My motivation for studying (or lack of)

I've noticed lately that since the beginning of this year, there's been some sort of decrease in my motivation to continue studying at university. It got worse after the end of last semester when I learned that I failed not one, but two subjects out of three. It's as if it wasn't enough that I was already expecting to fail one of them by not doing well in producing any efficient work on the big project, but failing the other subject where I did actually put time and effort into producing it really stinks. Thinking back on it, I feel like I would've done so much better on the assignment that I chose to abandon.

I feel like my motivation really started to dwindle right after the moment I got my results back for the assignments where I really tried. As in, REALLY tried. I was working my butt off at that time. I was going to the university study lounge every day (except for the weekends) just so I can put in some time to work on my assignments and other things, only for me to submit assignments late and get "passable" grades, hardly changing from the grades I used to get when I didn't try as much.

It's also been happening too often that I get thoughts telling my that university is still totally out of my league, wondering how I'm still in classes after three years, and especially wondering how I even got accepted in the first place. I try to avoid them, but there's always something talking at the back of my head saying it's all true. It also doesn't help that I've got some warnings about my grades recently. I should probably speak to the university counsellor about this.

I actually did have a talk with my dad about this recently. He told me that I should take a break after this semester's over. The reason is, if I get kicked out (or whatever the consequence is) and I eventually want to get back in a few years time, I might not be able to study ever again. It's kind of worrying, but I hope I manage to make things work out. Hopefully.

Updating my resume Day 2

My next step here was to work out the way that it looks. I decided to bring the columns from three (with two small columns) to two (with one narrow column). I felt like the resume would look less crowded like that. And, I'm also getting rid of that godforsaken experience list. It was unnecessarily excessive and looked messy, as well. Anyways, here's what my layout plan looked like:

Since working around Google Docs isn't that much of a hassle for me, getting started on creating my resume went pretty smoothly. All I needed was to thin the margins and create a two-column table. Also, unlike my old resume, I've decided to add some colour. It's a light yellow (yellow being my favourite colour) which I hope looks nice and maybe even professional. Here's how it is now. It won't be too long until the resume's completion!

UPDATE: I've got all the details down. It could be worth a proofread though. You can see the resume here: https://afbworksite.neocities.org/Resume%20-%20Angelica%20Bilangel%20(3).pdf

Updating my resume

For a while, I haven't really been liking the way my resume looks. Although it gives a fair amount of useful information (with some being a little unecessarily excessive), it's overall look is kind of... unappealing - somewhere on the line that separates bland from ugly and cluttered. For a visual representation of what I mean, here's the way it looks:

Inevitably, this has lead me to decide to remake it completely from scratch,

My first step is to jot down all the main important bits of information that will go on my resume, like my contacts, history and skills. To make this easier for me, I looked up quick examples of the kinds of points that go on a resume, since I wouldn't really rely on myself for this kind of information (just yet), but it wasn't anything that I didn't know already. I haven't really changed much since I last updated my resume, but I'm half-expecting there to be some kind of new piece of information added somehow. Anyways, this turned out to be a lot less writing than I thought.

Working out my skills is the hard part, though. Most of the time I think, "am I really being true to myself?" and "how much evidence do I need to back all this up?". It's also that feeling where you're kind of embarrassed because you don't want to seem like you're bragging, but it is important that you try to present yourself in the best and most honest way possible (which is kind of hard). 

Changing this blog up a little

So, since job stuff is a little bit hard for me right now, I've decided to include other life-related things on this blog. That would include things like my progress on trying to live independently, trying to study, etc. I just thought it would be nice to keep this blog active since work & job stuff is kind of lagging in my life a little bit right now. That's all I have to say here!

Job Preferences

Lately, I've been thinking a bit about my job preferences. It's kind of complicated and I'll never expect to get a job on the side that's going to appeal to me completely, but at least noting all that down will help me narrow down my choices. Below are a list of my preferences. 

I would much prefer a position...

• That is set indoors/under a roof
• During the evening-night
• That involves independent work
• Where I get given tasks rather than lead
• That isn't so physically demanding

Tasks I am comfortable/confident in doing:

• Writing emails
• Content writing
• Creative writing
• Running office errands
• Basic-intermediate computer tasks

I am interested in learning...

• Data entry and word processing
• About archives and archiving
• About working in a library
• How to make barista coffee
• Miscellaneous intermediate computer tasks

More to come...?

Some updates for early April

Nothing much has changed since my last post. All's usual, except I've been a little less motivated in job hunting recently. However, there is one thing that happened that I can consider quite significant: someone that my parents know has asked for my availability and resume. I've sent my details already, and I'm hoping to get a response any time soon. From what I remember, it's an evening shift kitchen job at a hospital, which I'm totally okay with. Nothing else has happened, really.

Making a website

Since I heard it's an advantage to create a website about yourself when it comes to getting a job, I've decided to go ahead and make one. And since HTML has been a little hobby of mine since 2020, I'm making one from scratch (hopefully it adds some extra points too, xD).

My skills in HTML are pretty basic right now, but I'm glad that this makes for a nice learning experience. Anyways, the platform I'm using is Neocities, which is a great site for people who like to put HTML to use.

Here's what the site looked like at first, on the 24th of March:

And here's what it looks like currently:

This site is still a work in progress and I'll be sure to add more stuff to make it look more complete.

Tthe link is available here and on this blog's sidebar!

The things that portfolios do

 First of all, I'd like to mention that the following is probably more specific to jobs and tasks that are more visual and/or require creative freedom, like graphic design, creative writing & other areas. Continuing on, here's something I learned today at uni: some employers are more likely to pick someone who's got a better portfolio of their work than their resume, depending on what job it is, of course.

Now, from what I picked up from this week's class, I guess portfolios basically showcase the areas you're good at, and makes for some real proof to show that your abilities are legitimate. But I also remember a classmate pointing out that portfolios don't exactly give a full picture of who you are. For instance, a portfolio won't exactly showcase things like 'willingness to learn' as clearly as a resume and consulting a referee and other things. In other words, things like a portfolio shows your abilities, but not really shows you as a person.

Thinking about it now, I guess I should start making content for portfolios for areas that I'm interested in working, for instance cartoon illustration and creative writing. I could also consider things like general content writing, web design and probably even try out logo design as well. I really should get back to making more full-on illustrations (as myself and not under my alias) to add to my portfolio. I'll also try out proper scriptwriting for short stageplay skits and whatnot. I have no exact plan on when I'll start because of uni, but I hope to begin soon. 

Starting a blog

 Hello, welcome to my blog. I thought it would be good practice to write about my experiences when it comes to work. Not just for myself, but I hope this information will be useful to someone else at some point.

Currently, I am an unemployed 20-year-old full-time student at The University of Adelaide. I'm doing a Bachelor's degree in Media with a major in Story Production. I am looking for casual/part-time work to earn some extra bucks, to pay back the money I owe to my parents and, of course, provide for my family and myself. 

I've got a very limited work experience and didn't actually start actively applying for any jobs until this year, 2022. Mostly, that's because of the mild-to-medium social anxiety disorder I've got, but I'm working on it regularly to try to not let it stop me from doing things like entring the workforce. I have yet to experience bigger work experience, which I hope to get into soon. 

Wishing myself luck.