"Corporate Marshall"

Corporate Values:

The speaker, such a nice old man, first talked to us about his carrer with many different oil companies. I guess that type of work interests him. He then began talking about the importance of networking, and other such skills needed in the workplace, or really for life. Networking is something my mother has always taught me. She always told me. "It is not what you know, but who you know", which to a certain extent describes much of what he talked about last night. It is actuallyt quite relevant in my life right now. I was looking for somewhere to work back home over the holidays. I had heard Chick fil A was hiring for Christmas break, so i called them. I mentioned that I knew people that worked there, one of them including the talented Abigail Caitlyn. From that, I got an interview this Saturday. So, shout out to Abbie! Also, wish me luck on this interview. I really need it you guys.
He talked about business and his observations on corporations. He mentioned a lot of helpful things.
From the employee perspective, what matters??
He said a successful employee exhibits the following:
*show up
*be prepared
*be profesional
*do the right things the right way, consistently
*exceed expectations

I think these are all very important characteristics and actions to display in the workforce, especially in a corporate place.

Prepared:

Have scenarios in your head, that way nothing can go wrong. This, I think, applies to what I want to do. In nursing, you are always going to have to be thinking on your feet and dealing with new and different situations all the time. However, if you have planned out in your head what to do for each situation (scenario), then most of the time you will not have problems.
He told us to "burn the midnight oil" if necessary. To a certain degree, I agree with that. But as his lecture continued, I got the sense that his career was his life. For some people, that is great. However, I want to be a balanced person. I do not want my entire focus in my life to be my career.
Communication, of course is a big one. We all need to know how to communicate effectively, no matter what career path we choose. I think that is something that is crucially important in any field. Demonstrating what you know matters more than what you actually know.

Doing the right thing...?

That is a field that was quite fuzzy between the two of us. The way he described what he thought was right was a little sketchy, being a little hazy in his explanation. What matters to him, or to that specific company, may be different for someone else somewhere else. So, I think that is a very subjective matter.
It is important to learn the rules of effective team building. "Teams" will be everywhere. Simply, it is important for everyone to know how to work with others, because people will be doing that for the rest of their lives.
He also talked about integrity, which is something I highly value. I was very pleased when he brought this up. He said, "You never want to say anything not true. You loose credibility." He was definitely right. This also applies to what I want to do. I can't be telling patients wrong or guessed answers. It is better to tell them I do not know and I will figure it out. It could be a serious matter, like giving someone false hope, or false bad news.


He told us to capture opportunity and be on top. He told us that in order to exceed expectations, we must manage our expectations by learning to communicate, clarify, anticipate, and review our performance.
KISS- Keep It Simple Stupid!! <-- This was hilarious, and I have heard it before. (My 6th grade math teacher.)

Perception is Reality:
The people you work for only know what they see you do. People are watching you, always.
The way you look, the way you dress, and the way you carry yourself is very important because not only is that their first impression of you, but that is most of what they see.

The next part of my discussion will be focused on what i don't agree with, but things that I do see the productive aspects of.
He talked about the importance of office etiquette and conformity. They way he presented it, it seemed as if he would change himself to fit his job. Although he did say it was important to find the right culture in your workplace that fits you. However, he did stress the importance of being the person they want you to be.
This reminds me of my favorite show, How I Met Your Mother.




Marshall starts working in the corporate world and "changes", or so his wife says. Anyways, the point is he had to change many of the things he valued most to fit the job he had to do, to work in the corporate world. I NEVER want to work in Corporate America. EVER. That is definitely not where I should be.
But, many of the things he said tonight were helpful for me and my career.


Cheers my friends!

Anna :)

P.S. I don't think this will be the last blog, by the way.

The future UNA, the future ME

Tonight Mr. Steve Pierce came to Forum tonight to talk about the values most employers look for, as well as the future of UNA.
He is a trustee for the University and is a business owner. He began with discussing "our plan" for our lives. I, like some students in the class, know what I want to do after college. I want to be a pediatric nurse and eventually get my masters to be a nurse practitioner. I am currently on the right track, as I am in the honors program and hopefully that will help me get in the nursing school here. See what I did there? I hope you are laughing right now. He mentioned that we are the "cream of the crop". This reminds me of eighth grade. My algebra teacher gave us a speech about being the "cream of the crop". It was an advanced class so at the time it was quite hard for me, as well as for the rest of the class. So, we obviously were struggling. That was the premise for the speech. It was humorous and made for comedy all through out high school. Sorry, I digress. He talked about the importance of networking and getting involved. He talked about the significance of shaking someone's hand and making contact. This is something that my mother has always taught me. Most of my friends in high school made fun of me for trying to network, and being professional in my interactions. They said I was "sucking up", but I was really just networking. They just didn't understand. Now, I hope they are laughing. Not to brag, but those are skills that I feel that I have masteres over the years. I have no fear in putting myself out there and taking risks, like Mr. Pierce talked about. Also, my facebook is clean. He talked about employers looking at that and making judgements as such. That is something else I feel I do not have to worry about. The one thing he discussed I do have to worry about is the presence of the global compeition in the job market. He is definitley right. We are going to be competing with people from all over the world for jobs here in the U.S.
He was being very encouraging and compelling by telling us to not waste our talents that God has given us. It is also important to never stop learning.

Another thing that he talked about alot was the new additions to come to UNA in the future, I knew the premise  of the future plans, but not the whole package. Of course, concerning coffee and chicken, I am all in! I am a big fan of both starbucks and Chick fil A. So, this will make Anna one happy camper. One thing, however, I was not aware of were the new counseling facilities. I think that is a very nice, unique addition. I also think it could be of much help to many students. Another thing that heavily interests me is the building of the new science building. Having lots of classes in Floyd, being a nursing major, I can definitely tell you that Floyd is JANK. I mean, I'll say it. It is for dang sure. Everyone knows it. Floyd is gross and outdated. I feel that having a new science building will be beneficial and will encourage others to pursue degrees and careers in the science fields.

I really liked this speaker, as well as the content discussed.

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Peace Out

Anna Goggans

My Childhood...

The mulit-talented Mr. McGee came to talk to us tonight and share his life story, as well as provide insight on how we should stay true to ourselves.
He was born in Florence and raised on a farm. He was familiar with hunting, fishinng, and was quite family oriented. He also grew up around heavy equipment and eventually began to take up welding (that ended quickly, though). He was a boy scout, which he cherished very much. As a kid, as well as an adolescent, he loved adventurous things. He originally wanted to live out West. He eventually went to UNA, then Auburn University to study Forrestry. As he got older, he decided that he was getting far from his roots, from his true spirit, so he decided to become an artist. His career as an artist began with metal and the outdoors were a major influence on his works.
Throughout his life, he has had many wonderful life experiences. He has been all over the world and has done many different things.
The main things that he wanted to teach us was to stay true to our roots. He told us to remain stagnant with our true spirit and make sure that we do not get caught up in the busy, complicated world that is today. He taught us to slow down and to go back to our childhood and see what really made us happy then and let that really govern what we are doing now (in a way). He told us to develop our own set of principles to live by, to establish a moral foundation. The people who we looked up to when we were young are important, because they are a part of that foundation. Good values are instilled in us at an early age.
So, basically, what I got from this was an answer to a question that I have been having the day I got here. In former blogs, you can see that I am getting different answers to this question and that I have not really yet come up with a final answer. I think I have determined that I never will. Anyways, the question, "Who am I?", can be answered by looking at my childhood and starting from there. With the help of Mr. McGee, that conclusion has been made. So, for the remainder of my blog I am going to explore some of my favorite things as a child. By looking at all of these, maybe an answer of who I am or who I want to be can be determined.
My favorite movie growing up was The Little Mermaid. I loved Disney, in general , of course, but that movie was my favorite. I was obsessed. I had all the dolls. I had blankets, pillows, and a whole room dedicated to the princess from the sea. I think this was important to me because of how fantastical it really was. Everyone wants to believe in magic and love. This was it for me. Also, it shows that no matter where you come from, everyone deserves a prince. As chessy as that sounds, it gives me comfort and hope even to this day. Because, despite popular belief, I am such a romantic. Anyways, this was a big part of my childhood.




As I got older, I realized that I had a passion for different people. I realized that I really had a passion for missions, specifically. I loved children as well. So, I started going on Mission trips working with lots of different types of children. Those have always been such fond memories for me. I hope to continue doing such things.








Even though this is just a small portion of all of the things that shape me as a person, they help to define who I am and who I want. I want to help people more than anything. Also, I want to give hope to people, in any way. I want to make people believe in magic, in some way. I still really don't know who I am, but I am getting a better idea of the person I was and the person I believe I am meant to be.

Later friends

Anna Goggans

P.S. I really liked this guy. He seemed pretty cool.

My Hopes and Dreams- Study Abroad

Of course I want to study abroad! I think it is important for everyone to experience something like that. I have been out of the country before and have always enjoyed it. My most recent trip, a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, was amazing. It was very different, the culture there being something I have never experienced before. I learned a lot about people and how they function. Also, how environment plays such a big part of how we live day to day life. I mostly stayed in an area that was very poor and definitely not commercial. We has to travel down very small, sketchy, and sometimes long roads to get to where we were going. It was not the "tourist" area if you get what I mean. I also learned that where I am from is very conservative. Many things that are legal, or accepted, are simply tabbo here. Anyways, it was a very rich experience. Along with the work we did there and the impact I had, I learned a lot and gained more from them emotionally than I could ever give them physically.
Overall, it was amazing. I love travel and I love experiencing new people and places.
Therefore, in my time here I want to travel. The best and most enriching way to do that is study abroad. Actually, I know exactly how I am going to do that. Of course, the cost is a big issue. However, I have found an opportunity perfect for me that won't be too bad cost wise. That is the Nursing trip to Honduras. Not only is it a great opportunity to travel and experience a foreign country, but it is a great way to do what I love and gain experience in my field. This is real life experience because I never know where I could be working or what I could be working with. Therefore, I think this would be great for me. It also does not interfere with with my schedule and graduating on time. I cannot wait for this trip, whenever it will be in my time here at UNA. I also can speak some Spanish and that will probably help me there. Being in the Dominican, I learned, though, that Spanish learned here and conversational Spanish spoken in other countries is quite different. That was also something very interesting to me. I learned a lot of new Spanish there.








Thanks Google for the pics by the way!

Needless to say, I am excited about this trip!

UNA provides so many opportunities to study abroad, so why not?!

Peace Out

Anna Goggans