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Whenever I’m in Chelsea, I feel compelled to casually walk by the Alexander McQueen store and glance in the window. There’s always something in the window that catches my eye. It’s usually a fantastic design, bold colors, and unusual silhouette, or an extreme use of ruffles, rosettes or ruching.
And I’ve gotta have it. Just gotta have it.
Something about the designer’s work attracts me. It draws me to it, and every time I walk by that store, I feel drawn inside. My wallet however, usually drags me back out as quickly.
I know why I’m drawn towards this designer. But for a lot of other things that attract my attention, I usually don’t know why. Sometimes it’s the colors, sometimes it’s the display. Sometimes it’s the product itself. It’s the branding that attracted me like a lonely moth towards a street lamp.
I just gotta have it.
Not too long ago, I woke up with a crazy thought that just popped into my head. I finally figured out the best asset I had to work with. It was staring right back at me from the mirror. Myself.
I don’t know why I’ve never thought about it before. I know myself inside and out. I know my strengths and my weaknesses. It’s other people that don’t. If I am my best asset, why don’t I brand myself that way?
I am a brand.
Whoa.
I am a brand.
With unemployment at uncomfortable levels, people occupying Wall Street, Oakland, San Francisco and everywhere else, people are unfortunately all starting to look the same. People are starting to blend together like running ink from a wet newspaper. We’re all old news, fading away and moving quickly towards the drain.
There is nothing to attract employers to you, unless you do it yourself. You have to make yourself a brand that the company just has to have. What sets you apart from your peers? Your competitors? What makes you an individual? What makes you the brand that you are? Why do they need you rather than someone else? No one else can build that value of yourself or that sense of urgency that you are a once in a lifetime opportunity. You don’t want to miss out on this exclusive limited time offer that is ME!
As I pondered this thought, I tried to think of a way to describe myself. What would make me seem different?
I started with: “They are standard, and I am deluxe.” Yeah, like that would work. I’d come with pickles and onions with a side of fries.
“They are vanilla, but I am rocky road.” I’ve never even had rocky road, so I’m not sure where that one came from.
I finally hit on it.
“These people are one dimensional, while I am prismatic.”
I am colorful, unusual, sparkly, and multi-faceted. Why didn’t I think of this before?
I am prismatic.
How will you brand yourself? What word or phrase best describes you?
Ebonye Gussine is a recent graduate in the Master of Science in Business Management & Leadership Program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies. She loves writing, reading, and is an avid fan of John Steinbeck’s works. In her spare time she sings off-key and travels to new places.
With the somewhat-sudden loss of Steve Jobs, everyone is wondering about the future of Apple. The stagnation of Facebook also has people wondering what Mark Zuckerberg has up his sleeve next. Twitter has taken flight and is continuing to gain speed as it moves towards the horizon. Everyone in Silicon Valley is scrambling to be the next big thing.
Well, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration.
Many people, in the United States and across the world want to have that single great idea that makes them millions. They want to find a niche in the technology world to fill. Once you think the market is saturated with tech companies, innovative ideas and more services you didn’t know you needed, something else comes up. It seems almost inevitable.
It’s one of the great things about innovators like Steve Jobs. They keep on re-inventing and they keep on moving forward.
But this post is not about Steve Jobs.
We are suffering from a lack of clear vision and focus. So many people get start-up money, rent some office space, add “fun extras” and wait for the money to roll in. Google did not gain it’s place in the marketplace by offering gourmet meals to it’s employees and adding treadmill-desks to the offices. They did it by working hard and thinking outside of the box.
I think too many of us fail to do the same. We expect that our great ideas will be enough to carry us through.
What we need are fresh injections of new ideas and new perspectives. I came across a blog entry that made the statement that we need to see more women in tech. I think that’s only a partial answer. I think we need more of everyone in tech. Many people of color and most socio-economic statures never venture into tech. Often it’s the lack of education. But there are many other factors at play. Many people think it’s too hard. Or too boring. Some people just don’t have the financial or emotional support to dedicate the hours needed in order to put good ideas into action.
It’s not to say that the people who make technology now aren’t doing it well or fast enough. But if we have more people with different cultural and educational perspectives, I’m sure that we’d see technology move even faster than ever.
Are you up for the challenge?
Ebonye Gussine is a recent graduate in the Master of Science in Business Management & Leadership Program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies. She loves writing, reading, and is an avid fan of John Steinbeck’s works. In her spare time she sings off-key and travels to new places.
I’m on my eighth week of the Extreme Home Fitness system P90X and I am so bored. I started working out in 2007. At that time I was in a transition period and I wanted to simplify many things in my life. Working out helped me to feel better about myself, while I dealt with a lot of personal issues.
I started off by doing free workouts on Time Warner’s Exercise TV On Demand. As I got more into it, I decided to buy workout DVDs, as well as yoga DVDs. My favorite cardio DVD workouts are TurboJam and TurboFire with Chalene Johnson. Fast forward four years and many workouts, I purchased P90X. I stumbled upon the infomercial one day and always wanted to try it, so when I saw it on EBay for $39.95 I knew I couldn’t pass that deal up.
I really like the trainer Tony Horton; he’s knowledgeable, funny and keeps you motivated throughout. Here’s my problem… too much weight training and not enough cardio. I’m a cardio junkie and I need to sweat buckets in order to feel like I’ve had a good workout. Weight training, doesn’t bring my heart rate up enough. There are cardio workouts in the P90X system, but they are far from the high intensity that I was used to doing throughout the years. A definite plus about the weight training, is that I’ve definitely gotten very toned, but I’m feeling too bulky, my weight has gone up and I’m not burning any fat, just building muscle. So how do I get the weight training benefits of P90X and still get my high intensity cardio?
I’ve come up with an idea off combining P90X and TurboFire workouts. Both of these home workouts have a week to week workout schedule. My plan is to do one week of weight training with the P90X and then one week of high intensity cardio with the TurboFire workouts, alternating weeks until I finish both programs. This way my muscles never get a chance to get used to anything because I’ll be constantly changing my movements. Hopefully, I’ll get the results that I’m looking for, toned and lean muscles. I know it sounds like a lot, but I’m up for the challenge and I love working out.
If anyone else wants to join me in this challenge, let me know and we can keep each other motivated. Wish me luck.
Martine Chevry received her B.A. in Communications and Culture from the CUNY School of Professional Studies in June 2011. She currently works as an Editorial Assistant and lives in Queens, New York. Martine is currently planning on self publishing her first novel in Spring 2012. She enjoys writing, working out, shopping, reading and reality television.
“Will I make my connection?” I asked the bus driver.
She smiled at me and told me I had three minutes and I would be fine.
Knowing what New York bus schedules are like, I was highly skeptical.
I caught my connecting bus.
This was the first of many culture shocks I would receive while starting over. Fresh out of SPS with my new shiny degree, I moved to California with my fiancé to start a job in Silicon Valley.
When I arrived at my job’s lobby, I was greeted by a very friendly receptionist. I was escorted upstairs by my new boss and given every possible tool I could need to get my job done. I felt like a celebrity my first day.
Countless meetings didn’t bother me at all. I learned so much that first day. I learned about the company, how they operate, the tools they use and how they draw from many different fields in order to get their work done. I am part of a super talented team, but most importantly I felt like a part of the team.
As I watched with amusement, my new boss propelled a foam rocket at one of the team members (even more culture shock), I reflected on how fortunate I was to land a job that used all of my degrees and all of my skills. It is humbling to realize that out of the entire talent pool that is Silicon Valley, that they chose me for this role.
I have so much more to learn, but I am ready for the challenge.
Ebonye Gussine is a recent graduate in the Master of Science in Business Management & Leadership Program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies. She loves writing, reading, and is an avid fan of John Steinbeck’s works. In her spare time she sings off-key and travels to new places.
The moment you’ve been fantasizing about ever since you were a little girl finally comes. The man of your dreams drops to one knee and asks you to marry him and places that 3.5 carat emerald cut rock on your finger. All of a sudden you have reality TV visions of getting “Married Away” only to become the ultimate “Bridezilla” who is constantly screaming, “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway”?
Recently, I looked up the definition of marriage in the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, and it said: Marriage- the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law.
I kept reading it over and over again… “contractual relationship recognized by law” stuck in my head. I realized that the only difference between a long term relationship and a marriage is that the marriage is recognized by law. I personally know quite a few couples that have been together for a long time and are not legally married but function as if they are. They have the home, the kids, the cars, as well as the deep connection and commitment to each other, even more so then the married couples that I know, and they actually outlast the married couples. Why?
Today, couples that get married go into the marriage with a Plan B already formulated even before they’ve walked down the aisle. “If the marriage ends, what will I get? What will I do after?” Hence, prenuptial agreements, which de-romanticize the entire institution, but unfortunately in a society of such a high divorce rate, it is sometimes necessary. Why do they even bother getting married? These couples need the boundaries and rules that come with being married to make them feel like they’ve taken this big leap of faith and have “grown up” when the true leap of faith is sharing an unwavering commitment to each other; one made of steel where no one can touch you two, having a friendship on fire, trusting completely, living in each moment together without doubts and insecurities. Sharing deep love and mutual respect without feeling the pressure from family, friends, television and society to make their union legal, I believe, is the true meaning of marriage. Many times, religious beliefs cause couples to succumb to the pressures as well. It’s unfortunate that couples cannot have their priest or pastor marry them without a state issued marriage license. Does anybody remember learning about separation of church and state in junior high? Whatever happened to that? (That’s a whole other story…)
Some marry for love, some marry for money and then there are some who marry purely for the companionship. The list of reasons for why people marry each other can go on for days, but your reasons must be conducive to your partner’s reasons or the marriage will fall apart. Marriage now being merely a legal bind and a financial transaction has lost the romance it once had when our grandparents and parents got married. Whether you have a marriage license or you’ve been with your partner for many years, there are certain realities of marriage that need to be discussed before hand. Once armed with that knowledge and awareness, I believe men and women will be able to navigate through their marriage and/or long term relationships to more fruitful outcomes.
Here are some questions you should ask yourself in regards to marriage and your partner:
- How does your partner deal with adversity?
- What type of lifestyle do you both want?
- Do you want children?
- Who will handle the money? (bills, savings, investments)
- Do either of you have personal goals that you haven’t reach yet? Dreams of entrepreneurship? Will your partner support them?
- Can you see yourself with the same person forever? Will they keep you interested forever?
- Self-preservation…do they take care of themselves?
- Who’s more dominant? Does he/she welcome balance?
- Pre-nuptial?
I wish that I had realized some of these elements that could possibly make or break a marriage before I got married. At the time, I felt I was getting married for love, but in retrospect I succumbed to the same societal pressure as many others; trying to keep up appearances and trying to prove to myself and others that I was finally happy with someone, even if I knew in my gut that that someone was not completely right for me.
Being a true romantic at heart, I am in no way bashing marriage but I do feel that it is not for everyone. The more traditional couples who are absolutely confident of their love, bond and commitment…I say go for it and jump that broom and revel in the rarity that is your relationship. As for the more liberal couples who are completely content as you are and don’t need society’s stamp of approval, rock out a la Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn; 20 years strong and never married. Go figure.
Martine Chevry received her B.A. in Communications and Culture from the CUNY School of Professional Studies in June 2011. She currently works as an Editorial Assistant and lives in Queens, New York. Martine is currently planning on self publishing her first novel in Spring 2012. She enjoys writing, working out, shopping, reading and reality television.
“It’s a bad economy.”
“We’re in a recession.”
“You gotta take what you can get.”
“Nobody is hiring anymore.”
“Those old jobs are not coming back.”
We are hearing a lot of negativity about the job market these days. The fact that the unemployment rate is hovering around 9% nationwide is not helping our general lack of optimism. While a 2010 map of unemployment shows a more reasonable unemployment rate of 2.8% for Billings Country, North Dakota, it shows a much more chilling realization for Imperial County, California where the unemployment rate was 27.6%. As anyone will tell you, this is an animal we’ve never seen before, and most of us are not quite sure how to deal with it.
In May, an article was published about the new rules for the job interview. I found these rules such as “research, research, research” and “ask questions” to be somewhat refreshing. Many of the online articles that give advice such as “always write a thank you note”, is somewhat dated and doesn’t work in every case. I’ve also discovered that these articles have gotten so many hits, that it seems everyone is taking this advice. If everyone is using the same advice, you can no longer fully distinguish yourself. If the employer can’t remember you, then why hire you?
I am not pretending to be an expert on the job interview process, but I do have some insights that I picked up during my own search. Hopefully, these “rules” will be useful to some of you.
There Are No “Rules” For Every Job Search
This one is pretty hard to swallow. Most people just want to know what to do and how to do it. There are no hard and fast rules. Every industry is different and every company is different. Sometimes the hiring managers have the final say, and sometimes it is human resources. The person reviewing your work may not necessarily know the exact qualifications needed for the job and how to screen them. Some hiring managers appreciate thank you notes and some have no time to read them. Some allow follow-up phone calls and some prefer email. Your best bet is do to as much research as you can, and use networking sites such as LinkedIn to learn more about the company as well as the kinds of people that they normally hire. Are you similar to the typically hired employee? Does the company value diversity in interests and education? It is your job to find out these small details and make them work for you. It could give you an advantage over someone else who does not know these little bits of information.
Grammar and Tone Speak Volumes
Everyone knows that a well written cover letter and resume will help you not get disqualified as easily as poorly-written ones. Hiring managers get hundreds, sometimes thousands of applications for a single position. Having documents that are not perfect will work against you. However, many people forget about the tone that they use when write cover letters. Your voice and personality can really shine through when you use the correct words. Syntax and semantics can also reveal a lot about you. Do you write as if you are confident or entitled? Are you apologetic for circumstances in your work history or ready to prove yourself? These are subtle differences that can make all the difference in how you are perceived by a hiring manager. Be careful with your written language.
Don’t Fool Yourself Into Thinking Interviews Are A Simple Process
So you landed an interview. Fantastic! Your work is not done. Depending on the industry and the amount of applications you may be subject to multiple interviews. This could be a good thing or a bad thing. It could indicate that they really want you or it could mean that they have several close candidates and they are unsure of who to pick. I was recently subjected to four interviews with nine different people over the course of several weeks. No one can tell you whether you should keep granting a company interviews or give up and move onto another company. It really is up to you. Use your discretion or your gut before turning down multiple interviews. It may not necessarily be a bad sign.
Know What You Can Offer The Company
Unfortunately, it is an employer’s market. It’s a potential employee buffet, and the employer can interview as many people as they want, and decide not to fill a position if they don’t find the right person. It’s up to you to let the company know what you can offer them. Are you good at driving up sales? Let them know that. Are you especially frugal and can save the company lots of money? They need to know that. Do you have some innovative ideas that can help them open up to a new market? They want to hear that from you. Don’t offer up too many of your valuable ideas, so that they get free brainpower from you and you receive nothing in return. It is a give and take atmosphere, but at the end of the day, it’s still business. They have something to offer you, and you have something to offer them.
Know What is Important to You About Compensation
Do you need to make a lot of money to pay off bills? Do you need health insurance to take care of yourself or your family? Do you need time off? Will flexible hours allow you to take care of a special needs child or an ailing family member? You need to know what your priorities are, and if a company can meet them for you. You should aim to be flexible, but it still is a business transaction. If work/life balance is important to you, do not be so quick to settle on a job if it will take away from that. While we cannot always have everything we want from an employer, it is important to maintain your health and sanity, not to sacrifice everything.
Just Be Yourself
This can’t be stressed enough. These days, an employer can easily find out if you are lying about your qualifications. These things are so easily checked that you should not waste their time nor yours. You should always be on your best behavior when on an interview, but don’t fake it. Employers want the most for their money, and if you have the qualifications it will help. But if your personality does not match up with theirs or their company culture, then they will be hesitant to hire you. Giving the most accurate yet best presentation of yourself will do you more favors than not. Always remember, just because an employer can’t hire you for a position, doesn’t mean that their other hiring manager friends at other firms can’t.
Ebonye Gussine is a graduate student in the Master of Science in Business Management & Leadership Program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies. She loves writing, reading, and is an avid fan of John Steinbeck’s works. In her spare time she sings off-key and travels to new places.
Its been a little over two months since graduation and I had so many plans as to what I wanted to do once June 7th passed. I was going to read more (because all my reading time was used reading class material). I was going to spend more time with my daughter. I was going to use some free time for yoga and I even thought about just doing absolutely nothing. Well, that’s hard to do. I’m a writer and I have to do things and live life in order to be inspired, right?
I read Walter Mosely’s book, This Year You Write Your Novel. He had a lot of great and simple tips for stalled writers such as myself.
“My only ritual for writing is that I do it every morning. I wake up and get to work. If I’m in a motel in Mobile — so be it. If I am up all night, and morning is two o’clock in the afternoon, well, that’s okay too.
The only thing that matters is that you write, write, write. It doesn’t have to be good writing. As a matter of fact, almost all first drafts are pretty bad. What matters is that you get down the words on the page or the screen — or into the tape recorder, if you work like that.”
He has a point. Write, write, write Martine! I thought that I should continue my education , but if I fill my time with classes, when will I have free time to write? It’s like I’m scared to be great or somethin. I keep asking myself these questions: Write every day, like Mosely suggests? Should I apply for an MFA in Creative Writing or just write? Do I need an MFA to become a successful writer? Isn’t it all about the work and the craft? So if I just sit down and write every day, won’t it come easier. Do I need to pay an institution thousands of dollars to help me do something I can do by myself if I just do the work and write?
As it stands right now, I don’t want to tie myself down to another 2 years of studies. I’d rather work on my almost finished novel, self publish it and maybe look into the MFA programs, at least go to the information sessions, but I’m not going to throw all my eggs into one basket. The program will definitely help me perfect my craft, but right now I need to develop my voice and a consistent writing routine. So here I am, writing.
Source: Mosely,Walter (2007). This Year You Write Your Novel. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Martine Chevry received her B.A. in Communications and Culture from the CUNY School of Professional Studies in June 2011. She currently works as an Editorial Assistant and lives in Queens, New York. Martine is currently planning on self publishing her first novel in Spring 2012. She enjoys writing, working out, shopping, reading and reality television.
The School of Professional Studies (SPS) is pleased to announce three new scholarship opportunities for students.
Two Dean’s Scholarships will be awarded, one to a full-time student in the amount of $1,500; the other in the amount of $500 to a student enrolled in an SPS program part-time. The scholarships will be determined on the basis of financial need, academic merit, and to students within one semester of completing their degree program.
The Bob Martin Memorial Scholarship in the amount of $1,000, will be awarded to an applicant enrolled in an on-line baccalaureate program on a part- or full-time basis and who will be entering his/her last semester prior to completing the on-line degree. At least one scholarship will be awarded to an applicant meeting this criteria and also on the basis of financial need and academic merit. The scholarship is in honor of Bob Martin, the late husband of SPS Director of Student Services Dr. Z. Lobley.
Those interested in applying should go to http://sps.cuny.edu/admissions/scholarships.html for additional criteria and application forms. The deadline for submission is April 1, 2011. Recipients will be notified May 2, 2011.
Recipients will be asked to provide a photo and profile for inclusion in the Commencement Program and to attend the Commencement 2011 Ceremonies on June 7, 2011, at Alice Tully Hall in New York City.
Please contact the Alumni Relations and Development Office at 212-817-7169 for questions or additional information.
Leslie Kerr is the Alumni Relations and Development Director for the School of Professional Studies.
We often hear the phrase: “$h*t just happens.” I have felt that way plenty of times. However, if we accept this premise then we are seemingly opening up ourselves to a life that is subject to Murphy’s Law. I don’t know who that guy was, but his life must have been outrageous enough for people around him to think that he was living in an unfortunate realm of continuous bad luck. It must have sucked to be Murphy. The unspoken understanding in all of this is that nothing is changeable…that we are doomed to a life that is vulnerable to every passing wave. This kind of thinking allows us to wallow in procrastination and mediocrity.
If we observe the world in a somewhat scientific manner, we can see that clearly there are other laws at work. Cause and effect is one of them. Now, I don’t presume to fully grasp all of the complex minutiae involved in explaining it…but I do know that if I throw a pebble in a pond that ripples will expand outward until they are impeded by mass. In the same way, the choices that I daily make can be greatly influenced by cause and effect. It is easy to look at ourselves and think that I only have a small pebble…but you cannot predict the effect of it until you throw it. You have the power of choice. It is one of the greatest powers that you can possess. You can choose to do something meaningful. I have a choice every day when I get home from work. I can watch reruns of The Simpsons, or I can go to the gym. That is the cause. The effect will be either a thicker midsection or a Dionysian physique. I could go on and on…
As a caveat to all of this…I do realize that sometimes bad things happen without our understanding why. I will not even attempt to explain the cosmos. What I do know is that we each have an opportunity today. What is your cause at this moment? What will its effect be? Maybe a better question is: what is the life that you are dreaming of? Perhaps the answer to getting there is hidden in your daily cause.
Charlie Newell is a recent graduate of the BA in Communications and Culture program. He is presently working as a Project Manager for a firm on Wall St. He enjoys sports, outdoors, cooking, traveling and his wife.
