Tag Archives: Frustration

Boiling the Ocean and Why That’s Probably Not a Good Idea

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Recently  I ran across the daily schedules of some famous and successful people and it sparked an interest that peaked my curiosity. I  began looking at the schedules of different people, especially those of famous and important people throughout history. Links to these various items can be found here and here. It’s a pretty cool thing to l

From Huffington Post

ook at. It also makes you realized that some of these people are absolutely insane because there is no reason why I would ever wake up before 7:30 am on a daily basis (okay maybe 7:00 depending)

It gave me  the idea that I could try to bring some of these aspects into my life. If possible, maybe I could allow myself time in the morning to actually wake up, do some yoga, meditate, or even take moment to drink my coffee. Maybe even make time to workout or take a walk.

So, why did I start doing this? Last year I realized that I needed some sense of schedule and a perception of personal time within each day.   I was starting to get over-stressed, not sleeping well, and fall behind on work.  I know I am overtired, over-stressed, and generally just over everything, when I spontaneously start crying for no reason.

I break up my addition of personal time into two different areas: “pre-going to sleep” and “after waking up”. Both of these are important to me  and contribute to my at least feeling like I have my life together.

My “pre-going to sleep” ritual: I decided to start by making myself go to bed earlier and at the same time every night. I tidy a little, journal and read for about 30 minutes, lay out my clothes for tomorrow, and most importantly, I create the giant to do list of everything that needs to be done the next day. This includes times of classes, when I am going to the gym and if I have any meals with friends pre-planned. This at least gives me perspective on what I have to do, and most importantly, I am not staying awake worrying and making lists in my head of everything I have to do.

In the morning: I also tried to start waking up at the same time every morning around 8:00am, and I then proceed to lay in bed while drinking coffee and eating breakfast. This is generally the most important time for me. It’s simple really, no one should approach me before I have had my first cup of coffee. If you do approach me before a sufficient dose of caffeine has been ingested, expect grunts that don’t make sense and glare
s if you are one of those chipper “morning people” (to be fair I don’t think that any of those sorts of people actually exist, they are illusionary unicorns who have actually gotten to the coffee before me).

This morning coffee is where I take the time to breathe, read the news, peruse Facebook, and plan out my day. It’s here that I list out the top three things of the day. These top three things are the critical things of the day that absolutely must get done. These present a sort of focus to the day. Honestly I can normally get at least one or maybe two of these things done before noon. If I am lucky all three will be done before noon.

Throughout the day, I make sure to leave time to workout, stop and chat with a friend over coffee (obviously a reoccurring important thing in my life), listen to music and more importantly, take some time to play either Animal Farm or Pokémon. These things are the important moments in my day as they keep me sane. This socialization is vital to me being a good student,.

I like to keep in mind something my mom always says: “Don’t boil the ocean.” Boiling the ocean is something that is completely nonsensical, it is physically impossible to do, and that is the point. You aren’t always going to be able to do everything, and understanding that is something that will be good in both school and life in general. Recognize you can say no to something if you have too much to do, or ask for an extension if this homework is just really not happening. Just have reasonable expectations and don’t try to take on something too big to boil.

The importance of Self Awareness

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I love to talk. If you were to come up to me on the street—even if you were a random stranger—I would gladly hold a conversation with you about anything. Preferably, I would want it to be about food or Taylor Swift or my pillow pets or something, but honestly, I love to talk about anything. So, you could imagine my pleasure when Karen, an American Studies Major that graduated in 1993, told me to spend my time talking to people.

“I talked to a lot of people, and the best thing about that was the questions they asked me, which forced me to be more introspective and make sure I was answering and thinking in a way that was true to myself and not what other people expected. It was really helpful to talk to a range of people, not just my parents, professors, and friends.”

Luckily, that’s exactly what my internship has entailed. As I have mentioned in previous posts, talking to such amazing women made me really think about what I want to do in the future. However, Karen’s advice has motivated me to talk to fellow students I have never met before, to ask professionals in specific fields if they see me alongside them, and, yes, to speak to my professors, friends, and family about their opinions, too.

All of the people I speak to ask me questions, just like Karen said, challenging me to think and respond for myself. Even if in the moment I am afraid to answer “incorrectly” or hear them say no, they don’t think I can make it as an author, or no, I don’t have the grammar skills to go into editing (seriously, this could be a huge problem…Y’all should be thankful CP&R edits my posts), they are giving me something to think about. If they don’t think I can be an author but their questions make me realize that I do want to be just that, then I will just have to prove them wrong.

Like Karen, my dad has always told me to stay true to myself. For as long as I can remember, the motto “be your own person” has been drilled into my head.

Dad: “Olivia, what are you going to remember on your first day of Kindergarten?”

Five-year-old Olivia: “To be my own person!”

Dad: “Olivia, who cares if they are bullying you? What is the only thing that matters?”

Seven-year-old Olivia: “That I am my own person!”

Dad: “Liv, honey, what do you want to be for Halloween this year?”

(Pause as eight-year-old Olivia thinks about the “correct” answer): “Um…my own person?”

Can I just take a moment to say here that I love Dylan O’Brian? Sadly, even he is annoyed with how oblivious my eight year old self sounds as she answers the question.

You get the idea.

Extensive questioning, whether it comes from others or yourself, is (in my opinion) one of the best ways to find out what you feel and what you want. It forces you to be self aware, which is so incredibly important when making decisions about your future.

“I found a way to be fulfilled when I was focused on me,” Karen said near the end of our interview. Being self aware is incredibly important at times. I’m not saying you should always be focused on you, but when it comes to your future, you should aware of what you think and feel. Take the classes you want to take, follow the career path you want to take, but make sure you research, you question, and you answer questions, always having that little voice inside your head prompting you to be your own person.

What You Need to Get a Job

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Yes, this post is a little preemptive; I don’t have a job yet. But I’ve created a pretty good system. Hopefully, you can get some ideas or inspiration!

 Organization

Spreadsheet: I’ve applied for a LOT of jobs and started to lose track, having this spreadsheet made everything so much easier. I used Google Spreadsheets, but I’ve created a mini-version below!
Screenshot 2015-04-27 10.41.14

Dropbox: Save everything to a Dropbox folder. You can get it for free, and trust me when you FINALLY get those accomplishment statements just right, you don’t want to lose them to spilled orange juice on your computer. I use separate folders within my Dropbox to make sure everything is easy to find.

  • Burrito Resumes: CP&R teaches us to make a Giant-Chipotle-Burrito-Resume containing everything we’ve ever done on it, and I have one. However, I also found it easier to have a Recruiting Burrito Resume, HR Burrito Resume, and Diversity Burrito Resume. This way, I just open the one that is most related to the position I’m applying for, save it as the name of the new position and make edits according to the position there. Saves me a lot of time!
  • Current Applications: Any companies that have “Priority Positions” have a folder within Current Applications, which helps me remember what I still have to do.
  • Finished Applications: When I finish an application I move that folder from the Current Applications to Finished Applications and change the name of the folder to the name of the organization and the date (ex. Google (4/24/15)), to help me keep track of when I should follow-up about various jobs.

To Do Lists: I run my entire life through Tasks on my Google Calendar, so that’s no different for job applications. Every Sunday night I look through my priority positions and plan when to apply for each and I factor that into my homework schedule.

Networking

LinkedIn: Use the Advanced Search feature! It helped me find connections I would NOT have found otherwise. Click Advanced Search, enter the company name, and search for current employees. Then when you find a second-degree connection, ask your first degree connection to set up an introduction. Yes, it’s awkward. But I guarantee that it will be worth it. Plus, your LinkedIn connections almost certainly want to help you, or they wouldn’t have connected with you in the first place.

Talking: I mean just what I said, talk to people. Tell your friends, family, and coworkers about jobs you’re applying to or companies that you’re interested in. They might know someone there, they might have other connections, etc. By not talking about it, you could be missing out on those connections!

Back-up

Weirdly, I’m not talking about saving your applications in multiple places (… but do that too please). I’m talking about the people who back you up. Job searches are ridiculously frustrating and disheartening. There are constant ups and downs. Make sure you have those people who are going to scream and jump around your room when you get the interview you’ve been waiting for, and will find a way to get you there, no matter how inconvenient. Don’t try to start a job search without a person who reads every single cover letter to catch all your typos and constantly reminds you to flaunt your accomplishments. Most importantly, you need to have the people you can cry to when everything falls apart. These are the people who will relentlessly remind me that it’s all going to work out, even when it seems more likely that I’ll finally get my Hogwarts letter than have a job by graduation. These people let me mope and watch Netflix when I receive rejection notices, bring me chocolate, and post notes around reminding me that it’s going to work out eventually. I would not have gotten this far in my job search without them; don’t try to do this alone.

Startup Diversity, Part II: How do we fix it?

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So last week I dropped some earth-shattering knowledge on y’all and told you that the tech industry isn’t exactly diverse or inclusive. (Wait, that wasn’t surprising? My bad…) Hopefully my tantalizing cliffhanger was at least interesting enough to convince you to come back and read more. Here’s hoping I come through for you…

HOW DO WE DO IT?

I don’t have all the answers, in fact, I may not have any answers. I have ideas, I have inspiring people in my life who help me create more, and I have knowledge from organizations that have already started this work. I can’t wait to work within the industry to test my ideas, find out what works and doesn’t work, and continually create new solutions. But until then, this is what I’ve got:

1) Let’s talk.

I don’t mean, “Let’s have sensitivity training!” or “Let’s publish our diversity statistics and make a PR campaign!” I mean we should actually talk about why (and how) the tech industry is a White Boys’ Club. Talk about what you see, and don’t see, within your company. Talk about it with your peers but also your bosses; talk about it with other developers but also recruiters. There’s this idea that we need to tiptoe around diversity issues, but I think that makes the problem worse. We have biases (yes, all of us) about who belongs in tech. We need to address these biases and one way to do that is to talk about it, to ask questions, and to start the discussions. You can talk about how the internal culture may not be inclusive for all identities, how recruiting processes limit the few candidates of color who receive interviews, how position descriptions can be gendered, or how just about everyone but white men are weeded out of STEM tracks (and accelerated classes!) even before college. All you have to do is start the conversation… and don’t let it end.

2) Change how you recruit.

Recruiters and talent scouts, this one’s for you. Tech hires from particular sources, we all know that, but if you keep hiring from the same sources, you’ll keep seeing the same results. Find out what schools encourage women to pursue technical degrees (HMC SHOUT OUT!!!) and recruit there. Look for schools that have CS and Engineering majors and a significant population of people of color. Next, keep in mind how traditionally underrepresented groups will read your position descriptions. who your position descriptions are written for. And if you want to hire for diversity, say it and own it. Of course, don’t say you’re hiring for diversity because you need to improve statistics, because very few people are interested in being simply a percentage. Explain what you’re doing in regards to diversity and inclusion at your company and how hiring will affect these efforts. When underrepresented groups are looking at your careers page and seeing a lot of white men’s faces, they might want to know that you are looking outside of the traditional mold. (It makes me feel better about applying!) As far as the application process, think about how the applicant may feel in particular settings (check out these suggestions!) but also keep in mind your own biases. Scripps student Mia Shackelford has a simple yet brilliant suggestion for reducing biases that made me wonder why it hasn’t be implemented already: blind first round recruiting. No names, pictures, or other identifying features attached to first round reviews of applicants. This way, you avoid biases preventing you from hiring candidates that may not be the traditional “fit”.

3) Learn from others.

Fortunately there are many organizations who care about diversity in tech – not just companies like Google and Facebook who have widely publicized diversity initiatives. There are many organizations working to enhance diversity within the tech industry and they have opportunities to volunteer and partner with them. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but some examples are: Black Girls Code, CODE2040, STEAM:CODERS, Pipeline Fellowship, Lesbians Who Tech, Latinas in Computing, and Ada Initiative. These organizations are amazing, but they can’t be expected to do it alone, which is why tech companies ought to learn from them and work with them.

It’s not perfect; it’s not everything. But it’s a start. Last week, I promised ways that we can start to fix this, so I hope this can serve as the beginning to something awesome! I’d love to hear what else you think the tech industry can do to lose its Boys’ Club rep and start to live up to my high expectations by establishing a diverse space and creating opportunities for all people – not just white men.

Startup Diversity, Part I: What’s (not) Happening?

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I love the tech industry. I fell in love with it around the beginning of my junior year and I can’t tell you exactly why, because there are so many things that frustrate me about it (enough to write a thesis on… literally). But there’s something incredibly exciting about how fast it moves, how quickly companies compete with each other, how determined designers and developers are to create the best product, and how dedicated every single person in the company is to the organization and the products. You live and die with the organization’s successes and failures, particularly in startups. I’m sure it’s beyond exhausting, but it’s also thrilling, and I can’t wait to officially be a part of it.

Instead of saving up to buy “business casual” pencil skirts that I hate and heels that will ensure that I’m limping by the end of the day, I get to roll up to the office in my jeans and sandals. Sure, I might be staring at my computer for most of the day, but I’ll probably be sitting on a yoga ball or laying on a couch while I do it. I’m not worried about missing my friend’s wedding, my cousin’s graduation, or quality time with my family because many tech companies have unlimited vacation time. I will be surrounded by intelligent people who are as eager to learn about my background in cognitive psych and feminist studies as they are to teach me about JavaScript syntax. I’ve loved college because I’m constantly pushed to be better, and I think I’ll find the same inspiration during my career in the tech industry.

I’m telling you all of this partially because I’m so excited to be part of this industry, but also because I know that not everyone gets to look forward to these perks after graduation. The tech industry could open up amazing opportunities for people who often experience oppression in the workplace. This oppression comes in many forms, such as lacking equal maternity and paternity leave, health care benefits for same-sex partners, disability accommodations, transportation and relocation assistance, and other seemingly basic policies that could ensure an inclusive and welcoming culture.

Part of why I love the tech industry is because it’s perfectly poised to alleviate and/or eradicate these workplace oppressions. There’s unlimited vacation which creates some accommodations for people with disabilities as well as provides both maternity and paternity leave. Most tech companies have health care plans that cover partners and families. Many tech companies provide transportation or financial assistance for commuters. Finally, tech companies often focus on having a fun and exciting company culture where everyone feels welcome.

The tech industry could represent an opportunity for a successful career to people who may not have that chance in other industries because of biases related to their race, gender, sexuality, class, and ability, etc. Nevertheless, despite having the potential to transform the future of businesses into a place for equal representation, the tech industry is anything but diverse. The tech industry tends to hire people that look like they “fit” in the industry, and that often means they look like the majority of people within the industry: straight, white men. We need to start actively working to change this because, frankly, it’s the right thing to do. I’m sick of having to say “It’s good for your business” or “You’ll make more money” or “You’ll have better products.” YOU WILL. But that’s not the reason to do it.

I expect a lot more from the industry that has inspired me for over a year and a half. I can’t be one of the only people who would be excited to wear jeans to work or doesn’t want to worry about traveling to see her family. So many people are being denied opportunities to be a part of this exciting industry because they don’t “look the part.” Consequently, the tech industry is missing out on amazing talent. It’s time to address this. It shouldn’t be a part of “Next Year’s Goals” or in a small, hidden subsection in companies’ mission statements. It needs to be big, audacious, and have some flashing lights. Also, it needs to happen now.

And I have some ideas…

(To be continued in Part II.)