Month: November 2022

1. Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit: There is no hesitation when it comes to standing up for myself in the workplace now. For instance, I was once accused of stealing at one of my previous workplaces. My supervisor asked me where an item was and I replied saying it was not there when I arrived. She then said, “you know we have security cameras right?” At that moment, part of me wanted to avoid confrontation and simply apologize for losing track of this item. But deep down I knew there was no valid reason for being accused of stealing inventory. So instead I replied with “Check them then, maybe you’ll also see the bag I had with me that day and see it wouldn’t have even fit into it.” She did check the cameras and never spoke of the incident again. We had a delicate relationship afterward, I have no regrets.
2. Earn Trust: When starting somewhere new, getting to know the team is just as important to me as understanding how to do my job correctly. One of my favorite ways to do this is simply by asking everyone what their sign is. It is definitely my favorite icebreaker. In my current workplace, I am by no means familiar with anyone yet. But making the effort to get to know everyone as my day goes by has already made it so much easier to transition into the flow of the team. I have noticed people tend to show me more patience and trust with bigger tasks if they feel comfortable approaching me.
3. Learn and Be Curious: I honestly used to hate asking questions, I had this fear that asking anything would make me seem incompetent. This fear of mine would often put me in situations where a small mistake that could have been avoided turns into a series of small mistakes. Because it is something I have had to learn the hard way multiple times, I try to ask as multiple questions as possible. And if I am not completely sure about something, I would rather make the customer wait while I check in with my manager or supervisor first. I also get bored fairly easily if I am not actively learning something new at my workplace. Thus, I try to take on new tasks when I can.
4. Customer Obsession: The customer is not always right. I am a strong believer in “minimum wage, minimum effort”. When I worked for Amazon Go, there was a strong emphasis on going above and beyond for customers. While I was willing to do what was required of me, I was not going to bend over backward for a company that treated me as replaceable. I am willing to fulfill the job role but I am not going to go the extra mile for every single customer I interact with. I feel like that is an unrealistic expectation. Perhaps it would be easier if every customer I interacted with was kind and low maintenance, but that is not always the case. At the end of the day, I am a person too, I am not going to remain calm when someone yells at me about something that is out of my control.

About 2 years ago, I had a coworker whose dog had given birth to 5 chihuahua/dachshund mix puppies. It was not planned and they wanted to give them away as soon as possible to whoever was willing to take one. I grew up with chihuahuas always around and immediately felt tempted to inquire about it. But at the same time, I did not feel confident in my ability to take care of a dog on my own. I chose not to say anything and a few weeks went by without seeing this particular coworker. When I saw them again, they mentioned there was still one pup they had not given away yet because it was extremely shy and no one so far was willing to take it home. One thing led to another and suddenly I was on the way home with my coworker to meet the shy puppy. At this point, my coworker was desperate to give away the dog and I wanted to feed into my curiosity. This puppy was not shy at all, he was very excited when we arrived and clearly wanted us to play with him. I was shocked because I was expecting a timid small creature and my coworker was shocked because apparently, he was not usually playful in front of strangers. My coworker begged me to take the puppy, and at that point, I could not resist. 2 years later, that dog is my best friend. The first year was the hardest, but I have developed so much patience since then. I have also lost many pairs of shoes and quiet mornings are no longer a thing in my life. Sometimes I look back at how he came into my life and wonder if he was the one who chose me. I still have no idea what a shy version of my dog looks like, but I am glad it prevented anyone else from taking him home.

To be completely honest, I have no idea what I would like my career to look like after completing this program. In terms of work catering to a broader audience, I can see myself working for a publishing firm and being involved in the publishing of a wide arrange of written works. On the other end of the spectrum, I would be content to work on the release of a cosmetic line or collection. The cosmetic world is something that I am quite passionate about in general, and I would be happy to work in a specialized department within that. Between high information and low information density, I do not know enough about either to have a strong opinion. As of right now, there is nowhere on the spectrum I feel more or less drawn to.

The presentation itself, and learning about what it is generally like to work for a bigger company like Microsoft, was immensely informative. I spent more time reflecting on the benefits of working for a massive corporation. On one hand, it offers stability and that is something that I would love to obtain. On the other, it seems boring and repetitive. I know he talked about moving around within the company when one does eventually get bored, but I do not know if that would be enough for me to be content. This is a common theme in my work life, I love stability so much but I also get bored easily and quit after the 9-month mark (if not sooner). But then I also hate starting over and being the new person. I am hopeful this aspect of myself improves as I mature.

At the end of the day, what matters to me the most is feeling like I am part of a team. The second I do not feel supported by management is usually when I shortly after turn in my 2 weeks. I will admit that I have not turned in a 2 weeks notice since early 2021. If they can fire me at any time, why is it rude for me to quit at any time? When a management team chooses to treat me as disposable, I do not feel like I owe them that courtesy. In short, I am still unsure about what I want my future to look like. But I do know mutual respect within a workplace environment is what I value most when evaluating whether I want to continue to work somewhere.

When thinking about how I would describe my first week attending Seattle Central, the first two words that come to mind are “passion” and “chaos.” There were moments of excitement as well as moments of feeling overwhelmed. The bottom portion was created using soft pastels, and my goal was to depict the passion that comes when experiencing a burst of creativity. The top right portion was made with ink, it is what I imagine a chaotic and cluttered mine looks like. However, both of these feelings were occurring underneath the surface. The top left portion is a picture of my eye makeup, combining black and color. Though I acknowledged the chaos and passion that I felt during the first week as it was happening, it was also more intense than I let on.