As a child my favorite subject often changed by who was teaching the class. I didn’t realize that I was actually smart until eight grade. At that time, my favorite subject was Spanish. I also enjoyed my Social Studies class- especially the subjects on the Civil War and women’s rights. In High School, I dabbled in a little physical science. The teacher taught in multiple ways. She knew that everybody learned in a different way, so she tried to accommodate everybody. That’s when my English skill came about. I had a few poems published in different books. I also advanced in math and basically all of my classes. In my junior year, I started taking agricultural classes which extend into my senior year. As a senior, I took advanced courses in English and Math. I hadn’t taken one Sociology class at this point. My favorite non-circular activity was golf. I didn’t play often and I wasn’t good at it, but I loved it. I engulfed myself in Agriculture. I wanted to be a veterinarian, I was the Vice President of my FFA chapter, and I was showing both pigs and a steer at my local fair. I was proud of my position as the FFA vice president, through them I had competed in many different competitions and had won! I found out that I was good at communication and speeches, I was good at memorizing breeds of animals and I was a good leader. When I graduated high school I started taking agricultural classes at the college level and I hated it. My “On Course” class required us to plan out what we wanted to do. I took many tests that told me what kind of person I was, who I should marry, and, overall, what job field I should be in. Social worker was at the top of my list. I immediately fell in love with the idea of social work. The very next semester I took my first sociology class. I loved everything about the class- the teacher, the documentaries, the concepts. As I took more sociology and psychology classes, I questioned whether Social work was the answer or teaching. Ever since I was young everybody told me that I should be a teacher. Even then I knew the work conditions that teachers suffer through- lots of education, little pay, little respect, little supplies. That’s when I made the connection. I knew that if I taught college it would be different. I wouldn’t be underpaid, I would be respected, and I wouldn’t burn out. Around this time I joined the honor society of my community college and I became Vice President of Communications. I also joined big brothers big sisters and I began a relationship with a girl named Hailey. I was very proud of my volunteer work and activities at the college. By the time I wrapped up my associates degree, I decided to find out if teaching was my niche. I spoke with my old sociology teacher and she allowed me to do an internship with her, where I would help teach her class. Of course, I loved it and now I’m continuing my education in Sociology to become a community college teacher. My relationship ended with Hailey after her family decided to move to Florida. And when I graduated my position through the community college honor society was given to somebody else, but I am still very proud of all these accomplishments! I believe that some of my strongest qualities both professional and personal are communication, leadership, flexibility and empathy. Communication is a strong quality of mine not necessarily because I’m naturally an easy communicator, but because I’m constantly aware of my communication. I realize how important communication is, how it effects relationships and how I can use it to my advantage. I’m naturally extroverted, but if need be, I can move mountains with my ability to talk to people. Just like communication my leadership skills aren’t necessarily natural. I come into leadership positions when I know I’m needed and when I know I can successfully fill a position. I know what is good for a group, so If I am not needed, I will choose to be the follower and not the leader. I am extremely flexible! If you want me to do a detailed job, a fast job, a different job, etc. I can. I won’t get held up on old habits and I won’t be too stubborn to do what is needed. I think this is one of my best qualities, because different jobs and activities require different skills, different attitudes, different speeds, etc. My empathetic side only increases with time. As a cashier, I now understand why a customer is yelling at me! Even though it is not my fault, they may have had the worst experience through the entire store- for example, if we’re out of their favorite crackers, they slipped in a puddle in the aisle, if the checkout lines are too long, if another employee was rude to them, etc. I have to not take things to heart and I am the last chance to make that customer’s experience better. The same goes for people of different genders, ethnicities and backgrounds. My Sociological study has shown me the different experiences people of different backgrounds go through. Being able to relate and understand people is my favorite quality of mine. Hopefully my studies will only increase my capabilities. My personal and professional weaknesses include procrastination, being seen as overly emotional, and having a lack of social connections. It’s 3 PM right now and this paper is due at 5, I’ve got to go to work soon so I need to hurry and finish writing! Procrastination is generally a week point of mine, but it can have its positive side. I do some of my best work when I’m under pressure! On the other hand, if the work you have to do is too extensive, then giving yourself a limited time to do it will result in failure. I noticed as an officer in FFA that people with certain personalities will see me as week and emotional. I am more of an expressive leader so I care about the people of the group. I strive to make sure they are prepared emotionally and physically to take on the task at hand. This can be misunderstood by a few other people. Finally I’ll be honest when I say that I don’t have a lot of friends. I work, I go to school, and I visit family. It seems that that is all I have time for. This can effect be both professionally and personally. My family lives an hour away, so I’m stuck with my boyfriend 24-7! Granted, I love him to dead, but it’s nice to have personal ties with other people. On the professional level, it’s hard to enter a field of work without personal connections. Let’s say if Mrs. Reiling likes me a lot, she could give me a glowing recommendation and even some guidance, or if you were in a sorority or had many friends they could give you guidance as well. But without the write connections you have none of these perks. Some additional skills I may need to be successful are the ability to make connections with people, a few more teaching skills and more in depth knowledge and personal experiences in sociology. I believe I’m a natural teacher, but that does not make me qualified to teach a college course. I’ve learned a lot from the teachers who teach me- what I like and what I don’t like. I’ve got four more years of deciding how I want to teach. If I can’t figure it out by then, I guess I’ll have to take classes devoted specifically to teaching. When I taught a class in my sociology internship, I lacked personal experiences- stories that could explain a term or situation a little bit better. By keeping in touch with the news, history and by going to conferences, I believe I can get these experiences that will help students understand. Not to mention, I have to get the proper degree and proper knowledge to be qualified to teach a class, so I’ve got many more classes to take! I hope this tells you a little more about me. It’s been quite a while since I analyzed my skills and weaknesses and how to overcome them. You would be surprised how much I’ve changed since then and how much I’ve stayed the same.