Category Archives: COMM 299

COMM 299 gave me the opportunity to further broaden my self-perspective. The resume, cover letter, and interview were one of my best and useful experiences in this course. I learned how to develop my cover letter and resume into one that is more professional and stronger by using CAR statements and the following formula: accomplishment verb + transferrable skills used + scope of action. For the interview, I received one on one feedback regarding my strengths and weaknesses. The feedback enabled me to realize what some of my strengths are and to continue to implement them. I also learned what my weaknesses were and how to improve and develop them.

What I further learned about myself is to be open to different opportunities and fields. During the tutorial sessions with my TA, Lauren, she shared many inspirational, personal stories. One of them included how Lauren initially planned to major in finance and she remained firm on that route. However, after many experiences and events, she discovered her interest in marketing. This strikes me to be open to different disciplines and opportunities. I am generally someone who prefers routine and structure, but I learned that I should be more open to different disciplines instead of focusing on one thing. If I am so narrow minded, I may actually miss the opportunity of discovering my actual interest or perhaps even confirming if something my real passion. I also gained more confidence from this course. I feel like I got to know myself more and I have a better understanding of the future. I feel more prepped for the future –I know what to do in networking events, how to find/create a job, set up an information interview, and many others.

The greatest lesson that I have learned from someone else is to compare yourself only with yourself. Before starting university, many schools held these meet and greet events intended to give you a brief synopsis of university. I attended them and one of the advisors from UBC said something that has stuck in my mind till now. While explaining something, he said you shouldn’t compare yourself with others; you should only compare yourself with yourself. When I first heard this paradoxical phrase, I didn’t think it made much sense. It doesn’t seem possible because we unconsciously compare several aspects of our life with other things out of own spontaneity. But after giving it some careful thought, some rationality developed. It’s rational to say that you will always be better than someone else, yet someone else will always be better than you. Thus, by comparing yourself with others, it doesn’t necessarily give you an accurate or good comparison. Sometimes it may motivate you to strive harder, but other times it may actually hinder you from excelling depending on how it’s interpreted. Rather, by comparing yourself with yourself, there is more consistency. You can always compare yourself with the things you’ve done and accomplished in the past to what you’re doing now and seek for any improvements or new goals. This gave me a different perspective and it helped me interpret and accept things in a more flourishing way.