Event 1:
For my first event of IA, I went to the seminar called “Lockdowns, Masks and Social Distancing Politics of Public Health”, relating to IA because of the global magnitude of the corona virus pandemic. From the speakers at the webinar, I was able to learn multitude of surprising facts about how the United States has handled the pandemic. First, I learned that since the ebola virus began in 2014, the United States has not invested enough in the infrastructure needed to combat a health crisis that reaches millions of people across our country. In addition, the main speaker referenced that the CDC, an unbiased source of information that should be helping us become more aware of the virus, is actually being politicized, and that a firewall from any partisanship must be in place for the overall safety of Americans. As the pandemic has carried on, our trust in the CDC has dropped significantly, which is not a good recipe for us to get back on the right track. Overall, I really enjoyed this event because of the relevancy to the world around us today. Also, the main speaker, although I do not remember her name, was a fantastic speaker that kept me engaged throughout the entire presentation. She was well informed on the issue, and new exactly what our country needed to get over the hump of the pandemic, which I enjoyed listening to her acumen on.
Event 2:
For my second event of the month for IA, I went to networking 101 with one of the career counselors at Ohio State. From his presentation, I was able to learn about the main networking platform recommended at Ohio State, LinkedIn, and how to manipulate or use it to my advantage when I am looking to connect with other people. Another main topic discussed in the webinar was about the mindset we need in order to take on to succeed in the professional world. First, it was recommended that we take on a mindset of curiosity, willing to expand outside of our comfort zone and venture into new territories that interest us. Second, we also learned that in order to progress in the post-college life, we are going to need to take risks, because we are not always going to be comfortable throughout our lives, so we need to get used to it. In addition, we discussed how fear can creep into our daily lives, and how to deal with it. Specifically dealing with fear, it is good that we recognize that it is present in our lives, however we need to make sure that this does not deter us from pushing forward in our job search. Next, we learned about the invisible job market, meaning that over eighty percent of jobs are not specifically posted on a board, because recruiters already know what they are looking for their company. Employers are looking for someone that can fit their culture, after that they know they can teach that person the skills needed to succeed on the job, culture is valued above everything at a company. Finally, the most important thing I learned was that it is not about who you know, but who knows you, and that the network we create is invaluable when we are looking for a career path.