#sycep2015

[sycep-blog]

Lisa and Connie’s first day interning at PAACH at the University of Pennsylvania! Have fun girls!

[jess-acolin-blog]

Introduction

Hi everyone!

My name is Jessica Acolin, and I am one of the SYCEP coordinators this year. Recently (in June), I graduated from Drexel University with a MA in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling. I also have a BA from the University of Pennsylvania in Humanistic Philosophy (with a minor in French). I've worked in a charter school, a public school, a Taiwanese cram school, a weekend camp for children with autism and other developmental disabilities, a pediatric hospital, as a freelance writer, in the Philadelphia family court, in psychiatric facilities (inpatient and outpatient), and here--at BPSOS, both as a dance/movement therapy intern and as a youth program coordinator. I've lived in Singapore, Taoyuan (Taiwan), Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Lyon (France). In the future, I am interested in continuing with community organizing work, as well as contributing to research concerning the mind, body, and health. My career path hasn't been linear, but every step I took and experience I gained has contributed to who I am today.

I've read several of your blog posts, and a question that has come up several times is: how do you know what the right career is? And I want to ask right back at you: what do you mean by right?

Do you mean what your parents think you should do? Do you mean what society will value most? Do you mean what will keep you interested everyday? Do you mean what will allow you to provide for yourself and your family? (And does provide mean have food and shelter, or does it mean having yearly vacations to Hawaii, Greece, Australia...?) Do you mean what will push you to keep learning? Do you mean what will most benefit society? Do you mean what will most benefit your community? Do you mean what will make you happiest?

These are important questions, and it's possible that you will keep seeking their answers your entire life. Essentially, what they're asking is: what do you value? And that, I've learned, is one of the hardest questions.

It's hard because everybody has a different answer, and figuring out your individual response--distinguishing it from what you've been taught from infancy, or from what popular culture tries to convince you of through glossy ads or catchy videos--is really, really hard. It's also hard because life is complicated. It's not possible to make a decision based solely on the salary, or your interest, or the work environment, or the availability of jobs, or your family's preferences. Each of these things co-exists with each other, and your unique answer will have to take it all into account.

One thing I've learned from my peripatetic (this is a good word to use if you want to show off: look it up!) lifestyle is that the best way to find answers is through experience. You'll never learn if you don't try. You'll never succeed if you're not willing to fail. (But take that second statement with a grain of salt: you'll also never succeed if you're always aiming to fail. You have to prepare, and work hard, to achieve success.) I think all of you have taken the best first step by participating in this program and gaining experience this summer. Maybe you'll love your job. Maybe you'll hate it. Maybe you'll be left a little confused, liking some parts but not others. Every one of these conclusions is a success, because you will come out of this summer knowing more about yourself, the world, and the workplace than you did before. And that knowledge can then guide you in all of your future decisions.

I'm so excited to be working with you all this summer and hearing about the experiences you'll be having. It might be hard at times, and we're really going to try and push you, but know that in the end--it's all about you. Your learning, your growth, your experiences.

Happy first week, and see you all at PD.

Cheers, Jessica A.

[an-sycep-blog]

What am I?

After taking the Gallup StrengthsQuest, I received the signature themes: Relator, Maximizer, Analytical, Arranger, and Context. Let’s talk details and reactions for each theme.

Relator - People especially talented in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.

Definitely accurate. I definitely enjoy close relationship with others- family, friends, peers. I’ve always valued my friendships and put in a lot of effort to maintain them, which explains why my closest friends now are friends I’ve known for at least 10 years. Despite us attending different schools, I’ve always managed to keep an important spot for them in my life.

Maximizer - People especially talented in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb.

Fairly accurate. I do focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. I enjoy doing what I am confident in and I am constantly continuing to develop those skills. I believed it is important to make people feel important and appreciated. Thus, I would always emphasize on their strengths to encourage them to do even better.

Analytical - People especially talented in the Analytical theme search for reasons and causes. They have the ability to think about all the factors that might affect a situation.

Sometimes accurate. There are many times when I think ‘this has to happen for a reason’, causing myself to look into every factor of a problem or situation. For me, it has to make sense. If it doesn’t then it drives me crazy. However, other times I just leave things alone. If it happens then it happens. Sometimes you can’t really control or understand something.

Arranger - People especially talented in the Arranger theme can organize, but they also have a flexibility that complements this ability. They like to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.

I am definitely an arranger. I LOVE ORGANIZATION. It makes  my life complete. However I am not always organized. But when I do, I really enjoy it and it makes my life so much easier. I like having everything where I want it, this is probably why I rarely lose things. I organize my clothes by the type of clothing and color. Yes. It’s that serious. I also love writing everything down, it allows my thought process to be a lot clearer.

Context - People especially talented in the Context theme enjoy thinking about the past. They understand the present by researching its history.

History has always been very interesting to me and I often think about the past. In fact, I believe the past is very important. For example, with relationships, I care about people’s past. All of my friends have has some type of past with me. I like living in the past and always dream of ‘going back’, not to redo it, but to experience it once again.

Overall, this was a surprisingly accurate description of myself. At first I was a little worried the results would be skewed because halfway into the survey, I started clicking the choices without much thought. However, it worked out pretty well in the end.

[sycep-jz]

Weekly Post About My Internship #1

"Introduce yourself, and prepare one question you want answered about work, career, workplace behavior, problems you anticipate.

Interview family members about workplace experiences. What problems have they faced, and what advice do they have for resolving it"

My name is Jimmy. No, not James. My birth certificate has “Jimmy” on it. I’m 18 and just graduated high school. I’m going to uPitt in the in the fall. Admittedly, I’m not quite sure what I want to do, occupation wise. But, I know I’m generally interested in the sciences. Anyway, I have a really relaxed personality, although you probably couldn’t tell from this introduction. I want to say I like humor, but who doesn’t. The question is usually do we share a type of humor. Anyway, my goal in this program is learn a little more about bioengineering. Last year, I was placed into the same work site and dealt with nano particles, specifically concerning drug delivery. This year, I am working on other nano particles that can potentially be used as a imagining devices. Dealing with both of these, I can state that I am interested in bioengineering. Not enough to say want a job in the field, though. I think the problem with my view on bioengineering is that so far, it has just been learning. I’ve just been trying to wrap my mind around the concepts and really have not had the time to see if i like it or not. As you can tell by now, I’m very indecisive. This leads me to my question that I’m not sure if it was what you were looking for, how does someone deal with indecisiveness in the workplace. I’ve been thinking about this for a while now and I’m sure the methodology to deal with it is different depending on your work site.

My sister told me this story about this one job she had. She told me how much she hated it and the only reason she took the job was because there were no other job offers. Generally, it didn’t seem like a job people would like. My sister wasn’t an exception One time, they asked her to work overtime on a weekly basis. She thought about it, but eventually came to the conclusion that that just wasn’t for her. She told them no, respectfully, and even asked to work part time. She then started to look for another job. Living at home, she didn’t need to pay rent and she realized she did not need to stockpile money. She give me her advice, but also told me this is just a guideline: we have less time to spend than we think. Strengthening your professional skill set isn’t always taking every opportunity or resume builders handed to you. She sent out dozens of resumes and cover letters. The job she wanted was anything geared in medicine. She wasn’t about to apply to jobs she didn’t want. Time passed and the rate at which she sent out those resumes lost it’s inertia. It was only two or three months later but it felt like an eternity. An endless cycle wavering between blaming her naivety and feeling like time was being wasted, she got a call for an interview following up her resume. That’s the story of how my sister got the first job she liked. She admits that she had quite a few of those resume builders by then. I kind of took something else out of it, too. She had something to compare her dream job, too. But I guess the story is more about when the conditions are right to cash those in. I’ve only ever interned at labs. Maybe I need something to compare it to.

[sycep-pn]

Preston Ngo's Blog Response v2.1.0

Introduce yourself, and prepare one question you want answered about work, career, workplace behavior, problems you anticipate. Interview family members about workplace experiences. What problems have they faced, and what advice do they have for resolving it?

My name is Preston. I am eighteen years old and have recently graduated from J. R. Masterman High School. I will be attending the University of Pennsylvania in August.

I have always wanted a job that I could enjoy. However, for the billions of people that seek just that, I believe an enjoyable job can be very hard to find let alone succeed in. It is even harder to find a pleasurable job that makes a lot of money. I want to be a doctor in the future, but I wondered if I would be happy doing it. I’ve always thought that as a doctor I would be fulfilling my goal to have a high salary. Isn’t that what people look for in a job? To be able to sustain a respectable lifestyle, raise a wife and kids, and though that generate happiness? Perhaps, this constant drive for happiness is what drives people to the very brink of misery. Happiness can be bought with money—for a short while, but who knows when that short while will last? I don’t just look for money in a job. I look for joy that lasts a lifetime. Of course, what I didn’t realize was that happiness is defined not just by money, but by a spectrum of factors.

I then took a step back to look at my parents and the legacy they have been building ever since their escape from Vietnam. Faced with culture shock, a language barrier, and even racism, I am amazed at how they managed to acquire English as a second language and graduate college with master’s degrees. I then observed my own life and the obstacles I would face. I imagined my hardships wouldn’t be nearly as terrible as those my parents endured. I have learned many lessons from their tenacity coming to America as immigrants, but now that I am the second generation of Vietnamese Americans, I feel I have a responsibility to continue my parents’ sacrifices—very much like relaying the torch. Happiness is what all people strive for, and we can do the most enigmatic things to achieve it. I know people who can’t experience the rush of happiness unless they skydive out of a plane. However, if the fictitious nothin’-but-happiness and stress-free kind of job is what I want—whether it be a life of professional gaming or poker playing or even a starving artist—I often face my parent’s sacrifices and ask myself, did my parents really climb into a boat and drift to America so I could settle for something so low?

My question was simple: What do you look for in a job if you could only pick one, money or happiness? I set out to interview my mother about her views on happiness in the workplace. She responded, “If you love your job, you never have to work a day in your life”. My mother emphasized how one’s job was crucial to one’s life. Knowing my mother, she is a very happy and bubbly person, never failing to make conversation and people smile. So, when she told me not to worry about money or success but instead focus on having a joyful life, I could feel her happy lifestyle resonating with her own words—and so I knew they were good words to live by.

My father disagrees that one’s career should be all about money. He tells me to have a combination of the two: “You have to balance it out”, he says. He recounts many of his family members who became artists, but quickly became poor and looking for work. He says “that line of work is very egocentric, only focusing on what the artist wants, and not what others need. Ideally, a job must be enjoyable. Every job requires responsibility, so responsibility is a must for every person. To have a balance, take each obstacle as an opportunity, and your job will be more enjoyable.

I learn from my mother the importance of happiness in a job. From my father, I learn the omnipresence of responsibility that comes with the pursuit of happiness. I now understand why my mother is always happy and my father so serious—their jobs have a direct effect on how they view life. I find it funny, since they are both teachers, but their differences in how they view their careers show how opaque the idea of true happiness in a job can be. There really is no solution to an enjoyable stress-free job that pays well. As the saying goes, there is no such thing as a free lunch. So the best I can do is to take my parents’ advice—to take each obstacle as a blessing and to stay on top of my responsibilities. Over these next five weeks, I hope I can work with my parents’ advice in mind.

[rm-sycep]

Week 1 SYCEP

My name is Richard Mai. I am sixteen years of age and born in Philadelphia. Although I am Chinese American, my family and I are most comfortable speaking Taishanese, a very subservient dialect in China; unlike the dominant Mandarin and Cantonese. Being born and raised in Philadelphia, I have never experienced difficulties interacting with anyone capable of speaking English, however, due to the unpopular form of Chinese my family speaks, I feel foreign trying to communicate with Chinese people. Acknowledging this weakness, I tried to expand and pushed myself to enroll in a Mandarin summer school program. I am also currently taking Mandarin as a language course in high school. Despite my efforts, I still wouldn’t consider myself fluent in Mandarin.

My sister introduced me to SYCEP 2015 and encouraged me to apply myself more and participate in programs that would further me in life and thus, I did. I was informed that SYCEP is similar to YPOP and would operate in English. Knowing that, I felt a slight relief that disappeared when I discovered I was assigned workshop Journey Home assistant. Journey Home is a program to educate and train Vietnamese teenagers/young adults and operates in Viet. So indefinitely, a language barrier proves itself to be a problem in my life once again. Being unable to speak and understand the language is not the only problem, I anticipate that I will have difficulty remember and pronouncing everyone’s names as well. I emailed my supervisor, Duong, informing him about my inability to speak and understand Viet.

Clearly, the language barrier is one of my largest concerns, however working and interacting in a professional manner with people is outside of anything I have done as well. I have little to no work experience as this is my first job. I have hardly any connections with acquaintances that have experience working before, so I decided to ask my dad.

As I interviewed my dad, he told me stories about how hard it was for him in his working environment. My dad hardly knew English because he immigrated to America. At work, he could barely communicate with his coworkers and his Chinese coworkers would look down upon him because he wasn’t from the same area of China as them; in other words, he was foreign. His resolution was by doing everything expected of him and more. He would set such a high standard for the workers that everyone envied him when he was promoted. The advice he repeated to me consisted of minding my manners, attitude, and respecting everyone. My dad told me that respect and manners are capable of penetrating the language barrier and it is even more so necessary to display myself with actions if I cannot with words.

From all the knowledge I have soaked up, I can conclude and summarize how I should behave. I feel much more confident in my ability to paint a vivid respectful first impression and to maintain the reputation. I plan on maintaining a positive attitude and making the best out of my job and value my achievements and correcting and apologizing for my mistakes. Regardless of the problematic language barrier, I will do my best.

 Richard Mai

[cm-sycep]

In today’s blog, I will be writing about careers and all things related. But before I actually start, first let me introduce myself. My name is Carmel-Grace Maranan (as you can see) and this coming school year, I will be a freshman in high school. For the meanwhile, I got an internship at BPSOS SYCEP. The internship helps us to develop and enhance our career and professional skills. I may just be a freshman in high school,but I do have an idea of what I would want to be - a nurse. Because I only have an idea of what I would want to be, I do not have it all figured out yet. I am sure that my interests will be changing along the way. So for right now, I have the question of how can we find a career that will both be what we like to do and also be a sufficient source for our living necessities and everyday needs. My ideal career would be something that I enjoy doing, but would also provide the things I need. I know it may look easy to find a career like that, but as I grow up I know that there will be obstacles I will face; not just in my working department, but also in life which could affect how I feel about my chosen career or what my needs will be. To have a better understanding of what some obstacles in the workforce will be, I interviewed my mother who currently works in the hospital’s cafeteria. Part of her job is dealing with customers and also serving patients. One of the problems she faces is customers’ complaints. There is the saying that says “customer is always right.” But in the world of business, in order to be successful and make a profit, some of these customers’ complaints would just have to ignored- and it is not easy. One of the solutions to this is to inform them that many adjustments has to made in order to make a profit. However, because this is more in the business field, I decided to look at the obstacles that may arise in the medical field. Some of the problems I thought that may arise are the long hours and of course, the pressure that comes with the job. I may not know how to resolve this, but I have seen the benefits of being a nurse. A relative of mine is a nurse, and with that job, she has been able to pay off her student loans, buy a car and she not only provides for herself, but also her kid. People ask us what we see ourselves doing in the next 10 or so years. It is fun to think of the future, but we should also keep in mind the reality of it. We should also think about what we need to survive as humans and also the stress of just entering the workforce. As I enter the workforce, I just have the question of how to deal with the stressful times and how to find our career calling in the midst of growing up.

[wc-sycep-blog]

#1

Mini introduction;

Hello, nice to meet you all! :-) I am Winnie Chan, a member of the 275th (wootwoot) graduating class of Central High School. I was born in Manhattan, New York and moved to Philadelphia when I was just two years old. I can walk for hours but struggle running for five minutes (exercise isn't my expertise) and Korean food/desserts are my guilty pleasure. I'm not a huge movie person but I'm a huge fan of Pixar movies, specifically Inside Out and Monsters Inc. I wish I was a dancer because they are able to express emotion using their bodies and seeing them look so beautiful makes me think “ohmygod, please teach me.”

Question; 

As a rising senior and adult, one thought that always occupies my mind is "what do I do with my life" meaning how do I know the choices I make are the right choices. Whenever I tell people that I want to major in psychology and focus on societal matters, I receive two responses --  you'll end up on the streets begging for money or if that makes you happy, do it. On one hand, I understand that I might end up on the streets because most of the high-paying jobs for a psychologist requires a Ph.D but then on the other hand, I don't want to end up working a job that I will hate. Money plays a huge role for me because in the future, I want to be financially stable so I can support myself as well as my parents; choosing a field outside of math and science is a big decision. I'm not sure what to do so the question that I wish to be answered is: should I choose the path that will create many struggles (in terms of money and employment) or be logical/reasonable and choose a "normal" (ex.-nurse, accountant) job?

Interview; 

Both my parents were immigrants from Hong Kong and Taiwan and they came to the states knowing hardly any English. My mom worked in a Chinese factory sewing clothes where pay was fifteen-twenty cents per stack so her salary wasn't consistent; she would work from 8AM-8PM only to receive a couple of dollars. Also, if the factory didn't have any business, she wouldn't get paid. I remember when my mom stayed home for a couple of months due to the lack of work. I asked her what gave her the strength to keep going to work everyday when work was so miserable and she said that she had to provide for me and my brother; she wanted us to be fed well and be like the other kids with nice clothes and shoes. She also mentioned that working wasn't too bad because she built a strong bond with her co-workers and they became her closest friends. Even after switching jobs she was able to keep the friendships she made at her previous workplace so her friends, my brother, and I were her driving force. My dad, on the other hand, is a chef and worked at Sang Kee Peking Duck Restaurant. He stayed there for a couple of years until he decided he wanted to retire. This was a huge setback for us because this meant we had to live off the tiny salary my mom made. This caused several disputes as well as fights within the household and just recently, my dad decided to work again. When I asked him why he was working again, he said he needed money and he was bored at home so that was his driving force to keep working.

My parents' advice: keep going because family is important.

[sycep-tm]

Week 6

Share a time when you effectively used networking to accomplish a goal OR talk about a time when you were interviewed for a position, and share what went well and what didn't.

What did you learn in today's workshop that you plan to implement in your job/school search?

A time when I was interviewed for a position was my college interview for University of Pennsylvania. I was interviewed by a current UPenn student at the Starbucks closest to my school. Whenever a dull moment in the conversation occurred (or I tried to think of something to say), I would take a sip of my coffee and then continue. What worked was that I would occasionally ask my interviewer a question so the entire conversation was not just about me. What did not go well was that the interview ended so soon. It was only about half an hour but I ran out of things to say so the interviewer said she felt the interview was over.

What I learned at the professional development that I can implement in my job search is that body language is important and acting professionally with my interviewer. Also, another important point is showing the interviewer that I have the qualifications needed for that job. For example, for the Best Buy skit, Dan said he did not like people and does not show signs of being flexible, which was what the position required. In terms of behaving, Dan slouched in his chair, answered his phone during the interview, and did not seem excited for the position. When I go for future interviews, I will make sure to dress appropriately and show confidence so the interviewer can take me seriously and want to hire me.

[sycep-blog]

Professional Development 2! Success!

[jess-acolin-blog]

More about money

Hey folks,

3 hours straight was clearly not enough to say everything there is to say about financial literacy. (There are people who study this for a lifetime, so 3 hours is but a drop in the bucket...granted, these people are investigating phenomena and tools that most people never need to know about, so this might not be the best comparison.) Props to you all for sticking through it.

As requested, this blog post will be an extension of the workshop and will cover taxes/tax season and credit unions v. commercial banks.

Taxes

I’m going to try and provide some general, but what I find to be crucial, information about taxes in America. I believe the question was specifically about tax season...so I’ll try to say something about that as well.

First, what are taxes? Taxes are mandatory contributions to (your) governing bodies on the federal, state, and local levels. Taxes are how the government gets money. So just like how your parents may give you allowance and that’s all you have to spend...the government gets taxes, and that’s what they have to spend. In turn, the government uses that money to pay for 2 types of things: 

1. Items that everybody can use and that people can’t be prevented from using, such as parks and defense;

2. Items where everybody is better off if everybody has it, even if they don’t always want it or can afford it, such as schools and healthcare.

I want to make this point because taxes and government spending can be demonized in the media, sometimes without great awareness of what that tax money is for. Taxes are not just the government trying to take your money...in theory, government spending benefits society.

(And if you disagree, then you are supposed to VOTE, not refuse to pay taxes. THAT’S THE POINT OF DEMOCRACY. Please vote, everybody.)

There are a couple different kinds of taxes, such as sales tax and income tax. Sales taxes are taken when you buy something. Income tax is taken out of your income. Pretty straightforward. You can think of taxes as another potential spending category (related to contribution to society maybe?), since it is a place where your money is being spent.

Income tax can be taken out of your paycheck before you get the money. That’s what’s happening to you guys right now. All of you are earning $7.25/hour gross pay. Deducted from that are state and federal taxes of  approximately 13%, so you have a net pay of $6.31/hour. 

The amount being taken away from you is an estimated amount by the government and is called withheld, or withholding. This may or may not happen to your parents as well. But, since it’s an estimate, you need to tell the government exactly how much they should be taking. And that’s what tax returns are for.

In your tax return, you report exactly how much you earned and, in turn, how much you should be paying in taxes. How do you calculate how much you should owe?

The US federal government has a progressive tax system, meaning that people earning more money pay a higher percentage of their income. This is set up through tax brackets, or different groups split by income level being assigned a separate tax rate. See the US brackets here

(Note how confusing it looks. Important point!! When you move up a bracket, it is not ALL of your income that is taxed at a higher rate. All the money that falls in the first bracket is taxed only at that rate. So if bracket 1 is 0-$10,000 at 10% and bracket 2 is $10,000-$35,000 at 15% and you’re earning $11,000, then that first $10,000 is taxed at 10% and only the additional $1,000 gets taxed at 15%. FYI. Now I’m getting into too much detail, so I’ll move on.)

It is also set up so that people earning below a certain amount , or who have particular costs (such as childcare and dependents) do not need to pay taxes. This is set up through deductions. To figure out which tax bracket you belong to, you take your net income and minus any deductions that apply to you. For instance, there is a standard deduction that applies to everybody of $6,300 (if you are single and without children). If your net income is $6,300, then $6,300-$6,300=$0 --> You pay taxes on $0, meaning no taxes. Check out standard deductions here.

But remember how taxes are withheld from your income before you get it? If you earned something like $6,300/year and the government took some of it, but you should actually have paid none of it, then the government owes you money. 

(The flip side is also true: if you paid less taxes than you really owe, then you owe the government money...)

So now, tax season! The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), or the federal body that does all the tax stuff, has decided that tax returns are due every year on April 15. Tax returns are like homework for adults, and the IRS is that teacher who gives you a hard time. In your tax return, you can show how the government calculated your taxes correctly or incorrectly. After everything is turned in, the government may owe you money, in which case you get sent a refund check...or you may owe the government money, in which case you send them a check...or everybody’s math may have been fine, and nothing else happens (except you don’t go to jail or pay a fine for not doing your taxes).

(Another important deduction is education expenses. If you’re paying for college, for example, that money you’re paying for college is deducted from your income to decide how much you owe. This is another common way to get a refund.)

So that’s all for taxes for now. Shoot me any questions you have.

If you want to learn more, and in particular about all the anger around billionaires being taxed very little, check out this video.

Credit Unions

Phew, this is going to be a long post.

So, what are credit unions, and how are they different from the other great big banks we know and love (or hate)?

Remember how I said that the bank has an interest in their money, which is why they charge you lots of money to lend it? That is because most banks are for-profit institutions. That’s exactly what it sounds like: their ultimate goal is to make more money.

A credit union, on the other hand, is a non-profit institution. (BPSOS, by the way, is also non-profit.) Again, straightforward: this institution is not driven by profit. Instead, a non-profit institution just wants to exist, serve its mission, and hopefully not lose money. (If they lose too much money, they won’t exist anymore.)

Where in a regular bank, you are a customer and, by opening an account, you are lending the bank your money to do whatever they want...in a credit union, you are a member and, by opening an account, you are essentially buying into the institution. You are a shareholder, a co-owner.

What does that mean for you?

1. Generally, lower fees, more flexibility, possibly higher interest rates on savings, probably more personalized service and flexibility if you have problems, and more decision power by YOU. Since you co-own the credit union, you in theory are also somebody who makes the decisions. (You, and all the other people in the bank. It can be like a huge group project.) Also, since the credit union is not looking to turn a profit, what would count as profit at a bigger bank will just turn into returns for you, the member.

2. Smaller institutions with less products and less services. It costs money to run a bank, to have people working in it, to come up with many options for loans and checking accounts and online infrastructure and ATMs. A credit union is smaller and may not have the funds to do all that. So you may have lower fees, but you may also have lower options. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially if looking at Bank of America’s 30+ banking options is overwhelming to you.

3. A wide variety in quality. A credit union is member-owned and -run, so how good it is can depend on who’s in it and how much they know about what they’re doing. Just like with a regular bank, you should do your research.

4. Restricted access. Again, a credit union is like a member’s club...and so they can also choose who gets to join or not. There are specific credit unions for teachers only, or firefighters only, or people who live in this neighborhood only.

Knowing how a financial institution works (that it’s a home for money that can then be moved around by the bank, for example, and that the bank itself has different values that guide their decisions) can help you decide what is the best option for you. The big difference between credit unions and other banks is this for-profit/non-profit nature, which then plays out into how the institutions are run. As mentioned (over...and over...and over...!!!) in the workshop, the most important thing is to do your research and make fully informed decisions!! 

Read about credit unions here, the information is similar to what I had here and pretty accurate.

And as always, shoot me any questions you may have. Our goal is to inundate your brains in the 6 weeks we have with you, and I’m not sure you’re drowning in the information yet ;)

See you all tomorrow,

Jess A

[yk-sycep]

#5 About Money

“Financial literacy is the ability to understand how money works in the world: how someone manages to earn or make it, how that person manages it, how he/she invests it (turn it into more) and how that person donates it to help others.”

Honestly, as a sixteen-year-old student, I don’t really care about money. All I know is that my parents give me money when I need it. It sounds very boastful, and I’m not proud of that. I realized that I am now getting older and I should know how to manage my money. As I learned about financial literacy, I started to understand the importance to manage my money on the right way. I realized that I have to start thinking about what I want to do with my money. I can’t always rely on my parents. Once I have a real job, I have to manage my money.

The first thing that popped out of my head was that I (unconsciously), have been using the concepts of financial literacy. My parents give me a financial budget every week. Having a budget requires me to set my priorities. Even though I can’t really feel that I am managing money, but I think that is a small step to ecstatically manage and make decisions about my money.

I am a spender, the undisciplined one. I think saving is financial literacy concept that evades the undisciplined spender. I admit that I had to force myself at the beginning. Saving is not really my thing. I tried to save my money several times, and I found out, as I am getting older, it becomes easier to save my money. All I need is self-control. Well, and a bank account. When I did my research, I read that saving is itself an education; it fosters every virtue, teaches self-denial, cultivates the sense of order, trains to forethought, and so broadens the mind. It is true, and I can prove it myself. I can see myself spending money wiser than before. Since I am an underage student, the best thing about saving my money is that if my parents don’t want to buy something for me, I can purchase it myself.

Although I am taking baby steps in applying the concepts of financial literacy, I can feel that I’ve changed my mindset about money. I begin to understand the value of money. I’m starting to ask myself what will make me happy and what can money do for me. I believe that learning financial literacy is going to be useful for the future. It is a big step to prepare my future. We all know that life has its ups and downs, so I think it is important to have enough money in every situation. I know that happiness is not always about money, but sometimes money can buy happiness.

[sycep-jz]

Weekly Post About My Internship #5

“Write about how you can apply the concepts of financial literacy and decision making to a choice you are currently facing (for example, college, career, what to do over the weekend…). And any questions you have for Jess A. that may not have been covered at PD.“

Financial literary is very important. In a world that currency and value has been standardized, we all need to understand the same language and be on the same page. To a certain, it is a way of communicating. And, like all ways of communicating, certain things work and certain things don’t. Understanding the basics can can make the communication for natural.

When it comes to loans and bank things, we are all asking for something. And, the idea that there isn’t a such thing as a free lunch comes up. As you already know what you want from them, they are looking to see what you can provide them. Because you know this already, you can make yourself look like you are able to compensate. Simple guidelines can help you in getting what you want. Like, having a good history with paying people back. This is what your credit score is. Having good credit score for smaller purchases can show how prepared you are to pay back for a bigger purchases.

Another thing to keep in mind in banking. Understand that a bank is a business. They make a living off of investing with the promise of interest but also holding money. They save your money at a small interest rate in your favor and then lend your money out with much higher interest rate in their favor to get money. So it’s not weird to get a really small interest rate. Even with inflation, the bank helps to stop that. It only cancels out a little. That is why investing in stocks is such a appealing option. But, there finicky. So it all comes down to to finding the right balance and not having all your eggs in the same basket.

All of this can help in the college planning process. Especially because of the fact that a lot of our parents have a language barrier.

[sycep-pn]

Preston Ngo’s Blog Response v2.4.0

If there’s anything I’ve learned at Professional Development, it’s to learn how to sell myself and to broaden my list of contacts and resources. At my first PD, we were more focused on improving our communication skills. I remember in our small groups we had activities that helped us learn more about our social abilities.

With Anh, we explored the correct way to engage in workplace conversation and meeting new people at the workplace. In it, she had us read from a script with a normal professional attitude and tone. She even had me have a casual conversation with a “co-worker”, but improvised and without a script. While this may seem simple, it is very possible for communication to be the deciding factor between success and failure in college or in a job. Suppose I don’t get on good terms or get to know anybody from my workplace. In the future, when I need help, it will be much more difficult and more awkward to ask them for assistance. In the future, this is very important for me to be ready to meet a lot of new people at my new workplace. The ability to communicate is a good start if I want to advance my career as well, as knowing people who are higher up may be able to give you recommendations.

With Jessica Eischen, we observed how communication is important to reduce misunderstanding and create maximum efficiency in the workplace. In it, she had us communicate to another person to replicate what we drew based on the instructions our partner gave us. They could not, however, look at what we drew, so the success of both partners depended on the quality of their communication. Good replications were a result of good communication whereas people who were reluctant on sharing information resulted in bad replications that were offset from the original. In college, communication from one person to another can determine what is expected and the reaction to what is eventually produced. If a student tells a professor their schedule is clear the entire month, but does not make the final paper deadline due to his work schedule, that type of communication makes the student’s situation worse than if he told the truth in the first place. If a professor gives unclear instructions to an assignment, chances are students won’t even touch the assignment.

The final activity at PD1 was with Jessica Acolin who assigned us a product to advertise for thirty seconds. The customer’s desire to buy correlates with the seller’s ability to advertise the product. Effective sellers listed both positive form and function attributes to a product. Ineffective sellers did not do this. I made a comment how selling yourself was very much like selling a product. If people do not know your form and function, they cannot find reason to hire you or trust you. Only people to are able to advertise their abilities will attract employers looking for those abilities. In college, I was told that professors need reason to be proud of you, especially at UPenn. If I want professors to acknowledge that I exist, or an employer to hire me, I need to advertise my abilities and show them through my actions.

[an-sycep-blog]

Q&A

In this blogpost I will be answering some questions in regards to the workplace.

How can you talk to a co-worker who isnt willing to talk but its a part of the job to communicate with them?

It’s normal to have a co-worker that you might not like or do not get along with. If you two are required to communicate to get the job done, then first try to communicate to them and keep it strictly work related. If they refuse to talk and it gets in the way of getting the job done then speak to your supervisor and alert the person in charge about the issue.

If I want to continue working at the dentist place after the six-week limit, is that possible?

That is something you can speak to your worksite about. Ask if they are offering any positions or if you could come back and volunteer/intern after the program ends.

How do I keep connected and maintain the network at my workplace after the six-week internship?

Staying in contact via emails, visits, and phone calls are great ways to stay in contact with the network. Dropping in to say hi and keeping both sides updated with everything can be done as long as there is effort put in.

How do you choose the best fit career for yourself if you are stuck between two career decisions?

Compare the two. Research is extremely important. Look at the pros and cons of each and think of all the possibilities, good and bad. Ask other people for their opinion. After clearly thinking everything through, choose what is best.

Is chewing gum a proper workplace behavior at a dental place?

That is something you would have to check with your worksite. Look over the regulations. It’s always best to ask.

If a patient is angry and yells about the long wait to see the dentist, what should I do if they do not calm down after I’ve politely apologized and explain to them?

If you’ve done everything that you can then sometimes the situation can’t be helped. You can’t always please everyone. During that situation you can apologize and kindly tell them that the situation is out of your control and you are doing everything that you can. If you cannot control the situation, call your supervisor to handle it.

What barriers and factors might one consider when deciding one’s career?

There are several barriers and factors which may affect the decision of one's career. However, the circumstances may be different for everyone. It is up to the person to decide the factors and barriers in their career choice.

For example, some factors I take into consideration are:

Salary - Will I be able to support myself and my family with this job?

Interest - Do I enjoy this job? Am I interested and like what I’m doing?

Location - Do I have to travel far in order to get to work?

How do you deal with a job that you hate, despite being paid well?

That is something you need to prioritize. Is financials more important or is happiness more important. With every decision made, you are giving up something else. If you think that it’s more important to be paid well, then you have to deal with the situation that you are in. Some advice I would give in that situation is to make the best of it. Rather than hating your job, try to find enjoyment in the little things that come out of it. In contrast, if you believe that your happiness is more important than your salary then find a different job, something that you enjoy.

What do I do if I am sick and cannot go in to work? What is the procedure?

There is no set procedure to call off work. It is up to the company and their regulations. Some are more strict than others. It is best to ask your supervisor about the procedure.

[cm-sycep]

We are now at the last week of the internship and also just had our last professional development. While we may have learned many things during professional development, or just the internship in general, there is one thing that i feel like the internship really emphasizes- making connections. Our last professional development in particular focused on networking, who our network is, what networking is, and how to successfully network. We were asked how networking helped us achieve a goal, and while that exact situation never happened to me, I was able to have opportunities through networking. One of those opportunities was actually this internship. During the school year, I was part of a program called Youth Voices in the Aquinas Center, and I was asking Ms.Bethany (my supervisor) if there was ever an opportunity for a job, that I could informed about it. She was actually someone who gave me a lot of oppurtunities, mainly for volunteer work and presentation opportunities around the Aquinas Center. So Ms. Bethany was actually how I found out about Sycep.

When I had the interview for Sycep, I actually think that it did not go as well as I expected it to go. While I was being asked questions about my interests, my strengths and weaknesses,my dream job, and such, I said a lot of “umms” and “likes”. Additionally, I gave some vague answers where it was not really detailed. I was not fully prepared, for example, I did not have my working permit yet. During professional development, I learned that saying “umm”, “like” and not being prepared were things that we should not do.  However, it did not go that bad. Anh who was interviewing me was able to understand what I meant with my answers and I was not really stumped by any of the questions, I was able to answer all of them. Fortunately, I was accepted into this internship despite the mistakes I made.

Sycep is having a mocktail where we are able to practice the networking skills that we learned during professional development and to possibly also make some good connections. Since I did not really describe a goal I achieved through networking, I decided that I would use networking and the mocktail to achieve the goal I have now, which is to make connections that would give me opportunities so I could have some experience for high school and to also build up my resume. I also plan to use networking a lot more in general and in the future so I can be exposed to a lot of opportunities.I did not have a lot of times when I used networking to expose myself to more opportunities or positions. However, there were a few times where I my connections benefitted me. An example would be of a time when a youth coordinator show me different opportunities such as volunteering at hospitals, and also a program about coding, which were different things that I was interested in.