In the process of developing this e-portfolio I rediscovered a lot of the work that I have done to use as proof and evidence to use as support when making claim to the skills and abilities that I possess. In this process I also discovered strengths and abilities that I did not know or did not remembered I had. I am very grateful for this process. In ways, it inspired me to be proud of the things that I have done in school and it gave me the confidence to put it all out there for everyone to see.
Due to the confidence and the inspiration that came over me during this process I came to the realization that I am capable of more than what my full time job requires and that my earning potential has exceeded what I currently earn. So I started to plan a search for a better paying job and a job that will challenge me.
As part of my new employment search planning, I started to work on my resume, but I wanted to use the contents in this e-portfolio to display to the employers. However, the fact that I already have a full time job and am already older than the average graduating student, I decided to display it in a more professional manner. This is why I bought a domain name (chrisestephan.com) and developed my own professional portfolio. It is still a work in progress, but will be an amazing display of my skills, abilities, resume, and accomplishments when it is complete.
It is amazing what reveal itself when you compile all of your abilities and work in an organized a team such as this eportfolio. Throughout this process I noticed a few things that I definitely am proud of. For starters I noticed significant growth in certain aspects of my skill set. I also rediscovered some work that I have done in the past that I completely forgot about and am very proud of. Finally, going through this process I went through a bit of self discovery and got a better understanding of who I am and how I can promote myself to employers.
In regards to growth, I realized that I am better at writing essays and research papers than I thought. This was not always the case. When I went through my essay in English 099 it was clear that at the time my writing and grammar skills was not something I would consider a strength of mine. In fact, it was more of a weakness. Then I noticed my most significant growth in my Comp. 101 class. Honestly, I have to say that the teacher, Michelle Huston, had much to do with my growth. She gave great feedback and great advice. At the end of the class she told me that I have a very unique writing style and that I show my fun personality in my writing and she enjoys reading my work.
Furthermore, a piece of work that I have done and forgot about that really stood out to me was an assignment in in business law. I had a final assignment to choose a case develop a case brief. In this case brief I had to indicate the acts (name of the case and its parties, what happened factually and procedurally, and the judgment), issues (what is in dispute), the holding (the applied rule of law), and the rationale (reasons for the holding). I was very impressed with myself because I forgot about the knowledge in law that I obtained at Tunxis.
In addition to rediscovering my knowledge in law, I found a recording of a presentation I did in the writing for business class. This one I did remember, but the presentation did not go the way I thought it did. What I remember was that I stumbled through the whole presentation, seemed unsure, and felt like the audience was not engaged. Then I looked at the recording when I was posting it on the eportfolio a couple of weeks ago and realized that it did not go that way at all. I seemed calm, cool, and collected. I made it fun! Also, the audience was very engaged and laughed at a couple of jokes I threw in there to loosen the tension. So this made me realize that I am in fact a good speaker.
Finally, as I started to come to wrap up the process of going through all my work and putting it up on my e portfolio, I started to realize a couple of this about myself. Like I am a fast and accurate writer, with a keen eye for detail and my skill set is very broad. I am an enthusiastic speaker with a style that will keep you engaged. Also, I have the ability to learn and grow.
In conclusion, I would like to say that at first I was a bit skeptical when it came to this class. I thought it would be boring and pointless. However, to my surprise, this class was very refreshing and enlightening. Not only did this class help me compile all my work, but it allowed me to rediscover work that I have done, fine my strengths, and better understand myself so that I can promote myself to employers. If a class like this is not at every school, it should be.