Ashley Prondzinski - CTP BLOG #1

How I Chose My Major and Career Aspirations

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As an only child, I grew up being very shy around strangers and fellow peers, preferred the comforts of home to going outside with friends, and being an overall quiet and calm person. These examples were especially true during my dreaded middle school years, when I taught myself that it was every man or woman for themselves (which was not the case, little did I know at the time). Once high school rolled around, I chose to begin considering my future. In my sophomore year, the guidance counselors and my Planning Your Future teacher instructed me to think about becoming a technical writer. That exact verdict had been purely based off of many of the “hobby and interest” quizzes my class took. As promising as the career sounded, I thought it would be a better idea for me to round myself out so I can be a valuable employee for any business-related job. From that point on,  I chose to explore the fields of both interpersonal and intrapersonal communications.

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In my sophomore year, I had to pass one of the most intimidating, required classes my high school offered:  English II with Public Speaking. The upperclassmen pounded information into the incoming freshmen’s minds, such as keeping eye contact with the audience, not fidgeting while you are speaking, and having to nearly shout across the room because the teacher was partially deaf. In reality, it was not terrible. One week, I ended up giving an epic speech about why the infamous Stephen Hawking should inspire everyone. The key to passing the class and surviving the speeches was to find your confidence and not to doubt what you need to tell the audience. With this mindset, I was able to break my introverted shell and confidently speak out for speeches and everyday conversations.

http://www.western.edu/

Ever since elementary school, I have always had a passion for writing. Whether I was writing a short story about orcs and mythological beings or cranking out a fourteen-page essay about a fifty-year-old novel, I remained in my essence and constantly strove to push the boundaries of my usual comfort zone. However, I did not want to pursue creative writing as my main career choice. I fear that if I am required to write copious amounts within a compressed area of time, then I will eventually become tired and will never want to write again. To avoid this, I decided to broaden my horizons and explore different types of business careers. By taking every computer course my school had to offer, I knew that I wanted to work with computers for a living, specifically, with information and data. After searching around for career options, I saw that becoming a database administrator was an excellent lifetime goal for me.

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From this point on, I am attending Alverno classes, taking online courses, and reading about how to achieve these goals. I recently learned the basics of Microsoft Access through a free online course, and am currently applying my knowledge to help Alverno’s Assessment Center with organizing their databases. By pursuing knowledge in interpersonal and intrapersonal communications, I will be able to maximize my potential for the future.