JohnHok.Com

If you use the Speak Out Wireless service offered by 7-11 here is the March promotion!  Don’t ask how I got it ;)

I use Speak Out Wireless and it offers the best bang for the buck and they always run great promotions so I thought whoever else uses their service may find this useful!  Or those looking for a new pay as you go cellphone provider.  Feel free to leave comments/questions about the service; I will be pleased to answer them as well.

Well the last time I took a long hiatus I left quite abruptly and many things have happened since then.

I thought I’d just fill you in a bit. I’m on my first co-op work term now as a Web Developer at IBM.

The whole job searching process was done during the summer. I had interviews with Sun Microsystems, Microsoft, and finally IBM. Each interview was quite unique in itself and I’ve learned a lot going through the job search process. I think this has been one of the most valuable experiences I’ve gone through and one of my most valuable learning experiences so far in university!

I’ll outline just a bunch of things I’ve been able to learn and experience from the process

Things I’ve learned from the Job Application Process

• preparing a kick ass resume
• preparing a kick ass cover letter
• tips for preparing for interviews
• how employers perform certain interviews and the different types
• STAR method of answering behavioral interview questions
• the importance of a co-op coordinator or a helping friend to critique the things you do

Things I’ve learned from the Job Interviewing Process

• how to go about a phone interview (Microsoft)
• BE PREPARED as you will never know what your employer might throw at you
• come prepared with some questions to ask employer
• your attitude and confidence really dictate how well you do in interviews
• you can usually tell if you got the job or not at the end of the interview

Things I’ve learned from the Work Environment

• not everyone knows what their doing
• it takes time to get the trust of co-workers
• past co-op students can influence how co-workers perceive future co-op students
• the corporate world is slow sometimes… really slow
• I really like a more personal work environment… in terms of personal space but also a more personal work team
• I’m fairly good at motivating myself to do work
• make sure your comfortable with your workspace, makes you work more effectively

Well that’s about it.  Not really organized but just a flow of my thoughts.  It’s still been a fun experience.  I started my work term in September 2008 and I am set to finish April 2009 but there’s also a possibility of an extension into the summer which I am debating.

I was just making one last pass before heading to bed for the night on Delicious . Then I came across a very thought provoking YouTube video, titled “Learn to Change, Change to Learn“.

The people in the video talk about the fundamental problems with our current standard way of education and how a lot of it blocks technology from enhancing the potentials of having technology enhance education. It also hits on a key point about how a lot of our education is a “right answer, vending machine approach”. We are taught to study study study the material and facts into our brains so we can memorize things to output on tests. In reality, most jobs don’t work this way, so why is this our primary method of learning?

From my roughly 6 months of working at IBM I have experienced this first hand. At anytime, I haven’t had to output things I’ve memorized. If I was ever stuck or confused, I researched methods, asked colleagues, and brought up references in order to solve the problem. I also systematically work on my debugging approach of certain problems which I know are common. All of these skills in my opinion are miles more important than being able to store a vast amount of information into your brain- only to output it all onto a piece of paper later on to determine your class mark.

My Moo MiniCards have arrived in the mail!  I was itching to open the box but I was thoughtful enough to grab my camera to share the experience with the rest of you ;)

So read on for pics and a detailed review with my thoughts on these MiniCards from Moo.com

As I detailed in my last post I ordered a set of 100 Moo MiniCards along with a black Moo MiniCards holder to keep my MiniCards always handy.

The order came in one small envelope package. The order was declared through customs in Canada, as it was shipped from Europe, and there were no duties or extra taxes paid on the order.

Inside the package, Moo included a pre-addressed label which you can stick back on the package to send the order back if there was a problem with it and you aren't completely satisfied. Thumbs up to Moo for including this and making it easy if there are problems.

A receipt type thing inside the cards package. The box is a plastic thing and not cardboard which was what I thought it would be. It acts as a nice card holder on the desk.

The 4 photos I got printed onto the cards. The text on the back is really crisp. The photos are really clear. Quality is really good considering I had really high expectations. The cards look flawless in my eyes. They feel solid, sturdy and they are cleanly cut on the edges.

Here's a picture of the sexy MiniCard keychain holder... convenient way to carry the MiniCards wherever you go. The material feels really cheap though and this will become a scratch magnet soon enough because of the soft glossy finish on it.

Moo put a little suprise in the MiniCards holder. A colourful bunch of Moo MiniCards with discount codes on it for 20% off your first order of MiniCards! I will be giving these codes away soon.

My MiniCards inside the holder. Fits about 15-20 cards.