Test Yourself and Your Skills!

A fortnight ago; I received the most unexpected phone call inviting me to an interview for a job I couldn't recall applying for. Aside from an E-Mail inviting me to an interview over a concept note I had come up with for an advocacy video at work, this was the second best thing to happen to me, this year.
I am a firm believer in not turning down interviews unless your mental, emotional and physical state are compromised in a manner that makes it impossible for you to give it your all. I was in that kind of state and knew I would not be able to make it for the interview while the details were being given to me over the phone. I immediately declined and thanked the person for the call.
You would not believe the joy I felt after that phone call. As much as I had to turn down the break of an interview, I could not help but be happy over the fact that the application I sent in on a whim got me that far.
When I sent in the application: a week to the day of my accident, early June according to LinkedIn, I was not looking for a job. I was testing my skills and credentials. During our volunteer workshop for Interns and Volunteers, a former Supervisor once said that always try for a job if you meet 3/5 requirements of the job description. I realized that LinkedIn made this so easy with its system because all a person has to do is press "apply" when a position of interest comes along. However, this piece of advice is not restricted to technology. One can take the traditional channels available to them and apply for any position as long as they meet half the requirements. You do not necessarily have to be looking for a job. Take the time out and periodically test your skills and credentials of your professional field to ascertain that you earned your position and that your current and additional skills are good enough to get you an interview elsewhere.
To make up for the lack of experience in the other half of the job description requirements, take advantage of the internet and its vast resources to learn. Teach yourself some of these things. Invest in yourself and your career especially if you wish to grow. Personally, I never knew anything about creating a newsletter until I was thrust into the role without help. I watched tutorials on how to use MS Publisher, downloaded the manual and practiced until I got the hang of it. If you have free access to the Internet make it beneficial to YOU and your career growth.
Another thing; once in awhile, ask a friend of yours to anonymously call up the people you list as referees on your job applications. When a friend of mine said this, I could not get over the sneaky yet cleverness of it. Sometimes, the people we do use as referees sabotage our career development because no one wants to lose a good employee but what about you when you feel that it is time for you to move on? Getting your friend to find out if your referees sell you or curtail your chances is a good way to be sure that nothing stands between you and your next place of employment.
Like I mentioned earlier; I am a firm believer in not turning down interviews unless your mental, emotional and physical state are compromised. Over the course of my young career, I have had to turn down two interviews on account of my health. The first turn down in 2016 hurt me a lot because I was sick, unemployed and really needed the job. I almost asked for a postponement until I remembered that appealing to the emotions of a Messenger was not the way to go. I sadly apologized and hang up. I contemplated going for it but the memory of me taking my final exams under the grips of poor health with the cold sweats randomly popping out did not seat well with me. I would have done more harm than good. The last thing you want to display to the interview panel is you at your weakest. They might empathize but will not take pity on you for showing up in that state. Always show up when you are at your finest and can think on your feet.
Truthfully; I have experienced a lot of failures in my pursuit of development programs to enhance my skills, knowledge and experience in my current field of operation but this invite to an interview even if it never materialized restored my spirit, faith in myself and capabilities.

Image Credits: googledotcom

Not My Cup Of Tea!

I work twice a week but I have to say the two days take the hell out of me. I find myself quite tired at the end of each day and looking forward to the last hour of my last day! Yes, that’s how much it takes. The days over there are more demanding than when I used to work with mum. With mum; such days were sporadic but over there… after two – three hours of lazing about in the morning, the pace picks up out of nowhere.
Fortunately, I am still new over there and my skills are not so on demand. Speaking of skills, I hate how everyone automatically thinks every Information Science and Technology person is good at Programming and Design! For some reason they expect you to be able to design a database or a website off the bat – stuff I haven’t done in years. To be honest; this is the bit about Information Science and Technology that makes me not want to pursue it as a profession.
I loathed Programming at University and still do to this moment. I can’t imagine myself seated in a corner going bonkers over a piece of code that’s failed to run with my nose pressed on the computer screen. That’s not even talking about the sleepless nights and the perpetual unkempt look Programmers spot. I am not desirous of that lifestyle because I don’t have the patience and it is not my cup of tea.
My interest lies at the front end of Information Science and Technology. I love the tweaking and managing and whatnot. That is where my passion is. I put a lot of effort and hard work in pursuit of this degree, acquired the skills and also the knowledge so I’d be a fool to write off something I worked so hard for. Right?!
We are in the era of Information Science and Technology where practical skills and knowledge of the Computer and it’s entities is no longer a must but a necessity and me having those is a bonus. Plus, everything comes back with practice and I am sure that if I really wanted to program and design it would all come back to me but to be frank, it is not what I want.
Whenever the opportunity arises and my skills are questioned, I extol my interests and try as much as I can to disabuse them of the programmer thought that automatically comes with the Information Science and Technology credentials.There is no Programmer over here, not in my direction.

X. Shanah

I Love Technology: Adobe Digital Editions.

 Remember the post I did about my love for technology here? Well…I am falling more and more in love as I continue to discover.
A couple of days ago, I downloaded a torrent file collection of all Sandra Brown’s work that is Novels. When I tried to open it and get to reading, the file could not open due to the format and I lacked the proper program to open the .epub and .mobi extensions. I looked at all the titles I’d been dying to read as the thought of having to delete everything reared its ugly head!
I was so crushed, demoralised, tired and frustrated. Downloading the torrent had been done at my last hour of being online. Weird is I cannot spend more than three hours online contrary to some of my friends’' beliefs. It tires me out. Since I didn’t have the proper program to open the books, I put off the attempt to search for one, the prospect of deleting the entire collection and decided to sleep on it.
The first thing I did when I got online the next day was to look for the right program and download it. Don’t you marvel at how everything is available on the internet if you have the patience and will to try find what you want? Moments like these make me more appreciative of our generation’s technology advancements.
So, I read through some of the relevant information and suggested programs in my quest to finding the right one. I came across a list of all the programs one might need to open the .mobi and epub file extensions and Adobe Digital Editions caught my eye. I settled on downloading it simply because I am registered at acrobat and not only familiar but also a user of most of their programs.
After the download and installation, you know what happens next, Right? TESTING!! I got down to it since it was my first time and I love! love! love! it.
It comes with a virtual bookshelf for all the digital books. I was excited! I went on to insert all the books I had so far downloaded like a greedy kid trying to eat everything on the plate all at once! If this had been  a physical feat, I’d be exhausted for days.
Unlike Adobe Reader x, Adobe digital editions also comes with the book mark feature which enables you to bookmark where you left off in the book. You do not have to take a mental note of the page number or search for it when you return to the book. How cool is this? The reader in me is in book heaven though I can’t help but muss the days where I’d curl up with a paperback and lose myself in it til the end.
I love this Adobe Digital Edition because it is exclusively for the .mobi and epub file extensions and not pdf. Adobe Reader X IS still my number one love for pdf extensions and I can do so much with it. I don’t have to keep the book indefinitely on my laptop for one which Adobe Digital Editions encourages with its virtual bookshelf.

I Love Technology.

I am a lover of technology despite the fact that it changes all the time. It is one thing that will never remain constant... Maybe that is why I love it? All the application, software creators put out something new, a few tweaks to their applications and software which is a good thing due to the multitude of competition out there. I always marvel at what comes out to help the user when it comes to software, applications and programs.

Recently, I was reading a book using Adobe Reader. Whenever I would start the program to continue with the book, it would bring up a notification for an upgrade to Adobe Reader X which I would unfortunately ignore because; I tend to read when I don't have an internet connection.

I decided to bookmark the link so as not to forget about the upgrade. I usually bookmark websites that I visit time to time and find interesting, links I need to check out for software upgrades and installations.

After getting an internet subscription, downloading Adobe Reader X was the foremost important thing on the download agenda. The download took me half the day with a lot of frustration! It kept bringing up a download timeout message which pissed me off because the download speed was at its highest peak! Aside from that; power kept being ON and OFF.

Fortunately, with my last attempt at a download; I kept my fingers crossed and prayed for a successful download with no interruptions. The download was so successful that the smooth installation scared me a little.

Naturally, I tried out the upgrade after the installation and the reader in me is ecstatic. There are no words to say it better. It comes with tools such as sticky notes and a highlighter and you can send the document or book to anyone from the program as long as you are online.

I am much more excited about the fact that you can leave a sticky note or highlight a portion of whatever you are reading for future reference or remembrance. As a reader; you come across paragraphs, quotes that speak to you whilst reading a book which you'd like to mark for remembrance. All this was impossible for people who read soft copies unlike paperback. The fact that it is editable without whipping out pen and paper is pretty fantastic!

Website Take 2!

I hit a snug in the building process when it came to getting it hosted and tested. I found out that getting a website hosted here is quiet expensive especially the monthly charges. I put hosting it on the back burner while I looked around for other avenues like getting free hosts for a year, but that would have meant me having to change the domain name and of course hosting websites which would not be cool. I let the idea rest for quite a few months….
I got the absolutely best news today! It inspired the artist in me! So, I had a talk with a family friend. He asked what my plans were since I am done with school and studied Information technology. The talk touched on my idea of having a website and how I had to let go of the idea for a while because hosting fees were steep.
Apparently, internet business is the way to go in this age (I knew that) and he liked my idea of building a personal website. He had a lot of suggestions to make and ideas to give that I was so inspired. He said I could make the website then get it hosted abroad because their hosting fees are so little or at least pocket friendly…How cool is that? That never occurred to me at all.
Thinking about it makes me more excited with the idea and all the pros that come with getting it hosted somewhere else and not in my home country. The internet connection here is so poor yet we are charged an arm and a leg for poor service. The people are shamelessly brave when it comes to delivering poor services to paying customers. All they care about is their bottom line and not your professionalism.
The more I think about it the more convinced I get. So… now, I am going back to the drawing board and re-start on the whole design and layout. I want my website to bring in lots of traffic so I can reap off the time and investment I will put into it. I would like it to be more professional and interesting. I have to have kick ass content because I would like it to be Fabulous and Fun like its creator!
Wish me luck y'all. I hope to get it hosted and share it with you. Fingers crossed.