I have a big interview coming up with Sekisui Chemical and I'm really nervous, but excited! This position will relate more to research and development, which is awesome! I think my talents would fit much better in a position related to research. It should be interesting to see how things go.
Preparing for this interview has been something of a challenge since I must keep in mind that my interviewers come from a variety of backgrounds. Sekisui, as you might have guessed from the name, is a Japanese company. From what I've researched so far, there are quite a few key differences in how Americans and the Japanese do business. For starters, it appears as though business cards play a much more important role in Japan than they do here. I had a few cards printed out, just for good measure. I also got a small business card portfolio for new business cards.
Like I mentioned earlier, I'm really nervous about this interview because I want things to go well. From what I've seen so far, Sekisui is an awesome company and they work on a multitude of projects that I find interesting. I'm beginning to see that ethics are incredibly important. When I worked at Eastman, the fact that a large portion of the profits came from cigarette companies bothered me, but I didn't do anything about it. I feel as though I should've pursued that complaint a little further before I decided to work there.
Whatever the case, I'm starting to feel better about the upcoming interview and I hope I do well!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Progress Part 2
Things are starting to look up! Not only have I been invited to write for wiseGEEK on a regular basis, but I've also been published on Hobbizine! If you've ever wanted to know the basics of determining model rocket altitude, click here!
I wrote that article mainly for teachers who are introducing their classes to model rocketry and the math involved with the hobby. I might do a follow-up article later about measuring altitude with the alt-azimuth method. For now, I'm just happy to be published! In the long run, I'd love to see something I've written make its way on to real paper.
As for the job search, I've had one preliminary interview with Dow Corning and I have another one scheduled with Eagle Rock Energy. The Dow Corning position is interesting since it would mean leaving Texas and heading north for Michigan. Pretty big change, but I think I could deal with that. Eagle Rock is closer to home. Actually, it's not too far away from where I was born. Pampa isn't the biggest city in the world, but I would still be fairly close to Amarillo and I could always visit Lubbock. It's a different landscape out there, but it's still a part of me and I always enjoy it when I make a trip to west Texas.
I decided to get a new phone specifically for my job search. So far, my Droid has been everything I wanted it to be! The ability to check my gmail has been really helpful and I appreciate having a functional phone battery again. My old phone wasn't really bad, but the battery had finally seen enough and I couldn't find a new one. Plus, the additional functionality was an added bonus. The one downside is that Heather has become addicted to Angry Birds, but it's only a problem because I'm addicted too and there's only one phone.
The only bad thing that's happened this week is what appears to be a small sinus infection. It's been getting better and running the humidifier at night has helped a bundle, but it's still not the most pleasant experience in the world. When I talk, it makes my voice crack. I hope my interviewers don't think I'm 12 or something...
I wrote that article mainly for teachers who are introducing their classes to model rocketry and the math involved with the hobby. I might do a follow-up article later about measuring altitude with the alt-azimuth method. For now, I'm just happy to be published! In the long run, I'd love to see something I've written make its way on to real paper.
As for the job search, I've had one preliminary interview with Dow Corning and I have another one scheduled with Eagle Rock Energy. The Dow Corning position is interesting since it would mean leaving Texas and heading north for Michigan. Pretty big change, but I think I could deal with that. Eagle Rock is closer to home. Actually, it's not too far away from where I was born. Pampa isn't the biggest city in the world, but I would still be fairly close to Amarillo and I could always visit Lubbock. It's a different landscape out there, but it's still a part of me and I always enjoy it when I make a trip to west Texas.
I decided to get a new phone specifically for my job search. So far, my Droid has been everything I wanted it to be! The ability to check my gmail has been really helpful and I appreciate having a functional phone battery again. My old phone wasn't really bad, but the battery had finally seen enough and I couldn't find a new one. Plus, the additional functionality was an added bonus. The one downside is that Heather has become addicted to Angry Birds, but it's only a problem because I'm addicted too and there's only one phone.
The only bad thing that's happened this week is what appears to be a small sinus infection. It's been getting better and running the humidifier at night has helped a bundle, but it's still not the most pleasant experience in the world. When I talk, it makes my voice crack. I hope my interviewers don't think I'm 12 or something...
Monday, April 25, 2011
Progress
I've recently updated my resume, my contact at RightEverywhere has approved my revisions, and now I'm ready to start filling out applications. The real trick is determining which companies to apply for.
When I was still going to Texas Tech, I interned with Eastman Chemical Company. The experience was pretty good as far as internships go. I had a nice apartment, rent was more-than-reasonable, and my job wasn't very stressful at all. My objectives were a little vague, but I was working on a complicated project so I didn't expect everything to be crystal clear. That's how life works, I suppose. After my internship, I received an offer to work for Eastman full time after graduation. I jumped on the opportunity since Longview was relatively close to home and I already had experience in the plant.
My career at Eastman was full of ups and downs, but I'm glad I was able to have those experiences. I got a better idea of what I like doing and what I don't like doing, and now I need to use that knowledge when I go looking for my next job.
On a different note, I've submitted an article to hobbizine.com and I'm waiting to see if it's been accepted or not. I'm also waiting to see if my last batch of articles for wiseGEEK passed. If those articles pass, I'll only have to write one more test batch! If that works, I'll be able to write as many articles as I can stomach! Fingers crossed...
When I was still going to Texas Tech, I interned with Eastman Chemical Company. The experience was pretty good as far as internships go. I had a nice apartment, rent was more-than-reasonable, and my job wasn't very stressful at all. My objectives were a little vague, but I was working on a complicated project so I didn't expect everything to be crystal clear. That's how life works, I suppose. After my internship, I received an offer to work for Eastman full time after graduation. I jumped on the opportunity since Longview was relatively close to home and I already had experience in the plant.
My career at Eastman was full of ups and downs, but I'm glad I was able to have those experiences. I got a better idea of what I like doing and what I don't like doing, and now I need to use that knowledge when I go looking for my next job.
On a different note, I've submitted an article to hobbizine.com and I'm waiting to see if it's been accepted or not. I'm also waiting to see if my last batch of articles for wiseGEEK passed. If those articles pass, I'll only have to write one more test batch! If that works, I'll be able to write as many articles as I can stomach! Fingers crossed...
Monday, April 18, 2011
New Start
Before starting this blog, I spent a lot of time thinking about my previous blogs and their eventual fates. I used to do a lot of writing and the theme of my posts would change as often as the weather did (which, for a Texas native, means that they changed all the time) and I was never very happy with the way things turned out. I've abandoned previous projects for various reasons - some of my posts were a little too emotional, some were highly unprofessional, etc. The reason I'm starting this blog is to lock in the kind of writing that I can be proud of. This is a great way to start out on the right foot and establish myself in a professional community.
During my search for a new chemical engineering job, I began writing freelance articles for various blogs and websites and so far, I love it! Freelance writing has afforded me with a lot of freedom and the extra pay isn't bad at all. I'm currently in the testing phase for wiseGEEK and I hope to hear their evaluation soon. It's exciting to know that my work could be published!
Eventually, I'd like to use my experience as a freelance writer to work on even bigger projects. I've always felt that writing nonfiction was my strong suit, but I'd like to take a shot at fiction some day. I once tried writing a book for NaNoWriMo, but that didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. Turns out, it helps if your story actually goes somewhere. Who knew?
As for this blog... I would like to keep the content of this blog relevant to my writing in engineering, mathematical, and scientific subjects. I like presenting information and teaching these subjects and this medium is perfect for doing that.
During my search for a new chemical engineering job, I began writing freelance articles for various blogs and websites and so far, I love it! Freelance writing has afforded me with a lot of freedom and the extra pay isn't bad at all. I'm currently in the testing phase for wiseGEEK and I hope to hear their evaluation soon. It's exciting to know that my work could be published!
Eventually, I'd like to use my experience as a freelance writer to work on even bigger projects. I've always felt that writing nonfiction was my strong suit, but I'd like to take a shot at fiction some day. I once tried writing a book for NaNoWriMo, but that didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. Turns out, it helps if your story actually goes somewhere. Who knew?
As for this blog... I would like to keep the content of this blog relevant to my writing in engineering, mathematical, and scientific subjects. I like presenting information and teaching these subjects and this medium is perfect for doing that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)