Reflective Essay

This semester I had the opportunity to take an online portfolio class that would benefit me beyond the classroom. I was able to create an online resume and work hand in hand with a professional to perfect each assignment. The experimental learning setting is the best setting for me personally. Learning outside of a traditional academic setting made it possible for me to explore my passions and experiment with new things. I felt like I could really express myself through my work without having to abide by the standard unspoken classroom rules. Sometimes the standard classroom setting makes us, as students believe that we are only students. We have been students almost our whole life up to this point and have been trained to think like students. We sit in class quietly while the professor tells us what to do and what to think. The experimental learning setting helps to break the mold of the way students are trained to think. It forces us to think outside of the box and learn things through trial and error.

Through the experiential learning experience, I have learned how to create an online portfolio. I have created an about.me page, LinkedIn account, blog, and a website. I also had the opportunity to do a presentation at an undergraduate seminar about the importance of a good online presence. Although now I feel that I have mastered the ins and outs of all of my online sites, it was a struggle in the beginning. I had to spend a lot of time learning out to navigate each website that I was using. Through learning how to use each website on my own, I was able to make each site exactly how I wanted it. Although my teacher was available for any questions that I had, I was not being told what I had to write about. I was able to express myself, and my passion through all of my online projects.

The very first day of class our professor told us to write about our passion. I have never been asked to do this before. Every classroom that I have ever been in either did not care what my passion was, or instead asked what my career goals were. You would think this would be the easiest part of the class. Not for me. This is the part of the class that I had the most trouble with. I have always known that I wanted to get a job that pays well and offered for opportunities for advancement, but I have never really applied what my passion is to my future career. Granite, I wanted a career that I would enjoy but something you enjoy and your passion is not the same things. Passion is a much stronger word. I was forced to figure out what makes me want to work in advertising. To read more on the thought process behind finding why I have a passion for advertising, click here. In the end, I discovered that helping others is my passion. I do not have a specific hobby or talent that I want to turn into a career; I have a passion for doing my best to make the world a better place. Helping a company that is trustworthy and produces a product that I believe in inspires me.

I discovered my passion through the experiential learning experience. Not only did I discover my passion, I was able to better explore it through the creation of my online portfolio. The experiential learning experience helped me gain skills in writing, web design, and communication.

First, I created an about.me page. I did not have a lot of trouble figuring out how to create my page. The instructions were pretty straight forward. My professor and I went back and forth a few times about the content on my page. We wanted to make sure it was perfect, so I changed things around a couple of times until we both felt that it was a good representation of me as a professional.

I then created a LinkedIn account. I never realized the importance of a LinkedIn account until this class. I have already used my account when applying for jobs and internships. Creating my account was no problem. I already had a resume so I pretty much just updated it and transferred my information over to my LinkedIn page.

I then created this blog. I had a little trouble at first trying to figure out the layout. It took me a while to come up with a good headline that represented my blog in just a few words. I also found it difficult to figure out exactly what I wanted my blog to be about until I discovered my passion. Once I got started it was a breeze. I really like using medium for my blog posts; it is very easy to use.

Lastly, I created my website, srharkins.com. By far, I had the most trouble with this assignment. I have never created a website before so this was new for me. Originally I was going to use WordPress.com. I got my domain name from namecheap.com but could not figure out how to transfer it to my new website. Not only did I have trouble transferring me a domain name, I also had a very difficult time trying to figure out how to personalize my website. After a week of using WordPress, I decided to switch over to Squarespace. After I did this, everything became much easier. As a beginner, I found that Squarespace is much better at taking you step by step on how to personalize your website. Transferring my domain name was a breeze. I then was able to start creating the vision that I had for my website. I wanted it to be a website that showcased all of my new online pages as well as who I was as a professional.

This project will help me because I feel that for once, I can take something physical out of a class that I can use for my future. I will use everything that I have created in this class when I go out to get a job. I have already begun using my LinkedIn profile to network and my about me page as a digital business card. I have learned how to utilize the tools that are available to me online and I have improved my online presence.I love the setup of the class. I learn best with hands on activities. This was a very hands on class and I was able to learn how to do the things I needed to do by doing it myself.