There are many aspects of my job that involve skills other than that surrounding electrical knowledge. In many cases, when I go to a service call, I wear the hat of a detective.
“What was going on when you started having problems? How long has this been going on for? Can you show me what you had plugged in and turned on when this happened?”
Part of fixing the problem is finding one. But what do you do when there is no problem to find? Continue Reading
We live in a time where convenience is king and all that we could possibly need is available at our fingertips. With a few quick keystrokes we can order food, apply for a job or become a friend. The wonder of the Internet has enabled us to find information about almost any subject. Even with all this digital power, we need much more to feel complete. We need in-person human interaction.
To land a new job, make a new (real) friend, or find a new customer, we must build relationships. Networking is one of the most powerful ways to build relationships. Many people aren’t comfortable in networking situations but that is likely because they don’t get enough practice. We are often uncomfortable networking because we feel the need to act differently than we normally do. One of the keys to effective networking is to be genuine. Behave like yourself, not a pumped-up facsimile trying to be something you’re not. Continue Reading
In my experience in the workforce and in the classroom I’ve learned one thing. Stress is everywhere. Some of the time it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything you need done finished.
I will admit that sometimes I get really stressed out. Like REALLY stressed out. If you have never been upset or overwhelmed about all the assignments or projects you have to do, this blog post might not be for you. If you’ve stayed up until 4am working on something and cried at least once then this article is definitely for you. Continue Reading
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
I just recently came home from a two week vacation in Italy. Although it was exhausting (waking up early every morning and going until late into the night) and expensive (thousands of dollars later…), I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything in the world. You see, I’m what they call a travel buff. I thrive on the adventure to explore a new world, to see new sites, to meet new people, and to live beyond my bubble back home. Continue Reading
Anyone remember the days of overhead projects? Yep, you created “slides” on clear sheets of paper and projected them on a massive box with a long arm! The only thing you had to worry about was having a spare bulb in case the light bulb blew. Life was so easy … tedious but no worrying about internet access or compatibility.
Then there were the early days of PowerPoint – when we created our presentations and then printed them on transparencies. Now those that don’t remember are asking, why did you print them? Well, we did not always have access to data projectors and in case something did not work, we could use an overhead projector to display our visual aids.
If you’re totally confused now, don’t worry. This blog is about presentations and back up plans and not about old technology. You see, visual aids are just that – aids! I see far too often people relying on those PowerPoint slides – actually reading from them. Ugh! Continue Reading
