I’m Afsana Asha, an 18 year old New Yorker attending New York City College of Technology (NYCCT). I am currently enrolled as an accounting student, but plan on transferring schools to pursue my desire to be a top executive (Chief Executive Officer to be exact). I believe this is the perfect career for me because I love to write, I love planning ahead, and I have great financial management skills. This career opportunity will also help me accomplish a big dream of mine, to become an actress. In this assignment I will give an in depth description of the career I want to pursue, how I will pursue it, the steps needed to pursue it and how it will correlate with my dreams of becoming an actress.

In this paragraph of my essay I will provide an in depth background for my intended major and career path. In the 2014-2015 New York City College of Technology (NYCCT) College Catalog it states that, “The Accounting program equips students with accounting skills that will make them immediately employable upon graduation with the associate degree.” (NYCCT. 126) We, as accounting students, will not only be prepared educationally but professionally as well. NYCCT’s Accounting program also allows us to “…understand how management uses information from the accounting system to operate business enterprises” (NYCCT. 126) and to be “proficient in the use of computer system.” (NYCCT. 126) Getting an education in the accounting field will better prepare me for a career as a Chief Executive. According to Investopedia.com, a Chief Executive officer is someone who has the main responsibilities to develop and implement high-level strategies, make major corporate decisions, manage the overall operations and resources of a company, and act as a main point of communication between the board of directors and the corporate operations. “Top executives (such as Chief Executives and Chief Financial Officers) devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals” states The Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics par. 1) Chief Executives, as well as other top executives, are known to make decisions on what to sell and whom to sell it to, research the market, crunch numbers, make speeches, travel a whole lot, do a lot financial research/management and have many different jobs along the way to get the company to the top. As a Chief Executive Officer “it helps to be able to quickly absorb and analyze large amounts of information.” (BigFuture.com par. 6) Top executives are also known to have excellent leadership and communication skills. Along the way of being at NYCCT as an accountant major I will get the opportunities that lay hand-in-hand with my career and dream, acquiring leadership and communication skills that will be applicable as a top executive and as an actress.

WORKS IN PROGRESS: This is a picture of my previous work. It shows that I like to write and often am preparing myself for the future and thinking ahead.

Now that we have learned a little about accounting and being a chief executive, I will discuss why my decision to be and accountant major and why pursuing a career in the business field, as a chief executive, will be right for me. As a chief executive, it is very important for you to be able to write and present speeches clearly and thoroughly. This is one of the reasons why I want to be a chief executive. From a young age I was always fond of writing stories, poetry, scripts and monologues. Being enrolled in a drama class throughout my teen years has also influenced me heavily on becoming a writer of some sort. According to the article “A Good Speech: Writing for CEOs” written by James L. Horton, a good speech is an effective form of efficient communication. He states “Content is what a speechwriter is usually concerned with when writing. But content does not exist by itself. Content exists in a relationship between audience and speaker.” (Horton par. 9) He also goes on to say that, “A CEO’s conviction is as important as words the CEO articulates. An audience doesn’t just listen but looks at the whole person and what that person communicates through expression, body movement and confidence – or lack of it. That is why it is important to place words in a CEO’s mouth that a CEO is likely to say in a way the CEO expresses ideas.” (Horton par. 15) Both the quotes show that as a Chief Executive Officer speech delivery and speech writing is very important. Although now many Chief Executive Officers have ditched the idea of writing their own speeches, it is still very important for them to have the speeches directed towards them. Being able to adapt to the character’s emotions and roles in the scenario is an essential to not only actors/actresses but Chief Executive Officers as well. Embellishing these traits that are already acquired will not only help me career wise, but it will also help me boost my confidence level as a whole.

INFLUENCES: This picture shows how heavily I am motivated to actually pursue my dreams in life. At a very young age I had decided that no matter what I did, it had to involve theatre work. The picture also contains works of literature I read to help me write my own works and a sample story that I had written when I was younger.

The second reason as to why I want to become a Chief Executive Officer is I love planning ahead. I love to travel and learn new theories and ideologies that will better help me with future “turning” points in my life. Planning ahead allows risks. Risks are a big part of being a Chief Executive Officer. Taking risks allows Chief Executive Officers to look at downfalls and plan ahead. According to Jan B. King of Senior Magazine Online, it is important for CEO’s to analyze things from a negative perspective and plan ahead based on the worst case scenarios. She states “A great CEO isn’t afraid to look at the downside and answer the hard questions he or she hopes will never become a reality. The CEO needs a backup plan—one that is designed by looking at the company’s worst-case scenarios.” (King par. 10) Being able to plan ahead shows that we are able to look at the “big picture” and absorb every piece of information thrown our way. Going into this career using my ability to plan ahead and create backup plans will allow me to grow and learn more along the way as well as help me pursue my dream.

Now to the third and final reason as to why I want to pursue a career in this field, my financial management skills. From a young age I have always been interested in seeing my investments flourish and extend into my future. I’ve always had an eye for budgeting, saving money, and prioritizing via “needs” and “wants”. It is known that as a Chief Executive Officer, you must be perceptive towards the company you work for and make use of the utilities, in this case money, you have at hand. According to the New Business Consultant website, you have to pay attention to “numbers” as a Chief Executive Officer. The author states, “…when it comes to reading and understanding the numbers, most prefer to leave the “bean counting” to someone else. Unfortunately, avoidance or negligence of your financial management responsibilities can get you and your company in very hot water. The only solution is to accept the inevitable and get comfortable working in the financial side of the business.” (New Business Consultant par. 3) The author also states that, “Your financial people can and should do most of the heavy lifting; that’s what you pay them for. But when it comes to making high-level decisions that affect the financial performance of the company, the buck still stops with you — literally and figuratively.” (New Business Consultant par. 16) Both of the quotes reflect the thought that although having extensive knowledge on finance, such as holding a PhD or Masters Degree in the subject, is not needed it is very important for a Chief Executive Officer to be able to understand their company’s financial stance in the market. By studying in the accountant field at NYCCT, I will be polishing my already existing knowledge on financial management and better preparing myself for my career in the business industry along with my dream of being in the film industry. Many directors, art department heads, and set designers are known to crunch numbers and preform on budgets. Knowing how to manage money correctly will not only help me better understand my career choices but will also prepare me for reaching my dream.

FINANCING THE BRAIN: This picture shows that inorder to be able to pursue a career in business, I have always done research outside of the educational area. Whenever I get free time, I always am reading about how to save money.

Now that we have discussed the basics of my career choice, aspirations and major and have gone over the three main reasons as to why I’d like to pursue such careers, I would like to go over some main points that will help you better prepare yourself in the field of business and acting. For this section of my essay, I decided to interview NYCCT’s Effective Speaking Professor Ramon Albino. Since I am interested in acting and business, I asked Mr. Albino how may I incorporate business and acting. He stated that, “Not being you or pretending to be someone else may be seen in business as false, dishonest, and counterproductive” (Albino par. 1) but also said that “…there are elements of performance that have been used and you may continue using in business to great effect. As discussed in our own Public Speaking course, there are certain skills related to performance that may become handy when dealing with business matters. Oral presentations, for instance, may benefit greatly if the member of an organization is dutifully trained in public speaking, especially when it comes to persuading, informing and on special occasions.” (Albino par. 1) Although acting and business is not fully correlated both careers induce knowing your audience very well and being comfortable with the given audience. In the interview conducted I also asked how may you display yourself to be confident without seeming over confident. He responded back with “Yes, by considering your audience’s first and by tailoring the speech to their interests, concerns, predispositions, and needs. This goes back even to the moment speakers are choosing their topics. Speakers should consider their own interest, knowledge, skills, and needs as part of this process that is also important. But first and foremost they should analyze the audience.” (Albino par. 4) Both of the careers I want to integrate myself in uses the analysis of their audience. Although the approach is very different, it helps to be comfortable in publicly speaking and using correct vocabulary.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is very important for you to have at least a bachelors degree and loads of work experience in the field to be a considerable “Top Executive”. It is also great to have certifications, licenses, and/or registrations in regards to earning the Certified Manager credential. The Bureau of Labor Statisics states, “Although not mandatory, certification can show management competency and potential leadership skills. Certification can also help those seeking advancement or can give jobseekers a competitive edge.” During freshman orientation week I also remember Mr. Singh, a professor at NYCCT, talking about being a certified accountant and the various different certifications you may get. He stated that although some are not required, it is great to have them on your resume while applying for a job. Being able to apply the things learned by my interviewees and the research done during this project will help me advance myself into thinking deeply and strongly about my career plans.

At the beginning of starting this project, I had planned on pursuing a career in Entrepreneurship but the more I read about it, the less desirable it seemed. After quite a bit of research I found a suitable career that not only fit my intended major but also fit being part of the filming industry. While doing this project I have definitely raised my motivation to strive for both of my career goals. If I were to recommend any tips for students looking to be in similar fields then I would say that you should always set goals for yourself and to dream big. No matter how big your “dream” may seem it isn’t impossible, especially if you set your mind and heart to it. This project has definitely helped me clearly envision myself in the future doing what I love. Although many believe having a “big name” and high-income job means being successful, I believe that doing what makes you happy makes you the most successful being alive. If you have a passion towards something, whether it is drawing, cooking, acting, dancing or even skateboarding, I think that you should put your heart into it and let your mind free. If you are still uncertain of your career choice or college major, if you are still undecided that is, please visit www.bigfuture.com. The site is filled with descriptions of various careers and majors. Who knows, maybe you’ll find your “match made in heaven” career.

Works Cited:

Albino, Ramon. Email to the author. 06 Dec. 2014. TS

B. King, Jan. “CEO Personality Characteristics .” Top Management. Senior Magazine Online. Web. 7 Dec. 2014.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition, Top Executives. 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 07 Dec. 2014

“Careers – Top Executives – Management.” Careers – Top Executives – Management. College Board. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.

Curtis, Glenn. “The Path To Becoming A CEO.” Investopedia. Investopedia.com. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.

L. Horton, James. “A Good Speeches Writing for CEOs.” Online-PR. PDF. 07 Dec. 2014.

“Six Essential Roles of the CEO.” New Business Consultants. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.(LINK http://www.newbizconsultants.com/articles.asp?Show=Articles&ArticleID=42)

INTRODUCTION: Welcome to the project known as “Writing My Brain”. In this project we had to choose a date to write down our thoughts, take pictures that reflect our written thoughts and have ourselves reflect back on the “day of thoughts”. This project was a great way to recreate yourself and learn how to manipulate or own brain, almost like hacking our brains. Throughout the project I learned a lot about myself. Without further interruption, I’d like to present to you my version of the project. I hope you like it.

THINKING IN WRITING:

Day of Thoughts:
Date Friday the 19th of September
*Morning/Breakfast*
Why can I go to sleep at 3 am and wake up at 6 am without feeling tired or sleepy?
Why is milk white and not any other colour??
MMMMM PANCAKES SOUND SO GOOD RIGHT NOW!

*Outside/Before Noon*
UGH it’s so cold out.
I wonder how other people perceive me.
I wonder how I would perceive myself if I saw myself from another POV.
How would we react if our sense of normal was completely different then what it is now???
What exactly is normal??

*While listening to music*
Why does my sister think listening to MGK is bad?
I wonder if listening to “Lil’ Wayne’s” music actually makes you get a lower score on the SATs

*Some time during lunch/Afternoon*
I hate seafood and beef, why does mom keep cooking it after I told her I DESPISE IT?!?!
I’m turning 18, why do I feel like I’m 14?
MY BIRTHDAY IS COMING UP! -GULPS RATHER LOUDLY-
I should really learn how to cook, and drive

*While surfing on the web* (approximately 3 hours straight)
I wonder what his secret tumblr url is
I want tickets to Reality Dance Tour
Am I the only one who is too lazy to move and get the remote control when it’s literally 8 inches away?
Okay mom I get it, clean this, clean that, take the trash out, stop listening to music so loudly blah blah blahh
Why do people find the “what’s 9 plus 10″ vine so funny? I don’t get it”
All this internet surfing makes me tired

*watching TV*
Why are all South Asian soap operas the same?!
Wow I never noticed how beautiful Deepika Paudokone (might have spelt her last name wrong, she is a South Asian Model/Actress)
What if they actually find ways for humans to survive on the moon, would earths population decrease??
My head hurts
UGHHHHH STOP FIGHTING! Who cares which pizzeria you go to, it’s all the same GEEZ

*Before bed on my phone*
Oh -insert curse word here- I forgot to do my old HW!!!
What’s 9 plus 10? 21 ahahahhaahah Not funny
OMGHSGXBSHSHDHSJSJ HE RETWEETED ME
Screenshotting and sending to all contact list
WOAH it’s 3:32 am already?! I should go to sleep
4:21 am OKAY I SHOULD REALLY GO TO BED
4:37 am UGHHHH WHY IS IT SO HOT?
4:39 am I can’t believe I’m texting myself my thoughts
5:22 am sjfdshjfgdhsfefhujfhdsjsd

THINKING VISUALLY: 

Cluster of Words – This picture contains a pile of homework that I have to do. This image shows that my mind really a literal cluster of words and mathematical equations. It also shows that I am a current student who is using education as a drive into the occupational world.

An Open Door to the Past – This is a picture of many of my old baby pictures, my first baby sweater and my cap from my high school graduation. It is supposed to portray that although I’ve taken a leap into the future, I still carry beautiful memories with me to enrich my experiences and life events.

Intersection of an Open Mind – This picture is of one of the stairways that lead to the main train station of Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Avenue. This picture shows that our minds are like train stations, we retrieve and send out information just like trains enter and leave the station. The information we retrieve in our brains are like the passengers who ride the train from one location to another.

THINKING RHETORICALLY AND REFLECTIVELY: 

My name is Afsana Asha. I am your average 18 year old living in New York City. Everyday is a new venture for me. I learn new things each day and try to use each of the lessons learned in my everyday life experiences. Just like every 18 year old, my mind is filled with many unanswered questions that I still deem to answer. It is said that our thoughts are a small frame to our brains. Our thoughts reflect our personality, mood, and adaptation to our surroundings and that is the main core to this project, to understand and be one with our inner selves.

In speech class we had to do an experiment where we relied completely on our auditory senses and block out all other senses. We had to choose a rowdy location, close our eyes, sit there and write down everything our ears had crossed paths with. This project was to help us understand how we are as listeners and to help us differentiate the meanings between hearing and listening. While testing out how my auditory senses worked, I found out that my thoughts tend to be scattered and dark. It’s as if I have a gray cloud hovering over my head. To further test my hypothesis, I decided to do a day of thoughts and write down everything I was thinking throughout the day. And luckily for me, that is exactly what my English project required.

Before we begin tearing apart my thoughts, let’s start with some scientific information about the brain to help us understand why we think the way we do. The human brain weighs approximately 3 pounds. It has 100 billion nerve cells that are connected to many different cells. Our brain encodes things as memories, which is physically stored in the wiring and chemical make up of the brain. As we evolve as humans, so do our brains. It changes overtime based upon languages, cultures, geography, experiences and our thoughts. So the decisions we made at age 12 will seem quite odd by the time we reach our 20’s or 30’s and this will go on as we grow older.

Now that we have learned a few things about the human brain, we can move on and dig deeper into our thoughts, which begins with “The Day of Thoughts”. My day of thoughts began pretty basic since I was focusing on the present rather than the future, which was eating breakfast, but it gradually moved on with whatever was happening. During my day of thoughts, I wrote, “Why can I go to sleep at 3 am and wake up at 6 am without feeling tired or sleepy?” (AAsha928 par. 5), this shows that my thoughts were directed at my present and not my future or past. I also thought about breakfast and why milk is white, I still have no clue by the way, which was pretty accurate and an “at the moment” kind of thought since I just woke up and was feeling hungry.

As the day progressed so did my thoughts. For example when I went outside, I began to have deep trails of thoughts. I pondered upon the thought of how I am perceived. Being a bully victim of many years, the way I view myself personally has been worn down but I wanted to view myself from another point of view. “I wonder how I would perceive myself if I saw myself from another POV” (AAsha928 par. 10) is a clear projection of what I was exactly thinking. Viewing my written thoughts I would definitely say that my thoughts are tailored towards the present rather than the past or the future.

To better reflect my thoughts, I decided to use pictures. These pictures were used to captivate a fraction of what I was thinking, after all a picture does say a thousand words. The first picture I took was to show my past, in this everything that was a part of my childhood up until I was a college student, (Asha, “An”) since I was consistently thinking about the fact I was turning 18 in a couple of days prior to the day of thoughts. Although the photo captured a fragment of my past, it also showed that I was thinking about my future and that no matter how far into the future I am, I will always carry my most cherished memories with me.

Another picture I took that I believe justifies my trail of thoughts is “A Cluster of Words” (Asha, “Cluster”). The picture shows that as an 18 year old college student I have loads of student work. It also shows that I have to use what I have learned previously and put it into my own perspective, paraphrase, via mathematical problem solving skills, essay writing and studying. This is a perfect example of using my past experiences to help clarify my “present” and a bit of my “future”. Although the things I learn now and have learned in the past seem to be a blur at the moment, I believe that as I grow older, each lesson learned will be cherished greatly.

After rereading my thoughts and going through the several pictures I’ve taken that reflect my thoughts I can say that my thoughts aren’t as gray as I thought they would be. Majority of my thoughts are based upon the present or things that relate to the present. Which makes a lot of sense because I’ve also reread a lot of my old journal entries and realized that everything I’ve written was based upon my emotions at the time. Although as a teenager my mood changes very often, I always try to think positively. I always keep my mind straight and try to avert my anger or sadness. I believe this shows that as humans we have the ability to manage our own thoughts. We can shift our moods and mind set using tricks such as listening to music, doing something we like such as a hobby, or use our passion as a strength. I hope that knowing these things will help me better prepare for my future endeavors and career.

As I am coming to an end with this project, I can definitely say that my hypothesis about my thoughts being scattered was proven incorrectly. Although at times I did have thoughts that had nothing to do with what was happening at the moment, majority of my thoughts were focused on the present. I hope this newly learned information can help me sculpt a better and clearer future. I also believe that since my thoughts are shaped around the present, being someone in the marketing/business, film, or fashion industry would be a pretty reasonable career for me. Which is great for me since I plan on acquiring an accounting degree and hope to pursue a career in the film industry in the future. I would like to conclude this essay stating that although my thoughts are focused primarily on the present, I still keep my main goal in life close to my heart and use it as a tool to be happy. I believe everyone has an opportunity to live their dreams, so your thoughts shouldn’t only be focused on the present but also geared towards the future.

WORKS CITED

 AAsha928 [Afsana Asha]. “Project 1: Thinking in Writing.” OpenLab. ENG101 D377 English Composition 1, Fall 2014, 23 September 2014.

Asha, Afsana, “An Open Door to the Past.” Flickr. 26 September 2014. Web. 12 October 2014.

Asha, Afsana. “Cluster of Words.” Flickr. 20 September 2014. Web. 14 October 2014.

Asha, Afsana, “Intersection Of An Open Mind.” Flickr. 24 September 2014. Web. 14 October 2014.