My name is Lorena Batista, I am currently a student at the New York City College of Technology (City Tech), enrolled in the major Liberal Arts and Sciences. Obtaining an associate in Liberal Arts and Sciences is just the starting point of the goals that I have setted out to achieve in life. Later on, I will transfer to another college to continue my career path, which is becoming a successful Psychologist. As soon as I get accepted to course this major, I will have multiple choices of career subfields related with Psychology, which are specified below. This career offers me countless options to choose as my selected subfield, however, I am specifically interested on becoming a Clinical Psychologist. There are several reasons that led me to choose this major, nevertheless, some were powerful enough to make me put them into words in this research project and be able to give a better explanation about them to my audience. This is the best major for me because I have the skills required to succeed at this career and be an excellent professional, I will have the opportunity to study people’s mind and behavior, which is something that I feel passion to. Furthermore, this major is the best platform to touch people’s hearts and help them to understand their lives. In this essay, I will do a broad explanation about my major and career choice, you will understand better what are a LAS and a Psychology degree about, the career options after graduating and how City Tech is preparing me to get there. Furthermore, I will broadly describe the reasons why this is the best major for me.

According to the New York City College of Technology Catalog, “An associate degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences is a solid stepping stone to further education. It provides strong academic preparation emphasizing communication, analytical, and critical thinking skills. The LAS degree may lead to careers in traditional areas such as biological sciences, chemistry, physics, mathematics and education. A Liberal Arts and Sciences degree is a good starting point to transfer to bachelor’s programs at City Tech or other colleges.” I chose this major because it will give me the opportunity to take several courses that will lay the groundwork for me to continue my path to success at my dream major, Psychology, at the college I am planning to transfer in the future. A college option to transfer in the future to a Psychology major is Hunter College, because it offers an excellent undergraduate Psychology program. According to the Hunter College Catalog, “Psychology is concerned with all aspects of the study of behavioral, developmental and cognitive processes, and employs a broad spectrum of approaches, from the social to the biological, to understand them.” Psychology encompasses many subfields and includes different approaches to the study of mental processes and behavior, such as, Experimental, Industrial/Organizational, Neuropsychology and Behavioral Neuropsychology, Social, Counseling and Clinical Psychology. This has fascinated me in ways that made me choose the field of Psychology as my future career.

There are many jobs opportunities with this major, however, I am specifically interested on Clinical Psychology, which treats mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. According to the Cabrini College website, “These range from short-term crises, such as difficulties resulting from adolescent rebellion, to more severe, chronic conditions such as schizophrenia.  Some clinical psychologists treat specific problems exclusively, such as phobias or clinical depression. Others focus on specific populations: youngsters, ethnic minority groups, gays and lesbians, and the elderly, for instance.”

It has been a journey over the years to discover my passion. I used to think that I had the vocation for something besides than Psychology. I had to go through many things to achieve my goals of becoming someone that would succeed and make a difference in the Psychology career. Nowadays, I am very thankful that I discovered something that can lead me to be an amazing professional. I am sure that this is the best major for me because I have the skills required to succeed at Psychology, which is the career I have chosen to work every day of my life. I am a trustworthy person, I would inspire patients to confide in me and trust me their problems. I also consider myself patient, which is an important skill to be a great psychologist. Open- mindedness, emotional stability, interpersonal, analytical, critical, scientific, and strong communication skills are essential to be a great psychologist as well.  Ever since I was a little girl, I always dreamt about becoming a successful person in the future, and I think I am doing the right things to get there.

Another reason why I consider that this is the best major for me is because I am in love with the fact that I am going to study people’s mind and behavior. I want to devote my whole life to this major, be a respectable professional and be able to create my own path, which people would be happy to follow. As I expressed in the previous project ‘Writing the brain”, devote my life to a career that I would love and enjoy is essential to complete my happiness. I am convinced that I am on the right track to accomplish my goals because I am doing everything possible to better my performance at college and in life too.

Last, but not least, I believe that this career path is the best for me because it will give the opportunity to help other people and change their lives. I feel capable of treating with people that need someone else to help them find a better way of understanding life, by establishing general principles and researching every person’s situation as an individual and specific case. Since science has advanced so much this century, many alternatives of treating people’s problems have been discovered. Consequently, the society requires capable professionals who are willing to give their hearts to their careers and thus achieve better results to get “real world” solutions. Thanks to this, I want to dedicate my life to support other people and be a Psychologist able to understand them and somehow touch their hearts. Achieve this goal makes me so excited that has motivated me to fight tirelessly to accomplish it. I have no doubt that Psychology will be the perfect platform to touch the lives of thousands of people.

City Tech is an institution that is providing me countless and unimaginable opportunities for my future because I am taking advantage of all the offerings and services available. Besides giving me an excellent education transmitted by a well-prepared and dedicated faculty, I am getting other benefits for being part of an unique college as City Tech. This college is helping me to be part of many extracurricular activities, student groups, workshops and internships, which are very important and considered to help me get better jobs in the future. According to the City Tech’s website, “Education and the development of character and maturity occur both inside the classroom and out. City Tech students have access to a wide range of clubs and activities, reflecting both academic and social interests. Student Life and Development works to provide opportunities for the development of leadership and for the creation of community, both bringing us together and recognizing our diversity.” I made a good decision by choosing City Tech as the place to develop my education for the reason that it is helping me like no other to build up all the requirements to succeed in the workplace.  As I mentioned before, I am planning to transfer to another college, not because City Tech is not good for me, but because it does not offer a Psychology major. However, it will lay the groundwork for me to be a capable student and get accepted to a college where they do offer a Psychology major.

After having a conversation with the Liberal Arts and Science’s Dean at his office, Dr. Karl Botchway, these words stayed in my mind forever; “Whatever career you choose to work in the future, and no matter what your dreams are, do not give up, spend all your time and energy doing your best to achieve them and become a good professional.”  Botchway’s words inspired me to continue working hard in college, and even though my target is very hard to accomplish because a lot of work to get accepted to Psychology programs is required, I am sure I am going to achieve my goal because City Tech has been the best education platform I could ever wish. According to the “Psychology as a Profession” article, “Only 6 % of applicants to clinical psychology programs are accepted.”

As soon as I realized that it was time to choose my major and set up clear goals about my future career, I started to define countless reasons why Psychology would be the best for me. Consequently, I decided to choose the field of Psychology as my major. Besides having the skills required to succeed at this career, getting the opportunity to study people’s mind and behavior, and help them to understand their lives, this major also offers me several opportunities to become a better person and be a role model for future generations. Besides to attend to a graduate school and be able to choose a Masters degree in any of the Psychology subfields, I can also choose either a Psy.D. or a ph.D. program, therefore it would give me the professional stability I want to have in the future. According to the Long Island University website, “Psy.D. graduates receive a Doctorate of Psychology upon graduating, while Ph.D. graduates receive a Doctorate of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology. On one hand, Psy.D. programs tend to emphasize the practitioner-scholar model, while on the other hand, Ph.D. programs tend to emphasize the scientist-practitioner model. Furthermore, I want to recommend to all of you to always look ahead and never settle because life is only one, and there is no second opportunities to success and do what makes you happy.

 Works Cited

 Botchway, Karl. Personal Interview.  2 April 2015.

Cabrini College. “Psychology.” Careers in Psychology. Web. 22 April 2015.

Cohen, Stanley. “Psychology as a Profession.” Career Development Quarterly, 54.4 (June 2006): 367-371. Academic search complete. Web. 20 April 2015.

Hunter College. “Psychology.” Hunter College Catalog 2014-2015. Web. 20 April 2015.

Long Island University. “Psychology.” Doctor of Psychology. Web. 28 April 2015.

New York City College of Technology (City Tech). “Liberal Arts and Sciences.” New York City College of Technology Catalog 2014-2015. Web. 20 April 2015.

New York City College of Technology (City Tech). “Extracurricular Activities.”  Student Life and Development. Web. 2 May 2015.

Kelvin Moncion                                                                                           ENG1101

Prof. Ellis                                                                                                  NYCCT

My Career

I am Kelvin Moncion, I am a student in New York City College of Technology my current major that I study is Communication Design. In the near future I plan on following a career path of a game designer, gaming has always been a passion for me so it’s no surprise I want to go for it. This is probably the best career for me because, I’ve always been a creative person and in this field creativity is a must have and gaming is not just a hobby it could also be a way of life for me. This major will help me “demonstrate conceptual and creative design skills with a professional portfolio”(NYCCT Catalog), doing so will help me advance further in the field, and since I feel like a have a knack for creativity this will help me even more. Another reason why I see this as my best choice is because, not only will this be my job but also I’ll be doing what I love and a job that you love is not really a job to you. It could also be fun working with a developing team and just chatting away about new ideas and what could be done with character designs, weapons, skills, etc.

I have given much thought on choosing this career path. The pay is pretty good, it won’t be a job since it’s my passion and video games has always been my thing as a kid through this day and probably in the future. As a game designer your beginner salary starts at $65,000 dollars a year and can go up to 100,000 plus more a year, which is amazing to read. Not only will I get paid greatly for it but, getting paid for what I enjoy, sounds great. As a beginner I probably won’t have many choices of working with the “big boys” like Ubisoft, Konami, Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony, most likely beginners start off in 3rd party publishers. Third party publishers are companies that are small in popularity and also in man-power, usually they focus on indie games, some indie games come out to be successful so then that catches the attention of the big companies and they sign them up. Starting off small is always great, I’ll be picking up so much experience and it will become easier as time passes by. In my major Communication Design has a broad horizon, which extends into many careers them being: design, motion graphics or animation, illustration, game design graphics. This career offers elective classes that help you acquire skills in 2D and 3D animation. With my time in City Tech I want to improve certain skill sets, and expand my knowledge by learning these new things and acquiring new skills along the way, skills that will most likely help me in the future.

In an article I read, video games tend to focus on one thing only, and they follow certain elemental designs, “every computer game is designed around the same central element: the player.” (John Hopson). Basically, every video game has to focus on the player, without the player there would be no game, the player is the essential key since the he/she is going to be the one playing and enjoying the game, he/she has to enjoy the game to its full potential. When players see enjoying the game there are key parts in the player’s mind that lights up, this can help developers know what they’re doing wrong or right. This is pretty cool because usually it’s not that really looked into on how the brain can help developers, usually video games are linked to violent crimes that happened and you get an article saying “Video Games Fueled Someone’s Anger” which is nonsense in my opinion. The contingencies and schedules are a very important aspect of game design, “a contingency is a rule or set of rules governing when rewards are given out.” (Hopson). A contingency in a video game is when for example when your character levels up you get all sorts of new items, power ups etc. In arcade styled games power ups, and all the other goodies appear on random intervals or only appear when certain challenges are completed. These are one of the important aspects in game design field and it’s very helpful knowing that some type psychology is based on satisfying gamers. Ratios and intervals are fundamentals of contingencies, “ratio schedules provide rewards after a certain number of actions have been completed” (John Hopson), for example eliminating certain amount of enemies, and long bursts of action time to collect bonuses and power ups. The game design field has very small aspects that are very interesting and make for more entertaining and enjoyable game time.

I really like to let people enjoy a game, for example, like a book, I want to wrap the reader with the story he/she has to love the story that they can’t let go of the book. In Game Design 2 elements of design are involved there is 3D modeling and animation, 3D modeling is the model of the character how it’s going to look like, and animation is the movement of the character, like hands, walk, etc. “A Game Designer’s main function is to conceive the elements of gameplay, and to turn those elements into an interactive experience for the player to enjoy” (Richard Robledo). Although Game Design has many complexity into making certain games the root cause is always the player, it reminds me of a slogan I have “no player, no game”. By creating these elements of gameplay the player knows what’s going on and what he or she has to do next to level up, or progress to the next stage. It might sound like a fun job but Game Designers don’t spend their days just sitting around discussing a next project, “a Game Designer does not show up to work and simply write stories, character bios, and game ideas. Brainstorming and coming up with cool concepts are what a Designer does 10% of the time. The remaining 90% is comprised of the execution of the ideas; and, in order to make this happen, the Designer utilizes numerous artistic and technical tools.” (Richard Robledo), this is said because most of the time that’s the idea of a person, they think it’s an easy job when in reality it really isn’t. Most of the time a lot of thinking goes before making a game, and getting a good idea on the board. That can take weeks maybe even months to get an idea going, then after that the team gets together designers, programmers, etc. to start the development of the game, games can last a couple years to design, getting the story together, and if it’s an open world game it’ll be huge, designing buildings, forests, or whatever scenario that’s being created. Programmers will deal with AI’s (artificial intelligence), the main character and how, and what he can interact with the world. It may seem simple at first, but a lot of work and thinking goes into a game, I really admire that this is why it’s a passion for me.

In conclusion, the future I am aiming for is for me, all the skills I have and can be improved. Game design is very important to me, and I have a passion for video games which helps me to follow my path. People who feel like following the same path can do the same thing, if they have a passion for game design and, or video games they should definitely go for it. Recommendations for others I feel are, that if you’re a creative person you should try it out, because following this career will help you with your creative thinking. This major helps with creativity and conceptual thinking which is something you will need to get through with this career path.

Work Cited

Hopson, John. “Behavioral Game Design.” Gamasutra Article. N.p., 27 Apr. 2001. Web. 5 May 2015

New York City College of Technology (City Tech). “Communication Design.” New York City College of Technology college catalog 2014-2015.

Robledo, Richard. “What Is a Video Game Designer?” What Is a Video Game Designer? N.p., 2012. Web. 7 May 2015

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Game Designers” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 3 May 2015.

Bryan Jimenez

Professor Ellis

English 1101

11 May 2015

I am Bryan Jimenez, a student currently enrolling a Fashion Marketing major at The New York City College of Technology, even though I am enrolled in marketing classes now, I plan to transfer to The Fashion Institute of Technology where I will be enrolling their Fashion Design major. Fashion Marketing is a great major for me because it can help me manage and market my business one day, but the major I always wanted to pursue is Fashion Design. Fashion Design is the best career for me because it is a really wide industry and there are many opportunities for individuals with passion like me, it’s a field where I can develop my creative skills, it makes me happy, and the pay is really good if one gets to a high position.

The Fashion Design major I want to enroll in FIT can be very helpful in all types of ways regarding my dream. Just a two years degree can help me a lot, according to the FIT’s major catalog “students will learn the fundamentals of professional draping, patternmaking, and sewing techniques. Students will also master computer aided design, and learn how to take a design from concept to finish garment.” (FIT, p.3) Draping, patternmaking and sewing are crucial skills in the fashion design major, I quite know how to make patterns and sew but these classes FIT offers will help me take my skills the next level of greatness. After earning a degree in my major there are a lot of job opportunities available according to the FIT’s major catalog “The major in Fashion Design offers qualified students the opportunity to prepare for positions as designers, assistant designers, technical designers, stylists, or fashion executives.” (FIT, p.1) Using what I learn at FIT and the connections I make through it will help me acquire these positions I listed above.

Fashion Design is the best career for me because it is a wide field with many opportunities. A lot of people think designers only have 2 opportunities in life, either design for their own brand or designing for someone else’s brand, in fact, that is not the case because designers have many opportunities in the Fashion Industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics “The employment, or size, of the fashion design occupation in 2012 was 22,300.” (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014) within this number there are designers designing for other established and/or underground labels also other jobs such as stylist, creative director, product manager, and modeling. Creative Director is the job title I am aiming for. A creative director is the highest position a designer can be assigned to if in their own fashion house or someone else’s fashion house, a creative director does not design, instead they give orders to their designing team on to how to design and which concept to use when designing and creating fabrics.

 Another reason why I believe Designing is the best career for me is because Fashion is a field where I can develop my creative skills. During my sophomore year of High school I was going throughout a hard time trying to decide what I wanted to pursue as a career. I went from wanting to be a lawyer to a cop and from a cop to an artist. The primary reason I wanted to work as a lawyer or cop was because of the money involved and the many more changes to get into that major, but my family convinced me to do what I loved and what makes me happy. Artists and Designers are in the same category, both think of an idea and make it into a statement (garment/piece) that touches someone’s heart. I am always thinking about ideas of how to make a simple garment into a statement. I believe I have a gift of creativity, a reason for this is the fact that most of the garments I’ve created I didn’t have to plan or even think about it for long, it just comes to mind, I sketch it and construct it and I’m only going to get better at these strategies by doing internships while attending to FIT. According to the FIT’s student catalog “an internship at a leading fashion house gives students the experience and valuable connections. Internships sites have included Donna Karan, Ralph Laurent, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, among others.”(FIT, p.8) Being a FIT students will give me the opportunity to intern at fashion houses which are very hard to acquire if one doesn’t have the right knowledge. These internships will not only help me perfect my craft but will help me connect with big names in the industry.

I’ve been fortunate to have a family that allowed me the freedom to pick my own path in life. A lot of Hispanic parents would not look at fashion or art as a path, but my family does. When I finally decided that I wanted to pursue this major a lot of friends and close individuals tried to convince me that it wasn’t the best major to do since it’s a very hard industry to get into, instead I did not pay mind to their comments and went after my dream. I make a lot of mistakes while making a garment some are sewing where I wasn’t supposed to, not following the line in which I was supposed to sew into, sewing pieces the wrong way, and much more. These mistakes can become tiring after some time but one thing is that I always find the way to fix them and finish the project. Instead of these mistakes I make put me down and make me think I’m not good enough they inspire me to keep moving forward, they flatter me to the point where all I want to make is perfect and at the end that is what I always strive for.

The fashion industry is full of glamour, therefore there is obviously a lot of money involved within these jobs. The jobs I am personally aiming for after graduating from FIT are either Merchandiser, Buyer, Stylist, Independent Designer, or Creative Director. According to Fashionista.com these are the paying average for each position: “Merchandiser $64,700 per year, Buyer $69,800, Stylist $141,700 per year, followed by Independent Designers $155,400 per year, creative director $191, 00 or more per year.” (Sherman, 2013) The pay within the fashion industry are decent compared to other majors and jobs but it is what I love and dream to do one day therefore the money involve in this industry is not my main focus but it is my side focus. The education I learn at FIT is going to be crucial for my success.

I recently interviewed a Menswear stylist who works with GQ Magazine. Stephen Campbell is his name, “I attended FIT pursuing the fashion design dream, 2 years later I graduated and started my own womenswear line, which did not work as much as I intended it to but on the midst of this nightmare I was going through I started looking for fashion jobs other than designing. I found a stylist position at GQ which I took which is the position I am currently on. Throughout that job I started networking with well recognize designer which now I work for as their fashion show’s stylist.”(Campbell, 2015). Campbell is a living example of how a designer can success without having to design or have their own brand. I meet people like Stephen every once in a while at Zara which is my work place so I can only imagine the people I will be able to meet as soon as I start attending FIT. According to the occupational outlook handbook “fashion designing jobs are decreasing on an average of 3% from 2012 to 2022.”(Bureau of labor statistic, 2014).  Fashion Jobs are decreasing job by job, this tells me that I need to work really hard to become the fantastic, different and outstanding designer I want be. I now have to make a change and work as hard as I can to stand out and be different.

If an individual is really passionate about something they will go after it no matter what stands in front of them.  Nowadays there’s a lot of young people wanting to be designers but their work is so effortless, it’s literally a Hanes T-shirt with some prints on and that’s it. For one to be a real designer/fashionista there needs to be real effort put into the craft, creativity, among other factors which I don’t see on this young people’s clothing lines. The first advice I’ll give someone who wants to do this major at this age and time is do research. Doing research on this major teaches one the ways of this industry, it helps understand what’s the real role of a designer, how much creativity is needed and the history of how fashion became fashion.

Works Cited

 Campbell, Stephen. Personal interview. 2 may 2015

Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). “Fashion design.” Fashion institute of technology undergraduate programs. Web. 9 May 2015

Laurent, Sherman. “How Much Fashion Jobs Really Pay.” Fashionista, 2014 edition, web. 9 May 2015

United States. “Fashion Design.” Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition, Fashion Designers, web. 9 May 2015

My name is Miguel Santos, a freshman at the New York City College of Technology. The major that I am planning to pursue is Graphic Arts Production Management. However, after having a long conversation with my major advisor, Mary Ann Biehl, I have changed my major to Communication Design. The classes that I’m taking overlap in both majors, so I still have the same credits of the classes I’m taking now. This major is appealing to me because it’s all about creativity of visual presentation, which has been my passion for a long time. In this field, I am interested in becoming a Graphic Designer who does a little bit of everything dealing with the advertising industry.

This is the best career for me, because I am following my passion for design, and my functional skills are creativity, thinking visually, and strategizing. Besides that, since I was a freshman in high school my family has supported me and they believe I can go far in this field. More importantly, they believe in my future. In this essay, I will explain my major and my career choices, my strengths, how people supported me, about my future, about City Tech’s preparation for my career, and my recommendations for people interested in this major or career choice.

According to the website of the New York City College of Technology, “Communication Design is the strategic and conceptual development of visual information to tell stories and convey ideas and emotions” (Biehl, par.2). This is a message from the chair of the department, Mary Ann Biehl. According to Mary Ann Biehl, it is required to earn a certificate or associate usually degree for assistant or technical position in order to advance in this field. Also, at least a bachelor’s degree is required for a job. Additionally, this field prepares students by developing their artistic capacity, as well as their verbal, and written communication skills. According to the college catalog, “A core of advanced design courses will prepare students to meet the challenges of the profession: senior project, the design team and an internship” (City Tech, par.8).

Therefore, graphic designers, art directors, web designers, broadcast designers, animators and game designers are the kinds of career options one can have after graduating from this major. As a result of this investigation, I learned that my major deals with a lot of digital training, which requires many materials and supplies, as well as spending a good amount of money. In this major we are preparing for lifelong learning in associate or bachelor degree programs of the communication design. Thus, with my education at City Tech, I want to take advantage of everything provided me and I would especially like to develop my own style in this career field.

As I discussed previously, this is the best career for me because I am following my passion for design, and my functional skills are being creative, thinking visually, and strategizing. Before I speak in class, I think is true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, or kind based on any composition I have to analyze. Moreover, I am creative in the way I use materials around me in order to finish a project. Besides that, the way I look at things make me feel as if I have a progressive strategy when I look at any assignment. When I was in high school, I was always bored and not interested during my music class, and it was basically because I couldn’t play any basic rhythm on any instrument.

Since the beginning, I knew I had to do something to improve so I started to write rhymes of the vocabulary and general information for my music class as a rap to memorize everything and pass my exams with a high grade. As a result, I can say I learned a lot, and the teacher end up putting me in AP music for the next year. Therefore, it was useful strategy as me being creative. As it is said in the article, A Case Study of an Innovative Graphic Design Curriculum Focusing on Social Responsibility “The aim is to provide a situation where students can excel in selected disciplines while benefiting from an intense cross-fertilization of idea” (Vessella, Mackay par.9). In other words, we have to take advantage of what is provided to us before the opportunity is gone and we must develop our thoughts to reach the next level.

I always love being creative, and organized, watching anime makes me feel in a creative mood. After browsing a lost notebook that I found under my desk during my math class in middle school, art became my passion. I really enjoy designing new things, and because I don’t talk too much, I like to express through visual things. In addition, I feel this passion and my body language transmit it through my eyes as William Shakespeare said “The eyes are the window to the soul” which I find to be true for me. Thus, using imagination to get something done is my ability. As one can see, thinking visually is necessary for this career which is why I think I must continue with my passion.

Since I was a freshman in high school, my family has supported me and believes I can go far in this field. I cannot let down the people who support me even if I fail many times, because they put their trust in me. For example, my arts professors who saw that I dedicated myself in their classes and they were proud of me because they saw me so focused on the work because of my passion. As a result, we end up having a good relationship, making some murals for our school, and I was nominated to create the logo for our senior year. I created a star with a curve enveloping around it, and my other classmates worked together on the quote in order to transmit the message that today’s dreams shape tomorrow’s future.

Therefore, I’m thankful and I appreciate when people spend their time working with me. For example, when people give me advices like “Travel while you are young and available. Don’t settle into a job that you are not keen to do. Try different opportunities and notice where you are most motivated but give your efforts and skills. Don’t give up if it seems hard or scary” (Daiga, par.6). I feel I have to move forward without a doubt because they are models who believe in me. The most important thing in my life is my relationship with a power greater than myself, which is love for my family and God. In general, my family pushes me, and let me know that if let them down more than one time again, I definitely will have no more excuses, and I know I will not forgive myself.

There are a lot of people praying for my family, when I found that out it touched me, and it change my goals. Now I realized I want to be a good man who serves the community. As it is said in the article, A Case Study of an Innovative Graphic Design Curriculum Focusing on Social Responsibility “Social responsibility no longer is an option for the educated. At base, social responsibility implies a respect for the planet, a respect for its people and the environment” (Vessela, McKay par.7). In other words, as a designer, my job is to direct the viewer attention by contributing in order to improve the society as a whole. As one can see, the faith that people have in me gives me confidence and protection.

More importantly, I want to major in Communication Design because it is my future and is the only thing I can develop at this time. The work that I’m doing now is in training my eyes and improving my skills, which actually makes me see my life flashing before my eyes. Now that I’m young, is the time to take advantage in order for me to see myself as an adult in the future. According to my professor Larisa, “I find the most challenging thing is to sit in an office all day, every day in front of a computer. The other big challenge for me has been working under bosses or clients who don’t know much about design, so they either try to direct you in a direction that you know from experience won’t work or not give you enough time to complete a project” (Daiga, par.2).

This makes me aware and prepare me for the future, since it is seems challenging to meet clients or work for a company in this field. Therefore, improving myself is the only thing I can do at this time because it is the requirement for every beginner. The job outlook in this field influence my decision to pursue it because it is expected that Graphic Designers will face strong competition for available position in the future. The salary level for this career is $ 21.22 per hour and $44,150 per year. One example of how this salary will impact my future standard of living is that most Graphic Designers may spend some of their time looking for new projects or competing with other designers for contracts. Moreover, I think I will be financially independent. As one can see, right now having a vision of my future self prepares me to succeed.

City Tech prepares me by offering a lot of opportunities for my career. City Tech is committed to providing a design education in accordance with the highest professional standards. I remember how afraid I was during my first semester to pick my major, but City Tech faculty made me feel confident in every aspect because they accept every student as a new member of the family. In general, City Tech support students like me in this field by guiding us through analytical, conceptual, creative and technical skills development.

For example, according to the college catalog “students are offered a broad range of foundation courses from figure drawing, design and color, typography, photography and design studio procedures to advanced courses including digital media, video, animation, graphic design, advertising, illustration, web design, packaging design and an advertising design internship” (City Tech, par.4). I already took type and media and graphic vectors and now, in my second semester, I am taking design principles I and foundation drawing. Besides that, the relationship between students and professors influence me a lot. Now in my second semester, my professor Larisa tells me of the important things and events that I must be aware of to succeed and what experiences I should expect after graduation.

According to her past experiences, she says that I should have an internship. She says “Internships are so useful! My design jobs have come out of starting as an intern. It is a great way to get your foot in the door. That said, don’t do something you absolutely can’t afford (like you can’t buy food or rent because of it), but if you can swing it and live cheap lifestyle for a little, do it. They are going to be checking you out to see if you have potential in the company, but you get the opportunity to check them out and see if they are someone you want to work for longer term Plus it is good for your resume” (Daiga, par.3). Therefore, I thank every member of City Tech faculty for giving me inspiration on how to become a better person and scholar. All of them certainly are great mentors for me and they have been very generous in sharing their rich and valuable knowledge in this field, for which I am grateful.

For people who are interested in my major or career choice, I recommend to everyone to speak up and explore their options. Since the first day, it is really important to be aware if this is the field to belong by exploring its surrounding and people around it. By doing this, people interested in this major will see what qualities or work someone might be expecting to do before moving on. Also, if there is any doubt or problem while taking major classes, it is necessary to go to the major department adviser. However, before pursuing this major I recommend deeply researching the college website in order to have a sense of the similar offering majors within communication design.

Equally important, it is a good idea to imagine yourself in the future, connect it to your present outcomes and follow your heart instead of what other people think you should be doing. In general, practice a lot and don’t give up in the beginning because no one is expecting you to know even basics of topic they’ve just started. Thus, for people interested in this major or career I recommend being more outgoing and taking advantage of what opportunities are provided.

Works Cited

Biehl, Mary A. “A Message from the Chair.” Department of Communication Design.” Web. 13 April 2015.

Daiga, Larisa. Email-Interview. Web. 12 April 2015.

New York City College of Technology (City Tech). “Communication Design.” New York City College of Technology college catalog 2014-2015. Web. 3 April 2015.

United States. “Graphic Designers.” Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition. Web. 26 April 2015.

Vessella, Sue. Behnoush, Mckay. “A Case Study of an Innovative Graphic Design Curriculum Focusing on Social Responsibility.” Design Principles and Practices: An international Journal, 5.5 (2011): 472-473. Academic search complete. Web. 10 April 2015.

https://instagram.com/p/m_pz2FNgf1/?taken-by=soulful_beauty95
A night out with the ladies. Dinner was amazing as always. Maryland Night Life. Phillips Seafood.
Hyatt Regency Baltimore, MD

https://twitter.com/Foreva_Yurz/status/577847171069960192/photo/1
My amazing Fiancée and I. I love him to pieces. Half of My Deen!

https://twitter.com/Foreva_Yurz/status/577847563128348672/photo/1
Time to give thanks to my lord. Great Masjid ( Place of Worship)! Hidden Gem in the heart of NYC.

My love for food is one of the many reasons I chose to dive into the hospitality field. It’s my passion and can’t wait to put my stamp on this industry.

Zahirah Hutton ENG 1101 D340 Project 1: Thinking in Writing

Some of the best thoughts and ideas come to me when I’m sitting in bed, the good bad and the ugly. Particularly this morning at 6:30am it was nothing but pure bliss. I got a call from my fiancée, normally I wouldn’t receive this early of a call but he forgot I didn’t have school on Fridays but it was cool I missed him anyway. Thoughts of my future with him seem to surround me more and more with each passing day. Every time we talk it just reminds me of how close I am to seeing him again. These thoughts seemingly make me a happier person and I don’t dwell on the negative anymore, now I’m not naïve but I just don’t seem to care anymore. If my thoughts don’t involve him I’m generally thinking about my spiritual capacity. At 12:30 pm it’s time to make prayer which is called Salatul- Dhuhr one of five mandatory prayers that we make as Muslims. I’m always trying to find out ways to better myself as a Muslim woman it makes worshiping my lord a little more of a challenge than others. With all the wars and Middle Eastern based movies going on it puts a bad taste in some people’s mouths about Islam. Generally I find myself having to defend the beauty of Islam as a whole because of a few individuals’ mistakes or wrong doings. So naturally I’m always trying to get stronger and maintain a solid spiritual base with myself and my Lord. These are easily two topics I think about often but I know I have room to think of other pressing things in my life. It’s not that they aren’t important it’s just that now currently they are becoming more important whereas the other where a consistent thought. As much as I like my thought process I could be thinking more about my future career path and where I want to be in the next three or four years. Not only educationally but also financially, potentially I would be starting a family and that’s not a cheap dream to have. I would like to at least be stable enough take care of myself and my husband but also a baby in the future. In the mist of college I would like to be working in a position that potentially catapults me into my dream career position. As soon as possible I would like to set some college and future goals for myself ones that I can complete in the next three to four years to come. One of the few things I can pay less attention to would be my phone, I’m always being told that I should stay off my phone whether I’m home, work, school or talking to friends. Maybe now that I think about it what’s in my phone isn’t that important I miss out on things because I’m so preoccupied. Learning to put the phone down when necessary shouldn’t be too hard but it’ll defiantly be a work in progress.

Zahirah Hutton

ENG 1101

3/15/2015

Writing My Brain

Never did I think my everyday routines would be such a fascinating topic. Until you actually have to put them down on paper you don’t realize the path in which your brain goes throughout the day. Well in now being conscious of the things I think about during the day I realized there is indeed a pattern. If I was speaking to my present self from five years in the future I would defiantly have some great advice for myself. I would push myself to think about more important things as well as encourage myself not to think so much and have fun. I’m sure you’re probably interested to see what I was thinking about or maybe you’re not but I’m going to tell you anyway.

I remember that day when all I could think about was being happily married to my best friend and till this day I still feel that way. I was looking forward to the thrills and blissful mornings that come with marriage. In the mist of all of that I never thought about the long term to the extent that I had a road map for the future ahead with my husband. You can’t live in NYC and pay rent with love alone certain moves have to be made in order to live a comfortable lifestyle. Zahirah you really need to assess your life and take control of your future to put things into order and perspective. You can’t expect to marry someone and still live at home with Mom & Dad it’s not just you anymore. Nothing in life comes to you easily especially if it’s worth the fight trials & tribulations. I’ve always had my mom and dad backing me up and I still do now but it’s different because I’ll need to be that wife that can stand on her own and show the same strength I see in my mom every day. Zahirah I’m telling you from experience marriage is a beautiful thing but it’s also a lot of work. As long as you have people in your corner that love you you’ll be just fine.

Besides my love life I spiritual being needs to play a more active role in my life. Not to say that I’m not always conscience of it but I tend to do some things that conflict with what I should be doing. I remember February 9^th 2015 at 12:30 it was time for my hourly prayer which is Salatul-Dhuhr which means prayer or homage in Arabic. It’s one of the many reminders to me that allow me to correct my wrongs and get me closer to my lord. I feel so much clarity after I perform my prayer, which is just one of five obligatory throughout the day but there’s plenty opportunity to perform more than five. As I get older I’m becoming more seriously involved in my beliefs and I’m finding that this time around I’m doing it for myself and not my parents. As a kid living in your parents household you tend to have no choice of what you want to believe in whether you agree or not. So in doing that I would just make prayer or read the Holy Quran because that’s what was required of me. Not really understanding what I was reading and the reason behind what I was doing. Knowing what I know now I wish I would have taken advantage of those times but it’s also my parents doing. I feel if I was sat down and explained in detail the beauty of Islam when I was younger then I would know so much and wouldn’t have to play catch up as much. For one the teachings are fine it’s the Arabic language that’s hard to grasp. So I’m here to tell myself I need to get on the ball and focus on getting myself right spiritually for myself. Now that I have someone to help me through this journey we can learn from each other and in turn I’ll be a stronger Zahirah and that’s all I can ever ask for.

Now that I’ve taken the step to college I really should be trying to get jobs in my line of work for the career I’ve chosen for myself. Since the age of sixteen I’ve only had jobs in retail and that’s cool and all for starting out when I was in high school but now that I’m an adult and I have a different level of priorities something has to give. Not only are these jobs not financially stable but they put me in no position to attain the position I wish to possess in the hospitality field. In saying I need to work harder to put myself in a better financial standing as well as secure my future. I’ve always been one that loved money I mean who doesn’t but even in middle school I would sell all kinds of things cell phone cases, phone charms as well as chargers. My dad used to work in a cellphone store and that gave me an opportunity to test my skills and from there that’s how this entrepreneur came to be. It’s not that I’m not trying it’s just that I have been highly distracted as of late. In the middle of planning a wedding having not seen my fiancée in 8 months to finally seeing him has me completely flustered but in a good way.

I think that the majority of my generation suffers from I.P.U (Intensive Phone Usage). I’m not as bad as some people I know but it has gotten to a point where I realized it can potentially become a big problem. Sometimes I tend to zone off and what’s in my phone is more entertaining then what’s being said in front of me. It wasn’t until my fiancée mentioned to me that I was constantly on my phone. We’ve made a rule that neither one of us will use our phones around each other which I had no problem doing it’s just that I didn’t know it’s gotten to that point. Super glad it was brought to my attention because I wouldn’t want to miss out the important things in my life whether that be personal or business wise. I’m finding a balance between staying current while still being cultured which is pretty cool.

Introduction

In this project the objective was to identify the types of daily thinking I do that contributes to my success as a student. I took the time to record my thoughts and imagine myself five years from now based on my goals. The following will be a letter of observations from my 2020 self to my current 2015 self.

Thinking in Writing

Looking at my list of thoughts I find that I think a lot about being on time and managing my time from the morning to afternoon and less frequently in the afternoon. My first priority is waking up on time even if I’m tired; in order to get to a bus and train on time to be in my classes in the morning with extra time to possibly get breakfast and coffee. From the time I wake up to the time I exit the train at Jay Street a common thought is sleep and coffee. From there I find myself making a “to do” list on my iPad or phone so that I can prioritize the rest of my day or next couple of days. Lastly after my classes are done I rush to work in order to clock in on time. Another common thought that stood out was managing my school work for the night because I’m a tad bit of a procrastinator when I have a heavy workload and long work day. Besides those main patterns my mind focuses on taking in information at school and making ways to remember it.
If I had the option of focusing on something more is would definitely be schoolwork. When I’m in class I no doubt take on full attention to my work but once I leave my mind rushes off to the next part of the day which most in most cases is my job. I think if I started to focus on school more often then I wouldn’t be so stressed before class due dates.

Thinking Visually

1. http://instagram.com/p/zNmtX_wgSw/

This picture represents my daily thoughts about work. I think about being on time/early. While at work I at Teavana I constantly think of the tasks that need to be taken care of and what’s the best way to go about them.

2. http://instagram.com/p/zNn9cowgUw/

The train station closest to my school. This represents my thoughts because every morning my objective is to get this stop on time for class.

3. http://instagram.com/p/zNoTeoQgVY/

Food is so important in my life yet I rarely eat any good meals. I realized that in my thoughts so here’s a slightly healthy, slightly fattening meal.

4. http://instagram.com/p/zOkRc4wgcq/

My Brain Rules and Storytelling Animal books are representation of the things I would like to focus on more. I noticed that I often wait until the last minute to put effort into my school work.

5. http://instagram.com/p/zNn9cowgUw/

From the time I wake up to the time I get to school my thoughts are on getting a soy toffee nut latte and making it to class on time. I feel like I need coffee to make it through the day.

6. http://instagram.com/p/zOq6LrwgW8/

Whether it’s on my phone or in my planner I’m always trying to manage my time so that I don’t forget things. This photo of my planner represents managing my time better.

Thinking Reflectively

Today I’m an advertising account manager at an advertising agency I interned at about 6 years ago. I absolutely love my job! Life is pretty great for the most part. I just got engaged and we have started planning the wedding. Seven years later and we’re still together. Anyhow, after I graduated from LIM I had a contact from a place I interned at my senior year of high school, and she still happened to remember me and offered to set up an interview. If I had the opportunity to go back change some things 5 years ago back in college I definitely would have. Although everything is great now I really wish I would’ve focused on school way harder, less on pleasing my family and more on loving them as well as and working on being less lazy all around.

See, during my freshman year of college I was kind of slacking off all around. In my first semester I was doing great, all of my time was focused on school and school work. But my second semester was something completely different. I landed a job at a tea shop that began to take up a lot of my time. I would go to school and work then not get home until 11pm or even midnight some days. I found myself with barely any time to do my work, study or rest. I recall thinking “I need to focus on school” because I really wanted to succeed in order to gain the life I imagined myself having.  But even when I did try harder, I kept telling myself I could do better with test and the effort I put into my work at school. I still don’t know why I was so tough on myself until this day. I wasn’t a horrible student but I just felt so much pressure to be successful from everyone around me including my family to my current fiancé.

It’s interesting to look back and realize that I was motivated by my family to be so great in school. The idea of making them proud was always in the back of my mind pushing me forward, but I didn’t actually spend much time with them. My mom and I were, and still are very close which will hopefully never change. But as far as half siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins that’s make up my huge family tree, I never built that big relationship with. I lived 3,000 miles away from all of my family and it was so hard to keep close contact unless it was through watching every move on social media. We never kept close ties and I felt I was just the family member everyone would call or text when they wanted to take a flight out to “The Big Apple”. So somehow I felt that if I could “win” in life that I would be able to offer them more. It took 18 years for me to realize that I had to live my life for me in order to gain real approval. Once I started setting personal goals and doing the things I believed would map out my future like working for all the things I wanted, going to school and leaving laziness in the past I was so much happier. My family even began to notice it and before I knew it, they were proud of me.  Since then I realized that making everyone else happy shouldn’t be my focus.

On the other hand though, I wish that family was the main part of my growing up. I put so much thought into satisfying my family that I wasn’t really loving them. Sure all family members yell “love you” over the phone or before you head to the airport on a 6 hour flight back to New York. But I found myself questioning if they meant it. I had such a large family and I was the outcast. If I could turn back the years I would have picked up the phone and called more often or saved money to visit home more frequently. Joyce Brothers says that “When you look back at your life, the greatness happiness are family happiness”. Yet when I looked back at mine they weren’t.

During my family centric to self centric transition I realized that I was extremely lazy. I found myself not doing much to benefit myself at all. When I did homework, it was the bare minimum and it was the same with work at my job. When I first got hired at the tea shop I was so motivated and as time went on I slacked off and didn’t give as much genuine attention to it. I was also lazy at home. My mom would always get on me about chores. Especially in my freshman year of college when I barely spent any time in the house. “Why didn’t you do the dishes?!”, “Your room looks a HOT mess Symone.”

My mother really helped me see that I needed a turning point in my college career if I wanted success. So slow but surely I tried to change. In high school, my History teacher taught me that crossing out things on a list made you feel happier when you completed the task. I never paid him any mind until my first time completing a whole list of tasks. Sitting in class knowing I was on top of my work felt great! I would daily write out lists for myself of tasks that I needed to complete for school arranged in order of class and importance. Later, I found myself doing this at work. I created the same type of list for myself during my last hours on my shift in order to close the store soon became one of the top sellers and got home quickly to sleep. Sleep then became a part of my prioritizing.

In my Introduction to English class during the spring semester of my freshman year I read John Medina’s “Brain Rules”. The author explained that the more sleep you get the better your brain can function effectively. Each night I would aim to get at least 8 hours of sleep. For the most part I was successful except for those times I slipped into the trap of procrastination and stayed awake until 1 and 2 in the morning.

All of these things have made me into the successful woman that I am today. Although I would have changed some things I don’t regret much at all. My suggestion to you is to stay focused. Take these words and reflections to heart and make us better!

Introduction:

As I woke up this morning I was thinking to my self HOW THE HECK AM I GOING TO FINISH THIS PROJECT ON TIME!!!. While I was going crazy my mom gave me a brilliant idea she said “instead of doing your work here and getting to class late, why don’t just finish over their” that’s when it hit me, I can use city tech computer lab to finish my work and I wouldn’t be late for my classes, Thanks Mom.

As I was writing to my self from a point of few of 5 years into the future, my imagination kick in and all these thoughts on how I want my life to be and how it could actually be just came out of my head. I actually put my self in a position where my life isn’t where Its spouse to be and my goals where not achieve early or at all because I slacked in the present. This show that are mind can actually predict are own future in a way and we have the chance to actually make a few adjustment to it if you see your self doing something you don’t want to do or just making sure you make your life what you want it to be and the only way to do that is to plan for your future Right Now.

Thinking in writing:

Today has tough me that the mind is a strange but incredible thing to have with us every day that you wake up, knowing that the first thing that pops into your head is a thought. And the thought can be anything, about a dream you had, a bad night you remember, could just even be thinking about your future and by future I’m saying thinking what your going to do today, or in other words predicting  the steps your going to make on your way to the train and at school, and also homework you had to do but for got and went crazy trying to find a way to complete it on time, these where just some thoughts that pop into my head this morning from 7am-11am, and i just thought of a name to call those thoughts “my morning thoughts”. And as the time passes by at my house once i got out class, from 2pm-7pm my “Afternoon thoughts” kick in, and since i was not scheduled to work today, i thought to my self let me hit up my friends to hang out/ Chill, and i as i walk toward my friends home, i was thinking to my self, I’m going to get ode stoned today and knowing that i just recently learned a little bit about ”Neuromyths” And finding out that drugs don’t make a hole in your brain, and realizing its chemical messes around with are brains. I also have learned and notice that drugs like pot can make you more relax and some very attentive to things that catches their interest and of course expands the minds way of thinking, which leads to my “Night time thoughts”. This is where my buzz kicks in and as i sit alone and see something that catches my interest, like the news, and these wars that can happen any minute with North korea, IS and other world problems and all of that just melts in my heads so it fuses with my mind and make me think, why is the world like this? when it can easily be change, Will their ever be change? How can we create/start change? the answer to it is so easy but yet so complicated for people to understand, because greed and ignorance exist in are world so while we still have that their will never be the answer which is peace. Also so when I’m trying to get some sleep probably from 12am-1am in my home i ask my self one deep question a day and yesterday question was “Why are we so focus on creating and starting wars, when we have a world getting smaller and smaller by the years and are human population is increasing? or who know it can even decrease, but at the end, if us as human matter and want to expand are mind and survive for new generation to come, i think to my self if we have been to the moon why aren’t we using it for are own advantage and create away to live in the moon, create some type of oxygen bases “i don’t know” and by the time are world is to crowded we have other homes in space, and step by step we can reach other planet, create live out their. Are mind is limitless and i am 100% that anything that sounds crazy or impossible, is possible. you just need a mind that wont stop imagining or creating random thoughts in your head, and makes you thing of something that can change the world one day. To be honest i think a lot about life and the situation I’m in and how can i change that, a pattern that i notice every time i think, its that i try to think in to the future to much and how it going to be or what i’m going to be doing and even what are we to expect when we die, question that just pop into my head randomly. i also notice i don’t think about my job as as much as i should its like i blank it out and just go to work and come back like i never left but know i went to work , something i should probably pay more attention to. and these are my Day Of Thoughts.

Thinking visually:

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/131434185@N07/16388376079/
Every time I get home I think about my job and the days I work, somedays i work a few hours other days I work more. I also think to my self that I need more hours so I can get more money and buy my school supplies because the little hours I get isn’t enough because I have to pay rent.

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/131434185@N07/16573572872/
Sometimes I sit at home and think to myself “what in the hell am I doing with my life”, sure I work and I got school but sometimes I feel like I need to do something greater in life something bigger, I think to my self I need to leave New York and live life but then I see my family and tell my self they need me.

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/131434185@N07/16548704746/
She is the reason why I try my best to wake up and do what I got to do, a though that comes to my head everyday is seeing my niece face and smiling at me and it gives me hope so thanks to her my mind stays positive and think of all the opportunities life has to offer.

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/131434185@N07/15954507433/
One of most thoughts that comes to my head especially when I get out of class and head home is food, and I think about what am I going to eat or make and today I thought of making brown rice with grill chicken for me and my family since my mom get out of work late I get to cook. So what am I going to cook is a thought that process threw my head everyday.

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/131434185@N07/16573057961/
This is one of my main objective, and I need to stop slacking around and buy my books for all my classes as soon as possible, this is something that I really need to focus on and think about 100% and make sure I get on track with school.

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/131434185@N07/16389174827/
This is also something I been meaning to focus on but work and school don’t let me. So I think to myself “damn I need to make a schedule for my health”. I always think about my health especially since I stop smoking I would really like to build up my strength.

Thinking reflectively:

 Dear Luis de la Cruz
    First of all congratulations on becoming a united state citizen on March, 06, 2015 you have come along way but you finally accomplished one of your goals, but what is good having a passport to travel the world if you still stuck in New York. To make it more clear to you, my name is Luis de la Cruz and I am you writing to you from the year 2020, 5 years has past and we graduated from city tech, but we still don’t live the life we wanted to live. I write to you to make you realize that the things we think about the least are what we should be focusing on the most to be successful as soon as you graduate. For once start going to sleep early so you can wake up well rested and don’t need to fall asleep in class. Also try to pay more mind to your classes, learned how to manage your money because we both know you can’t have money in your pockets, and last but not least always put your dreams ahead of everything.

    Come on man by this time you should already know that one of the most important things you have to do during your college years is sleep. Sleep enough hours to help you keep active and understand the class lessons. Right now in the 2020, sleep is something I Barely get because I have to work more hours to get the money I want instead of working less hours for the same amount of money. Sleeping a good amount of hours is one of the task I want you to understand and accomplish. Remember the book John Medinas brain rules and the chapter about sleep, well of course you do you are still reading it right, right!, well anyways I want you to read the chapter all over again and really understand it, you know that lack of sleep can cause less use of the brain and you’ll end up sleeping in a class again. I am going to give you some steps on how to improve your sleeping schedule. First try to spend less time on unnecessary things and more time on the important ones, like homework but you’ll read about that later on during this letter. Also try to label what to do daily always focus on the important tasks first then, if you have time on the least important. Last but not least put an alarm not to wake you up but to tell you to go to sleep and of course one to wake you up. These guidelines are just some of the future secrets that I’m sharing with you so you, I mean us can have a better tomorrow.

            You know something I realized about us we can never have money around because one of our major problem is handling money and we are extremely bad when comes to it.  Even as I am writing to you I keep spending money and I definitely want you to change that. Money is a must have in your pocket, wallets or credit card it’s a must need in case of emergency and you know what type of emergency I’m talking about. Listen Luis I want you, no need you to start saving money go cancel your chase account because that bank company is not working out for you, it is also taking your money. Get an Apple back out they have better benefits than chase like helping with collage. Once you make an account get direct deposit from your job, every time you get paid save at least $50 in your bank account and keep on saving 50 every time your job pays you. That will help you get books you need for your classes and trust me I know you really need them. It will also benefit you on transportation to go to class on time which your good amount of sleep.  Saving up money is also a task I want you to learn it can’t really help you in the future we’ll help us, And it will guarantee you a better understanding of your classes once you get the books. Listen Luis try to really follow my advice on saving up your money and I guarantee you it will help you achieve your goals.

              I understand you’re not 100% prepare for your college at this point, come on man you can’t be given late work to your class is going to leave you with a whole stack of homework or other type of work that you’re just going to end up not doing, Just imagine having so much work that it won’t let you have a life. So my tip to you is always do your work on time make sure your teachers receive it because I know you want to pass all your classes right? And some ways for you to make sure that your work are completed on time are, as soon as you get the work make sure its your first priority, ignore your friends telling you or inviting you to hang out if you haven’t done any work, and last if you have important matters to attend make sure you set a schedule to do your work so you won’t lose track of what’s needed to be done.

               Now let’s talk about your dreams your goals your success all of that that can be achieved if you just put your head into it. Look you have gone so far and thanks to your parents and are Ambition to move forward in life you have face difficult challenges and even though you don’t win them all they all lead you to be the person you are today and it will continue to lead you to become a Professional in whatever you set your mind to. You have always had high hope for your future And all you could do was dream about it but now you have the chance to reach for it and become what you always wanted to be, but it isn’t free yes is possible but only if you really are willing to make it possible. Because you have the determination all you need is the results. Look put your head high and your dreams first and doing so will lead you to achieve the three task I have written to you on this letter.

             As I finish writing this letter to you I really want you to pay real close attention, Luis you have the ability to be anybody you want in this world but again you’re going to have to work for it on your own. I know the journey is difficult but complete these tasks I have giving you and you’ll see that all that hard work and dedication paid off And Will have the life we Knew wanted to have, I want you to even re-read this in five years you’ll see how far you have gone in life. Always keep it positive mind and a positive attitude, save enough money that can be helpful for school and again put your work ahead of everything try to complete it first. Hope you take my advice and create a better future for Then the one I’m living right now.

                                                     Sincerely

                                            Luis A. Dela Cruz

Introduction

I always ask myself what is the main purpose of anything specially when I do homeworks, projects or quizzes because there is more than just grade, there is learning which is more important than anything. For this project, in my opinion, the main purpose is to self-reflect about ourselves and what do we (students) have construct our future which means following certain steps in order to accomplish our desire goals. There is nothing more important to think about our future and to become a better person every day.

Part 1: Thinking in Writing

“A penny for your thoughts” -popular quote
The previous quote was the first thing that came to my mind when I’ve heard that we have to write my thoughts and look for patterns which is unusual, original and therapeutically at the same time for a college project. Well, since my thoughts are a mess, it was hard to find patterns. However, after recording a certain amounts of notes (5 or 6), I just started to catch something fishy going on my thoughts that not only affects my behaviors and also my daily life in many aspects. One of those remarkable aspects is worry in general that goes from college homework, chores, and decisions that can literally change my life in just seconds. My life is constantly chase by an uncertain future which I can control partially for the decisions that I make in the present, and that is why when I try to make a choice I think about that 4 or 5 times, and also all the possibilities of the choice can let on either for good or for bad. For example, recently I was thinking about break up with my girlfriend because she was cheating on me, so I was thinking what words should I use in order to break up? How can I express myself in a way that I won’t hurt her? How can I break up with her at least in good terms? And finally what consequences can carry that decisions and in how that decision will change my life? So I have to go over and think about that. One method that I use in order to clear my mind of doubts is meditation and breathing techniques, and also it keep me concentrate in the solutions of the problems and as my hypnosis master told me “concentrate 10 % in the problem and 90% in the solution.” So I decided no matter if my decisions are correct or I make a mistake, at the end, I am going to learn from that decision and keep growing as a better person every day. Another series of thoughts that are always in my mind are my personal goals in life which can be academic, physical, and to make the world a better place to live. One of those dreams is to get my Ph.D. in robotics and go to Japan to study the technology over there or work in a company, and I know that I am not very smart. However, I am going to make my dreams comes truth by studying hard, even though; I procrastinate a lot specially in my homeworks. I am not giving up. Also, I am carefully planning the steps to archive that goal, and working in the main idea of my Ph.D. thesis which is the primary steps, and became a great scientist like my heroes such as Nicola Tesla, Richard Feynman, and Carl Sagan. I have to work hard and challenge myself every day not to be best but to archive my objectives, and probably discover something new that is going to change the world for better. Who knows?

Part 2: Thinking Visually (i.e., Represent Your Thoughts as Photos)

https://flic.kr/p/qi7yzX -> This picture represents my worries about life in general such as the homeworks, chores, and projects I have to do which constantly are in my mind.

https://flic.kr/p/qhUpLQ -> This photo represents how I have to work hard and be curious in order to accomplish my dreams and being constant is important in order to complete my goals.

https://flic.kr/p/rePvMA  -> This photo represents all the questions that I always asked myself when I have to make any decision in my life because I have to analyze the situation in order to make a proper judgement.

https://flic.kr/p/qXmukq -> I personally like this picture because it shows how I meditate and relax in my free time and think clearly about my worries and in this way it is easy to find solutions and organize everything I have to do.

https://flic.kr/p/reM3nt -> In this picture shows that I have to walk a long path in order to further and further and do not behind no matter what. The guy at the end of the corridor is me.

https://flic.kr/p/rePM1w -> In this picture I am looking to my “dream table” which contains pictures of my dreams such as robots, future technology, inspiring quotes, and my heroes. This is really inspire for my and always be in my room just to remind me all the goals I have to accomplish.

Part 3: Thinking Reflectively (i.e., Reflect on Your Thoughts and Plan Your Future Thoughts in an Essay)

 
It’s the year 2020, and it’s been a while since I just graduated from City Tech. Currently, I just finished my master degree in robotics already. In addition, I just started to work in my research in order to get my Ph.D. in robotics at Cornell University. Even though, it is a long way to go, I find myself optimistic and with a lot energy in order to complete this long task which is my investigation in order to produce new technology such as flying cars and artificial organs in order to help people. In order to accomplish all this great future, first, I am going to talk to my past self about all the problems in deep. Second, I am going to give him some solutions to those problems. Finally, I am going to talk about all the benefits if he follows these advices.

First of all, sometimes I look back to my past and reflect about the many obstacles that I’ve encountered in my life such as overcoming my lack of concentration, trying to not procrastinate, and being more responsible with myself and my daily activities. If I were able to talk to my past self, I would probably say to him, “Hey, look you will have a better future if you can concentrate more in your responsibilities rather than worry about them, just think about solutions and remember what my mentor used to say think 10% about the problem and 90% about the solution, and I know you always worry about your projects and homeworks. However, you don’t complete them on time. Also, stop watching youtube videos for several hours, and I know you like to watch anime and sometimes watch some educational documentaries.
In addition, you are always worry to make decisions and sometimes you think deeply about taking the next step, at the extent, that you have think about 5 times in order to take ore not that step. Furthermore, you procrastinate a lot and that is one of your major problems since we were kids, for example, you literally wait until the last second in order to do any kind of homeworks or assignments like that time you did a presentation in power point just 3 hours before the class starts or that time when you did your essay like 1 hour before the class begins, and I can give you more examples, however, reflect about that problem. Finally, I have to tell you that it is fine to worry about the future in general because you can’t control it entirely, just partially, however, keep in mind you have to work hard for the future you desire, and follow the next advices I am going to give you.

First, what you can do for the procrastination problem is that you have to write down all the homeworks or the chores you have to do, then, write the number of order of that chore or homework by enlisting the hardest ones at the beginning and the easiest ones for the last, so you will feel more confident when you finish the difficult tasks and you would most likely to continue to finish with the rest of your homeworks. Another option is that you have to dedicate certain numbers of hours for a specific homework such as 2 or 3 hours depending of the difficulty of the task itself because some college projects can actually take 4 or 5 hours and try to finish before the stipulate time. In addition, if you have to do a long homework, try to divide it into little sections. This is a well-known strategy for large tasks because you can visualize better the whole structure when there are little pieces that you have to put them together.

Second, for your lack of focus, keep doing meditation. As you know, you have to close your eyes and do not think about anything which is the hardest part because your brain will constantly pop up ideas or something that will distract you so easily. Try to do this kind of exercise every day for about an hour in the morning before you have to go to class. Another option is that you have to do any kind of hobby that helps you to concentrate such as figuring out a long puzzle, practicing Chinese calligraphy, or reading a long book for about at least 1 or 2 hours straight. Overall, these kinds of exercises are going to help to boost your focus.

Third, I know you always worry about your future because you cannot control certain aspects of it such as you do not know if you are going to have an accident or you are going get sick. Nevertheless, you have to go according to your future plan which is you have to get your Ph.D. in robotics and go to Japan in order to expand your knowledge in technology about robots. Also, in order to do this, you have to work hard which mean you have to constantly practice by reading books about the topic, making some circuit and studying them in details, and constructing and modeling any kind of robot with certain purposes which is going to assist any person. Try to challenge yourself every day with different kind of activities such as building new robots or doing work-outs in order to be fit.

Another advice is that you have to always follow your dreams no matter what, even though, if someone laughs at you or say that it is impossible. As I told you before, focus on your passions and dreams and do them step by step such as the heroes you admire that are posted in your dream table like Nicola Tesla, Michio Kaku, or Carl Sagan that were really recognize scientists that worked really in order to accomplish their goals and you have to follow the same example like them and you have to became a great scientist. Also, if they have published some books, read them and try to imitate their style and adapted to yourself. Remember always you have to keep forward no matter what and do your best.

In summary, the first thing I will do is try to organize myself by making a schedule where I am going to write all the duties I have to do such as my homeworks or chores, also, in the same calendar, I am going to write the estimated time of that homework that is going to take in order to finish it. For my lack of Focus, I am going to practice meditation in the morning before college at least three times a week for an hour and do some hubbies such as puzzles and read books for at least 30 minutes. In addition, I am going to challenge myself by doing new kind of projects related to robotics and build new models of circuit and study them in detail, also, writing all the results that I get from them in my free time. Furthermore, I am going to study all the characteristics of my heroes and learn from them by reading their books or watch videos about them and adapting all that I learn in myself. Overall, I going to build a new version of myself like my future self and do my best every day. Thank you future self!!!

-Introduction

In this project I took my time and effort of self analysing my thoughts and how these thoughts affected me. Also how these thoughts reflected on me and my motivation.

-Thinking in Writing

In my daily thoughts, I’ve noticed I have an equal consistency of thinking about food and walking my dog. I think that’s because, I really like food and my dog is very important to me. I like to think that my thoughts are of an average teen, where I wake up brush my teeth, eat, shower and etc. Just an ordinary day for me. Then later at night I start to wonder if my friends are gonna get online or whether or not we’ll destroy or get destroyed. Sometimes when I get a bunch of homework in one day I start to think and think and my head just starts to hurt and i start to get stressed out. When my day comes to end I think how many hours I’ll get of sleep and what am I gonna wear for the next day? My thoughts get really dark sometimes (I don’t wanna sound weird) but when I’m not distracted and just lying down I tend to think of what happens after one dies, is there actually a Heaven and Hell? People sometimes just talk about religious things and then that gets my mind traveling elsewhere. When I’m with friends I usually look at them and then wonder “wow we’ve gotten so old, next think you know we have wife and kids”, when I’m around then I tend to look back at the past and think about all the funny things that had happened between us or if we’ll actually be in contact in 5 years or so, will we look different or just have facial hair. When I’m playing with my dog I sometimes just stop and look at her then I get myself thinking where did she come from and why were dogs put on this Earth, I usually have really dark thoughts or just very idiotic thoughts, and sometimes I just think too much I give myself a headache.

-Thinking Visually

http://instagram.com/p/zV79Ihsqme/
My dog is a very important “figure” in my life, she makes my life less stressful. Shes very playful and everytime I look her I wonder to myself “where did she come from?”.

http://instagram.com/p/zV7faQMqls/
My bed, the thing I always come to at the end of my day when I’m super tired. Bed is life and at the end my day I just go to sleep.

http://instagram.com/p/zV7Ss5sqlP/
What I always think of at the beginning of the day. Right after I wake up its the first thing I think about because I have to stay minty fresh right after I wake up. Its also part of my routine and hygiene.

http://instagram.com/p/zV6i3_Mqj2/
When I’m hungry, food is life. When I can’t find anything to eat I whip something up for myself like this beautiful sandwich. Food is a very important part of everyone’s life and food is just a part I’d my everyday life.

http://instagram.com/p/zV7mBfMqlz/
This picture represents not only the night but, the darkness. The thoughts that sometimes comes to me at night, the weird dark thoughts that I get when I think too much, the thoughts that sometimes bothers me.

http://instagram.com/p/zV6ehcMqjo/
My controller represents my hobby that I have. Getting online with my friends and joining lobbies. I guess you could call us “gamers”. Gaming is a favorite hobby of mine when I’m done with all my homework/projects, because right after I know I’m worry free and I can just game on.

-Thinking Reflective

In the time ahead, I am in an office with a team of developers talking about our future plans and deadlines we have for the release date. I see myself getting ready to use my brain and hands to get creative with the team. Today we start to put on the final touches on the game were developing, having while doing it I probably would not see it as a job, more like a hobby since a job is not really a job if you enjoy it. I will be on my computer and papers drawing, designing characters and maps for multiplayer games maybe even create a soon to be popular character. Create an awesome campaign with a confusing but interesting story, being a game designer can even take me to places like Tokyo or Montreal since there are famous game studios located in those places. The way to reach your goal is getting over the obstacles in your life it can be difficult but when you accomplish it, it will be worth it because of what you can achieve.

• Introduction

That was a very interesting assignment. People are always busy with their daily routine and it is very hard to stop for a moment and just start writing down what is happening with you at the moment.

In this project, I took time out of my daily thinking and put my thoughts under consideration and analysis. Watching how it can reflects my motivation and affects of my brain.

I never have daily dairy or blog (even though it is very popular in the 21st century). But I always have a daily planner, which helps me to organize my daily schedule and be aware of upcoming events. I would never write my thought down and later analyzed them if professor Ellis did not give us this assignment.

• Thinking in Writing

So, that was a day, when I woke up with “Napoleon” plans to make my dreams come true and work harder towards getting where I see myself in the near future. Analyzing even that sentence, I can tell that for the past couple od months the idea of starting the new path in my career or just growing professionally is coming to my mind almost every day. Maybe because of the age factor or because I start being around a lot of successful and ambitious people, make me realize that I need to channel my energy and knowledge towards achieving this goals. I love the fact that I wrote down that phrase: “ Starting from now for myself I need to set up priorities, things that I need to stand for and work hard every day.” It is very promising to see that I am trying to motivate myself even in my daily thoughts. I became more organized in the past few years and living away from home in such huge megapolis as New York City, gave you a lot of uncertainties and teach you every day to get up and fight for your future, your rights, your beliefs and be more faster, more aggressive, more competitive than yourself yesterday.

I don’t think that I am the kind of person who will have live journal. I am very introverted about my personal thoughts and opinions, but its quiet an interesting experience to have a chance to look up for what was on your mind at that moment, why did it bother you, why you were overthinking this particular situation or thing. It is probably will be very helpful in my self-analysis.

• Thinking Visually

1) It was Friday when I wrote my “Day of Thoughts” and I was on my way to Shabbat Dinner that evening. This picture shows material with special brachia (prayer), which covers Challah bread. I love traditions and enjoy sharing them with my friends. It was a perfect end of that day.

2) On my way back home, after thinking all day about my career path I decided that when I will get home and I will start looking for posts regarding finding jobs. While I was on the train I opened Facebook and saw this post on the page of Hospitality management group.

3) Also that day I got an e-mail with all my 1099 forms which was not the most pleasant reminder that tax season is here and its time to pay the taxes. That definitely was not a highlight of my day.

4) I got my Amazon delivery, which contained all my books for this class, and tea that I tried in my favorite French dessert place next to my house. Now it is the time to kill this long cold winter days and commutes with a good and necessary reading.

5) Maybe after reading of the first chapter of Medina or just feeling less active, I went to the gym. I love to work out and I am trying to do it more regularly plus for the former athlete it is not that complicated to stay in shape. Just all the gyms are overcrowded and I want finally jog or ride my bike in the Central Park. I do really miss spring.

6) I found this quote on somebody’s instagram and found that it is a good motivation point for me right now. There are not lot of text but there is exactly that point – time to focus!

• Thinking Reflectively

It is very hard to analyze your present. I think it is even harder to predict your own future. If somebody will ask me today to imagine say and myself back in 2010: “Where are you think you are going to be in 2015?” I will never answer…

We can only plan and work hard for our goals or just wait patiently for something might or might not happen to us. You can easily create a path in your head and lead towards what you want or take some risks and opportunities and change your path completely.

Do not forget that there is an age factor. It is getting much easier to form your goals, plan your actions, plus your experience are helping you to avoid making wrong decisions and waste your time.

I realized that my main focus is career. And in the next five years I will put more efforts in getting the position I want. To join a corporation that I am planning to work for. Finish college with good grades and follow my dreams.

Sometimes when I am analyzing where my mind was, when I was in my early teenage years, I realize that I did so many mistakes and wasted my time on the wrong jobs, with the wrong people… Timing is a very awkward thing. It can help you to recover through the problems, but sometimes it limitation can cause you stress, also sometimes the timing is just not right.

I wish I could have a time machine. Even thought, I heard many times, that it is my life experience and I should get the best out of it. Right now, time management will probably be my main goal. Right time management. I need to pay more attention on my sleeping habits because they affect my mood, productivity and health in general.

I need to create an extra time for physical activities and meetings with friends. Time for extra reading and exploring new things.