Unit Two Blog Reflection
I’ve always known the power of LinkedIn, but was always too afraid to create one. The thought of having to go over my previous work/volunteer experience and lay it out was terrifying, because it would force me to confront the fact that I hadn’t done a lot throughout undergrad. Once I started though, it wasn’t as scary as I thought. I actually realized that although I didn’t have the ideal profile I wanted, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I also realized how many of my peers had similar profiles. I’m glad to have done this assignment. It forced me to do something I’d been putting off for literally years. I now see that LinkedIn is an important tool and research for job hunting; something to me mastered, not ignored.
Creating a professional network was probably even more daunting than creating the actual profile itself. Initially, I didn’t want to connect with anyone because I didn’t want people to see what I was and wasn’t doing/accomplishing. Fear of judgement has always been a big issue with me, but again, this assignment forced me to get over it and acknowledge that we place a larger weight on people’s opinions on us than is actually true. People don’t care as much as we think. My network is tiny, but I’m eager to keep connecting. It’s also made me wish I had started my profile years ago.
Report
I found the brainstorm process quite easy because the problem I am addressing means a lot to me. It’s something that I spend a lot of time thinking about, so I found that I had a lot of ideas for the proposal and outline. I think my progress so far has been quite good. I really like how the assignments force you to think about things logically, rather than just sending us out into the world with a general “find a problem and create a report”. I appreciate the structure of each assignment and I think it’s helped keep me on track with the report.
I have yet to read the section of the textbook that discusses the actual formal report, so I am curious as to how all this research and writing will come together. I don’t have any specific questions about it yet though.
Peer Review
For my partner Joyce’s peer review, I learned that it’s important to provide helpful criticism, but in a positive way. I had to learn to say what I wanted to without sounding overly negative. Although I think I struck quite a neutral balance, as I reflect back, I would have liked to be a bit more optimistic and less blunt in my recommendations.
I have also learned that my writing needs to be a bit more concise. Simplicity is often best and I sometimes convolute my work with unnecessary phrases.
I wouldn’t say I’ve been surprised by what I’ve read, but I am intrigued. It’s been interesting to get a glimpse into other people’s backgrounds and majors.
I actually think peer review has given me more confidence in my writing. I’ve received quite positive feedback, which is really amazing. I feel like I’m able to write with a certain sense of authority, rather than uncertainty. It’s just a nice boost, because I’m someone who’s always second guessing themselves.
Revised Report Proposal: REVISED Research Proposal for Formal Report
Peer Review:https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-99a-2019wa/2019/10/16/peer-review-of-adrienne-yaps-research-proposal/