byrongiffy
| Degree Planning Sheet |
Internship Plan
I hope to do an internship with a real estate company in Las Vegas. I have not made the proper arrangements for this internship as yet, but I think that would fit well with my focus and vision for my future career in Marketing. I still have a year or so to prepare for the internships, but I know that the time will go by very quickly. Over the break, from the end of July until January while I am off track, I will look for companies that I can possibly intern with. I want to eventually become a business owner and do things on my own. I know that it can be difficult to start a business from scratch, so I plan to build up a network of people to help me with my business by working with other businesses. I hope to do my first internship next Fall (2011) and my second internship the following Fall (2012).
Marketing/Networking Plan
My mentor for Marketing was a friend from church back at home. She has been in marketing for a few years now and she really likes what she does. While I was interviewing with her I was able to catch a glimpse of what the Marketing world is like right now. There are tons and tons of new things happening in the field and people are always coming up with new innovations and new ways of doing things.
I think that Elise will be able to help me come in contact with people who will be able to help me get connected in Las Vegas. My father is also fairly well-known in the Las Vegas valley and he will be able to connect me with some people. Once I am connected in a few places, I will be able to blossom on my own with the relationships that I build and the friendships that I make.
I think that Elise will be able to help me come in contact with people who will be able to help me get connected in Las Vegas. My father is also fairly well-known in the Las Vegas valley and he will be able to connect me with some people. Once I am connected in a few places, I will be able to blossom on my own with the relationships that I build and the friendships that I make.
Personal Essays
1. What is your career vision and why is this important to you?
I grew up in a family of self-starting businessmen. It has always been a dream of mine to be able to own my own business and have my own prestige. Business is interesting to me and it makes a lot of sense. I can work for someone my whole life and essentially get nowhere, or I can leverage my time, hire other people to work with/for me and get to the top. There is soooooo much money in the world! Why shouldn’t I be able to reach out there and get my hands on a portion of it?
The risks involved in business intrigue me. I love learning about business because it helps me to understand the risks of it and how I can make wise decisions. I have seen business deals go sour and I have watched my own father suffer at times with the difficulties of dealing with unfair customers, but that is the life of a business owner. I know that the benefits can far outweigh the disadvantages in business ownership.
I want to eventually open more than one business. I have a personality and drive that allows me to come up with ideas for innovations. I have a love for building things. I worked in construction for 5 years and thoroughly enjoyed that. I also earned a welding certification through the American Welding Society and I have used my skills in metal work for fun projects for my own benefit and also in work. I want to have a business in which I can design and build things for people out of metal and other materials.
The course that I am taking right now will eventually lead me down the path to the goals that I want to accomplish. I am majoring in Business Management with an emphasis in Marketing and I am doing a cluster in Mechanical Engineering. These two fields of study will prepare me for the things that I wish to do.
2. What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such?
One of the things that sticks out in my mind is when I attained the lever of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. I became an Eagle when I was 15 years old. I had a goal to finish my Eagle before my 16th birthday because I had been told that when boys hit age 16 there are two smells which enter their nostrils and seem to distract them from doing anything of much importance. Those two smells are perfume and gasoline! I did not have any restrictions or threats given to me by my parents that would prohibit me from getting my driver’s license or anything like that if I did not first finish my Eagle. I had friend whose parents gave them such restrictions, but my drive was my own. I wanted to finish it quickly and then be able to relax.
When I was 18 years old I was working for my dad on an electrical project that involved a major remodel job of the YMCA in Las Vegas. I started working on the job first when I was still finishing my last couple of months of High School. At that time there was a guy in charge of the job who was much more experienced than I was at the time and I felt like he was doing a great job of leading the work. About a month into the summer, I was working full time on the YMCA project and the foreman taught me a lot in that month. One day we showed up for work and the foreman was nowhere to be found! He quit and did not tell anybody that he was leaving! Luckily he left the plans and tools at the job so that we could continue working, but he was just gone! Since I was one of the only few people on the job with any experience and I knew somewhat what was going on, my dad put me in charge of the job. He came in to check on things frequently and I was able to talk to him at home every day about what was accomplished and what I was planning for the next few days. As foreman I had anywhere from 2 to 6 guys working under me and I was able to direct the work effectively and efficiently and we finished the job on schedule. I see this as a major accomplishment because I was young at the time that I did this. I was able to learn quickly and do things that I had never been done before. I worked with people a lot older than me and who were in positions high above me. It taught me interpersonal skills and the ability to problem solve.
Moving away to college was a big accomplishment for me. I have always been very close to my family (both relationship-wise and with regards to locality) and I found it difficult to pack up my things and move here all by myself. It was somewhat of a lonely prospect and I did not always look forward to it. I found, however, that when I did step out of my comfort zone and came up here and got to know my roommates I found that I was able to develop new relationships and make new friends who became almost like my family. I have learned that if I step out of my comfort zone I am able to do things that would not otherwise be possible.
