Finance

 Sometimes I wonder what my career would have looked like had I stayed in finance. Would I have ended up on Wall Street? Would I have gotten a senior management role? It is impossible to know. I do know that I have no regrets about getting into IT.

Times of Trouble

 Sometimes things go wrong and the unexpected happens. Panicking during such times does not help things. It is better to stay calm and think of the right actions to take. I like how Ken handled his problems in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok_ZCW2JdHc.

I watch a lot of Ken's videos. It was the first time he got into trouble like that. He reacted like a mature person. He handled the situation very well.

Things go wrong in my life from time to time. I always force myself to remain calm and I deal with the situation the best I can.

Wishes

 Wordpress writing prompt for 10/28/2024: You have three magic genie wishes, what are you asking for?

I remember reading stories about the granting of wishes when I was a little girl. I always read the things wished for with interest. But, I always wondered why the person didn't use one wish to ask for more wishes so that he/she could wish for more things. So, that would be my first wish - to wish I could have more wishes that would work to get me what I want in the future. I don't know what is a reasonable number to ask for though. Would 3 more wishes be reasonable - to double the original number of wishes? Or 10 more? Or even a 100 more wishes?

The second thing I would wish for is to live forever. I assume anything is possible. With the magic wish, I could live for over a 1,000 years in a world that would continue on unaffected by the wish.

Third, I would wish for lots of happiness and joy in my life. That could come from love, lots of achievement, and making a difference in the world.

Wishes to assist my family and better the world would come later. And, I will have more time to think those wishes through.

Career Changes

 My post yesterday reminded me of my early career desires. I recall that one of the reasons I did finance was so I could work for one of the international finance organizations. When I graduated with my master's degree in finance, I tried unsuccessfully to obtain a job at one of those organizations. I was told that I needed work experience. I did not have enough work experience. Years went by and I moved in another direction.

Career Paths

Wordpress Writing prompt for 10/24/2024: What alternative career paths have you considered or are interested in.

Some people are interested in different career paths and somehow end up staying in one line of work their entire career. That is not my story. During my career, I have gone down at least three different career paths. When I started my career I was a finance professional. I had finance jobs such as Financial Analyst and Financial Auditor. Then, I was lucky to get into an Analyst training program to become an IT Business Analyst. It was another career path from finance - a career in information technology (IT). I worked in IT for many years. I was exposed to user interface (UI) design, technical writing, and training. These were all areas I found interesting and are separate paths I could have gone into as there are separate positions for these areas. I stuck with my IT Business Analyst job for a while until years later when I decided to enroll in a PhD program to pursue a career as a professor. I saw it as selecting training and research as my new career path. I also try to use my UI and technical writing skills when I can.

Article

 My article on plain language system messages was published in the Plain Language Association International (PLAIN) E-Journal Vol 6 Issue 2. I am very pleased! Thank you to the Managing Editor Hannah Sapunor-Davis. The theme of the issue is: Culture of Plain Language. Additional information on the issue is available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/plain-e-journal-vol-6-issue-2-plain-language-association-interna-el9gf/?trackingId=AJVw0cKsl0HinuncIWjV6A%3D%3D.

 

Living

 Today I learned of the death of my high school English teacher. He was an outstanding Guyanese and another person who is gone. One memory I have of him is that he once mentioned my name (along with the names of a few other girls in his class) on the radio. He was also a radio announcer. I bet most people don't know that about me.

So many people I know died in recent years! The constant death announcements is a reminder that nothing lasts (or no one lives) forever. Today, I will appreciate what I have and appreciate the people in my life I care about. I hope they will stick around for a long, long time.

Different Food

 Good morning from Linden, Guyana! Yesterday, I had pizza. I felt like I was having a special treat. It was the first time I had pizza in months. It did not taste as good as pizza in the United States but it was a good experience.

My diet has been different. I am eating Guyanese foods such as cheese roll, pine tarts, and black pudding and more Guyanese fruits. I do not usually eat foods such as pizza or subs or burgers. I am not on a diet. The food I eat has lots of calories, sugar, and fat just as food in the U.S. For example, cheese roll and pine tarts are pastry and have a lot of calories.

There are some things that are very different. For example, the 1% and 2% milk are not options here. I get milk in packets.

Hot Weather

 Good morning from Linden, Guyana! It is Monday morning again. They seem to come around so quickly. The weather forecast for today is 93 degrees Fahrenheit - another hot day. My mother told me there is a lot of activity around the neighborhood. I don't know what that is about but I am not going walking in this hot weather. I read somewhere that there is the risk of heat stroke if a person stays out in similar hot weather for too long. The hot weather has even affected my tea drinking. Instead of hot tea in the morning, I like to drink iced tea.

Grown up

Wordpress prompt for 10/11/2024: When was the first time you really felt like a grown up (if ever)?

I was in my early twenties when I moved to Baltimore from my mother's house. I took care of everything concerning my move. I viewed apartments, selected the apartment I would live in, and provided the required information for the rental application. I organized my move and bought furniture for my new place. I lived alone in a one-bedroom apartment and I enjoyed it. I was responsible. I went to work everyday and I took care of myself. It was the first time I really felt like a grown up.

Advice To Younger Self

 Today's post is inspired by a video on older Americans sharing advice to their younger selves (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1uqHLcWt48). I thought of the advice I would give to my younger self. When I was young, I had difficult times and struggles. One of the first things I would tell my younger self is that nothing stays the same. Everything changes and things generally get better with time. With time, you will figure out how to deal with issues and find solutions to problems. The second thing I would tell my younger self is that you have to learn to deal with difficult people and situations. As you go through life, you will meet people who are difficult and you will find yourself in some challenging situations. You have to handle difficult people successfully so that they do not derail your life. The third thing I would tell my younger self is to try to eat right and stay healthy. Later in life, I ended up with health problems. Maybe I could have prevented some of my health problems.

Ratings

 It amazes me that ratings for food (basically anything) could be very different from person to person. Here is an interesting show where Caribbean Moms rate the rice and peas of other Caribbean Moms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHToGvuZ7t4. I don't think I would rate any of the food a zero like one of the Moms did. I don't know which would be the winner for me. I like this competition.

Food Festival

 The food festival on Main Street in Georgetown seems very interesting. I saw a little of the festival in this video by C. Rahaman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BivXp5yacRA. The businesses in the video seemed to be small businesses rather than established food places. There were a lot more vendors than I expected. The food looked good! I did not travel (and will not be traveling) to Georgetown for the festival.

Predatory Journals

I found some good information on predatory journals. I need to stay away from these journals. I found the article:

Predatory Journals: What They Are and How to Avoid Them

By: Susan A. Elmore and Eleanor H. Weston

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7237319/ 

 

A post on LinkedIn also provided two predatory journal lists:

http://www.dgpis.gob.mx/PDF/Difusion/RevistasDepredadoras.pdf 

https://beallslist.net/ 

I was surprised by the length of the lists. 

Technical Writing

 #Throwback to the time I was considering applying for Technical Writing positions as a side job while I complete my PhD. Here is the post: https://fahmeenaodetta.blogspot.com/2024/04/technical-writer.html. Today, I am working on obtaining work writing papers for students and also go after work writing technical documents and requirements for technical departments.

If you need assistance with a paper or assignment, contact me at moorefo1@gmail.com.