3921: Sell Me Candy
One of the things the workshop guy [henceforth: WG] tried to emphasize was, "Learn something new every day."
Yesterday, the core thing I learned was I have a conceited part of me that's convinced I already know it all* but maybe forget things here and there or temporarily lose it under something more pressing. I suppose that comes from the fact that I pretty much know the answer to any advice column question I read, minus specifics like exact numbers to call when dealing with escalating domestic violence or AlAnon or pets loose in the neighbourhood or etc.--besides that about 70-80% of the workshop content was stuff I already knew and for what reason maybe I hadn't applied it yet [going to career fairs, calling companies to inquire about their adverts, that kind of thing].
*in the "soft skills" sense vs. "hard skills"--guidelines on how to behave in a certain scenario or resolve an issue vs. specific understanding of, say, Photoshop CS6 or flying a 747
But there really is a lot I don't know, which makes the conceited part completely bizarre. I suppose the part of me that's curious and always eager to learn is really more about experience than knowledge--seeing places and processes vs. reading or being told about them--but I don't understand where the divide comes from. Maybe, it's like one is a basic overview [yeah, I got that, tell me something I don't know] vs. the finer details [ooh, I didn't know that about porcupines], but do I really need to be conceited over it? Especially when I have very poor interpersonal skills as it is?
On that note, I know the answer to my "do I attend the funeral as a kind gesture despite the 9-hour drive" dilemma, but it's whether my attendance will be received as the sacrificial gesture it would be, which is something I can't possibly gauge after such a separation in time, distance, and connectivity. That is, the Good Thing to do would be to go, regardless of whether anyone else appreciates it, so at least I can say I Did My Best.
But the Advice Column answer is there's no correct answer. I am not obligated to go by any measure--and have been excused from it by my father, who presumably would understand the family's wishes [and, even if he doesn't, is still my father, so no one can criticize me for heeding his advice]--and am inclined to make the minimal gesture of goodwill [send a card, which I have, to each member of the immediate family, which can be acknowledged on their own time vs. taking a possibly inconvenient call] over spending more time and money than seems worthwhile to do the next step up, even for my childhood friends. There is no rule that says I am less of a person for not going the extra mile, especially when I've never been in the habit before for those outside my immediate circle [I'm not even consistent on sending my own family well-wishes on the appropriate occasions, for myriad reasons].
So really the core lesson is I Am Not A Good Person [in the sense that Good People only do Good Things, never the odd selfish thing], but I knew this already. I was just surprised by the unprovoked intellectual snob element of that Not Being Good thing.
A secondary point is the core of the workshop, which is already the core of my endless theorizing and strategizing [that ultimately goes nowhere, but at least I'm thinking about it]:
*or printed out, since this is the Internetting Age
And I don't want to change that, either. Which is perfectly fine--I'll just have a harder time getting started than Diaz or Croshaw did. [provided I do get started... ugh!]
So, on the more responsible track: Who am I? My WG-recommended "30-second elevator interview" needs work, because what I came up with for/prior to the workshop was "permanent temp"--which is ultimately okay, but I need work to perpetuate it! The problem is a lot of businesses want specialists or, if so pressed to get someone as to sacrifice certain declared skills, quick learners. I don't know how to convey what I can do in a resumé [which is supposed to have two és, but I don't care], which is what WG emphasized I need to do while not getting into the specific HOWs of it. [I'm supposed to e-mail mine for feedback, but I got a little foamy at the mouth reading mine again to even start revising it, and if I send it unedited, WG will likely write back complaining that I didn't do a thing he suggested.]
[[if he's at all good at what he's teaching and, thus, should be able to tell]]
Career-wise, I'm completely on the fence with no one pushing me off it in any direction. Do what I want, or do what pays the bills? Both are equally important to me at this point. Go into Accounting? Finance? Data management? Graphic Design? Something else entirely? All equally good options--for the most part. WG was about to do the exasperated fall when he split us into groups and mine ended up calling ourselves "The Undecideds" [named for something we had in common]. Well... =/
There are boodles of things I could regurgitate here, but it's late, and I'm tired for having not done anything ¬_¬ I'll pick up later.
Yesterday, the core thing I learned was I have a conceited part of me that's convinced I already know it all* but maybe forget things here and there or temporarily lose it under something more pressing. I suppose that comes from the fact that I pretty much know the answer to any advice column question I read, minus specifics like exact numbers to call when dealing with escalating domestic violence or AlAnon or pets loose in the neighbourhood or etc.--besides that about 70-80% of the workshop content was stuff I already knew and for what reason maybe I hadn't applied it yet [going to career fairs, calling companies to inquire about their adverts, that kind of thing].
*in the "soft skills" sense vs. "hard skills"--guidelines on how to behave in a certain scenario or resolve an issue vs. specific understanding of, say, Photoshop CS6 or flying a 747
But there really is a lot I don't know, which makes the conceited part completely bizarre. I suppose the part of me that's curious and always eager to learn is really more about experience than knowledge--seeing places and processes vs. reading or being told about them--but I don't understand where the divide comes from. Maybe, it's like one is a basic overview [yeah, I got that, tell me something I don't know] vs. the finer details [ooh, I didn't know that about porcupines], but do I really need to be conceited over it? Especially when I have very poor interpersonal skills as it is?
On that note, I know the answer to my "do I attend the funeral as a kind gesture despite the 9-hour drive" dilemma, but it's whether my attendance will be received as the sacrificial gesture it would be, which is something I can't possibly gauge after such a separation in time, distance, and connectivity. That is, the Good Thing to do would be to go, regardless of whether anyone else appreciates it, so at least I can say I Did My Best.
But the Advice Column answer is there's no correct answer. I am not obligated to go by any measure--and have been excused from it by my father, who presumably would understand the family's wishes [and, even if he doesn't, is still my father, so no one can criticize me for heeding his advice]--and am inclined to make the minimal gesture of goodwill [send a card, which I have, to each member of the immediate family, which can be acknowledged on their own time vs. taking a possibly inconvenient call] over spending more time and money than seems worthwhile to do the next step up, even for my childhood friends. There is no rule that says I am less of a person for not going the extra mile, especially when I've never been in the habit before for those outside my immediate circle [I'm not even consistent on sending my own family well-wishes on the appropriate occasions, for myriad reasons].
So really the core lesson is I Am Not A Good Person [in the sense that Good People only do Good Things, never the odd selfish thing], but I knew this already. I was just surprised by the unprovoked intellectual snob element of that Not Being Good thing.
A secondary point is the core of the workshop, which is already the core of my endless theorizing and strategizing [that ultimately goes nowhere, but at least I'm thinking about it]:
- Who am I?
- Where am I going?
- How do I get there?
*or printed out, since this is the Internetting Age
And I don't want to change that, either. Which is perfectly fine--I'll just have a harder time getting started than Diaz or Croshaw did. [provided I do get started... ugh!]
So, on the more responsible track: Who am I? My WG-recommended "30-second elevator interview" needs work, because what I came up with for/prior to the workshop was "permanent temp"--which is ultimately okay, but I need work to perpetuate it! The problem is a lot of businesses want specialists or, if so pressed to get someone as to sacrifice certain declared skills, quick learners. I don't know how to convey what I can do in a resumé [which is supposed to have two és, but I don't care], which is what WG emphasized I need to do while not getting into the specific HOWs of it. [I'm supposed to e-mail mine for feedback, but I got a little foamy at the mouth reading mine again to even start revising it, and if I send it unedited, WG will likely write back complaining that I didn't do a thing he suggested.]
[[if he's at all good at what he's teaching and, thus, should be able to tell]]
Career-wise, I'm completely on the fence with no one pushing me off it in any direction. Do what I want, or do what pays the bills? Both are equally important to me at this point. Go into Accounting? Finance? Data management? Graphic Design? Something else entirely? All equally good options--for the most part. WG was about to do the exasperated fall when he split us into groups and mine ended up calling ourselves "The Undecideds" [named for something we had in common]. Well... =/
There are boodles of things I could regurgitate here, but it's late, and I'm tired for having not done anything ¬_¬ I'll pick up later.