinking can be used in college is when scheduling your courses. What are the advantages and disadvantages of on-line courses? What about mixed mode? Are you a morning person or not so much? Are there certain teaching styles you prefer? What would be the best way to schedule your courses in order for you to perform to your very best?

Finally, critical thinking is crucial with Interdisciplinary studies. Why did you choose your different areas? How will they work best with each other? The idea behind critical thinking is to think outside the box and take a look at a situation from multiple perspectives. Combining your interests to form a new idea that can incorporate all of them definitely takes some critical thinking. Ultimately, thinking critically will allow to to see some options or ideas that may not have been so obvious at first.