It's been a long journey navigating through Techie Youth, and I learned a lot this summer. From life skills to video editing to entrepreneurship to online trading, it's been very educative and helpful for me to learn all of this while in the program. For the last day, I continued learning about options with the help of the lengthy videos and articles to get familiar to an array of strategies when trading options. Options reap bigger gains than stocks as well as losses but knowing the "Greek" measurements and breakeven point can help determine your profit from the option. I still struggle with understanding short "puts" and "puts" in general, but it'll take time to understand something so complicated. Nonetheless, this summer experience has been really valuable for me.
Out of all the subjects within the unit, the lengthiest has to be the trading options. I severely underestimated how long it would take me to watch the almost 3-hour long video, but I'm trying to break it down to give myself time to process all the information. With an hour left to watch, I learned that there are two forms of options which are the "call" and "put" as well as the different values that they might have. An interesting topic is the implied volatility since I never really took into account that some companies are more volatile than others. All the other concepts are still a blur for me to make sense of nevertheless, I have time to eventually learn it all.
Wow, Forex is quite a strategic investment to make since it seems that most are day traders and plan before they trade. Aside from the complex strategies and patterns, even the basics are a bit overwhelming. I learned some terms such as pip, quote, and slot in regard to forex trading. I like that there are apps out there that teach you about stocks and forex like the trading game. On the other hand, REITs sound a lot easier to understand in that they are shares of a portfolio that invests in real estate however, the calculations needed to assess their value is very difficult. Tomorrow I'll be finishing REITs and moving on to the next investment.
Blockchains are described as something completely foreign to the average reader mainly due to its exclusive use within cryptocurrencies however, when you read more in-depth you soon realize its usefulness in today's world. Basically, it is a decentralized ledger where members regulate and validate the transactions which are then uploaded digitally onto the data board. Since these transactions are stored in blocks which are chained to the end of the blockchain with its own unique hash, individual copies are then sent to fellow members so as to decentralize the information in case of redundancy. This promotes strong security and transparency while also eliminating the middleman and as a result improves efficiency. Additionally, I learned about cryptocurrency exchanges like Coinbase and Coinbase Pro as well as other forms of blockchains such as smart contracts.
Looking back at the history of stock exchanges and market bubbles such as the tulip mania, is helpful to understand our current market involving these institutions and concepts. While intimidating at first, stock charts are critical to see how the stock price fluctuates over time. Lastly, it's relieving to realize how simple cryptocurrencies are, especially with the help of the videos that made it easy to digest the complex terminology in plain English.
I might have not been able to complete my entrepreneurship assignment yesterday, but I finished the rest of it today. I was really struggling with crafting it so, I decided to use the examples as a template to help me by changing the information to understand how it works. It was all worth it, I finally arrived at the unit that I've been wanting to do for a while. I'm learning the basics of stocks which include the different types, common orders, and some vocabulary.
As embarrassing as it sounds, I'm struggling a lot on the assignment to the point that I'm getting writer's block from trying to complete it. I just think it's a handful, I already have an idea of a service, but it's taking me quite a while to put it into my words and to get into detail. It's not like I don't want to get this assignment done, but it's a bit overwhelming to do all at once so, I tried to get as much done. It's difficult for me to wrap my head around my business model and finance since I don't really understand how finance works within businesses. I finished 3 paragraphs and I hope to finish the rest tomorrow.
Money, something so complex and difficult to attain as entrepreneurs, yet essential for a startup. By utilizing angel investors to VCs, entrepreneurs have to be aware of their management as well as fulfilling the needs of the investors to attract their interest. While it may be tempting to go all out and sell your product with a bunch of features, it's way better to create an mvp that will allow customers to easily use and give feedback for improvements. Additionally, investing the least amount of money makes it easy to pivot plus reduces the risk of failing as a business. For someone who is selling their products to clients, they must know how to sell the value upfront, create genuine business relationships, and present their products in a good manner. What stood out to me were that people don't buy features rather they buy benefits and to protect your brain since it's your source of income.
Working in a business involves a lot of writing from the business plan to the executive summary to the paperwork for the IRS, I bet being a skilled writer is beneficial for starting businesses. Honestly, I forgot about the legal actions that are required from business owners and the involvement of the IRS to collect yearly reviews and taxes which remind me why entrepreneurship is very difficult to thrive in. The most interesting subjects were logos and slogans since I believe they're the most memorable aspects of a business plus, it shows just how much thought goes into planning.
Once I had a good understanding of what it takes to come up with a business, I am made aware of the other fundamentals covering money and customers. Revenue is a word that I am aware of, but I never realized that businesses could take advantage of multiple revenue streams at the same time. Customers and finding the right market are straightforward topics yet, it is mind-blowing to me that I don't have to find the perfect target audience as long as I take action in putting my business out there. Something new that I learned are exit strategies since I thought that start-ups don't have an end date unless they fail but getting to know them helps me understand that entrepreneurs have to be thinking long term while focusing on managing a successful start-up. I am signing off at learning about having co-founders.
Watching the MIT one-hour long video on how to speak professionally surprised me with a whole different view on communication. I have much room to improve, and I feel like I can implement the advice regarding slide presentations as well as the job skills into my life. Being able to see the reality of the entrepreneur lifestyle debunked myths that I had regarding the career and helped me understand the importance of organization within the lifestyle. The following videos taught me the importance of sharing your business ideas with others, working as a team, determining if your ideas are good, and coming up with contingency plans to address weak points. Furthermore, I learned crucial vocabulary: executive summary, profit models, break-even point, dollarization, and business models.
Phew, I'm finally done with video editing and now I can learn more about entrepreneurship to gain more financial knowledge. I actually wanted to do the web development after doing video editing, but I would eventually get to learn those skills and thought it be better to get familiar with finance since I'll never have the opportunity to learn about investments. First things first, I have to complete the prerequisite course before anything else. I enjoy watching the videos of the founder since he has a lot of great advice to share and makes it worth watching as he travels. Leadership is something that I struggle to possess since you need a backbone, a strong set of skills, and self-control to manage through all the hurdles. From learning the basics of entrepreneurship to learning how to speak in public, I believe these are all valuable skills to have.
Wow, that was fun. I got most of my video done today, I just have to make some final touches, ask for others' opinions, and export my video to be considered done. I watched a tutorial on using premiere pro and that greatly helped since I got used to a lot of different software in a short amount of time and never really took in all that information. For example, the final cut pro version has their effects on the right side while premiere pro has it as a double arrow icon. My video may not be the best, but I had a fun time playing around with the platform and trying out different techniques to use the skills that I learned through the videos.
To get paid appropriately, you have to consider 3 methods: hourly, daily, or paid by the minute of the video. Portfolios are something that we should all work on, but for video editors it is highly anticipated that they actually edit their video reels. Today, I started working on the assignment, but I never knew that the video editing project was going to be this hard! I know, I know, it's supposed to be challenging, but I genuinely have no clue how to start as I first downloaded da vinci instead of Premier Pro. I thought it was going to be the same thing however, I soon realized that I needed the free video footage offered by premier pro so, I made the switch. No amount of video could've prepared me, if only there were more interactive videos to learn from or a full tutorial that solely focused on the software. For now, I have to get familiar to using Premier Pro.
The most important thing that video editors must do before editing is organizing their materials in a file in which they then import onto the platform. It might seem like a small thing but, it is key to efficiency as well as productivity to complete the project in a professional manner. Afterwards, I learned tips and tricks to use on Adobe Premium like keyboard shortcuts plus better understanding the rendering and exporting process. Additionally, I received some insightful advice on landing freelance jobs such as the 3 methods to land the job, working for free to build a portfolio, as well as, prioritizing your customer service just as much as, if not more, than your product.
I never thought I would ever fully take in and understand the process of editing on multiple platforms, but soon you realize that they all work the same way. The Final Cut Pro X video, while an hour and a half long, really made it easy for me to understand the different features as well as the setup of the editing software. I really liked that some of the youtubers would work alongside you to demonstrate how to actually edit videos on HitFilm , Shotcut, VSDC, and Lightworks. It's satisfying to see the process, but with the expertise and advise of these experts, they make editing seem less daunting than I originally thought it was. From the color grading to the effects to the transitions, I would really like to try editing for myself once knowing the creative end results that I can make.
So, it takes a lot of planning and thought to edit videos, but at the same time, it is about having this intuitive/feeling to know when it is right to cut. There is an array of editing styles to adopt as it could better help with the story telling and continuity of the film. Other than that, the color has to be spot on to capture the audience's attention with an aesthetic that is suitable throughout the video. Besides these two, the audio can make or break the film and it is crucial to make it appear as natural as possible to give the audience a memorable experience even if the video isn't the best quality. Plus, I learned the importance of organization and some common terms used in video editing like hue and saturation. Tomorrow, I'll be continuing to learn more about free editing software.
It took me longer than I had thought it would take me, but I finally got through the life quality unit, and I liked the encouragement that it gave me to view life through a different perspective. I seriously liked that there was a section dedicated on handling the issue of comparing ourselves to others and making smart financial decisions as well as finding the right motivation to pursue a career. I'm honestly learning a lot more about careers and life in Techie Youth than from any other place, and I really appreciate that. Being interested in cinema and video editing as a career, I am taking up the course and learning the basics for now.
As important as it is to work, it is just if not more important to care for your health. I liked that the TED Talks provided a new perspective on common topics such as the importance of relationships in our lives and looking for "whole" models instead of role models. For stress, it is crucial to be flexible and go with the flow as life never goes as we plan it to be. By keeping faith that things happen for a greater reason and lowering our expectations, we are able to create realistic career goals. We can always develop strong leadership skills by having a good self-control besides presenting ourselves in a strong manner like having a strong voice and knowing when to be stop talking. I also learned that it is better to start working in your career first and then naturally acquiring a mentor that is willing to guide you and share a personal relationship with you for a few months.
As something that I always have struggled on, I always believed that there was some sort of key to achieving good time management however, it is a lot simpler. To improve, I should be more mindful of how I use my time and keep track of that as well as create a routine/ schedule for myself. What really changed my mind set on time management is that we do things that we choose to prioritize, and we are more motivated to complete things that have a deadline. While these are simple tips to follow, it takes time and effort along with a desire to implement these strategies in one's life. Hopefully, I can use it to better manage my life and make better use of my time.
Just like it is important to keep track of how you're spending your money, it is equally important as cutting down your expenses. I never knew it was possible to save 100% of your income, but the YouTube videos showed me otherwise. It really goes to show the importance of having a budget and monitoring how every dollar is spent which requires a lot of effort to be financially independent. There was some useful advice such as buying older cars and finding ways to invest so that your money can work for you. Now, I'm learning about time management and it's making me question my bad habits.
Yay! More than a week later, I accomplished getting through the first unit - the Intro to Earning Money Online. :) It was a lot to take in, but I learned about other networking tips and advice like being genuine and willing to help others while making connections since networking is essential. Watching Redman has motivated me to want to learn more about how to change my life around and implement these life hacks. As of now, I'm learning more about budgeting.
While the job experience is often overlooked, and handling conflicts in the workplace is something most new workers are uneducated about plus it could be seen as trivial, I liked how the videos addressed these issues. Saying "No" is something that I personally struggle with and hearing these tips and advice to handle these certain situations, empowers me to try these strategies for myself. I really enjoy looking at the scenery of these videos from Brazil to NYC, but the messages and experience that the founder gives are really insightful to learn from especially as someone who has no working experience. Power abuse from supervisors and scams are rampant while looking for jobs which is why I enjoy that this course addresses these serious issues. Right now, I'm working my way towards learning how to network with others.
Welp, at least I got something done even when I didn't feel like doing anything today especially knowing that my progress isn't going to be saved the next day. Yesterday, I logged off with a 60% completion for the Intro only to come back with a 50% today. I like checking my progress just to acknowledge that I am moving forward in this course unfortunately, this is a common problem, but I just don't like to regress. It is what it is, either way I learned about career goal planning and planning for remote meetings. Nothing much, but it is quite tedious and boring to read these articles that aren't relevant to me at this time.
Learning more in-depth of the interview process, I learned how much effort and preparation is needed to successfully complete an interview or as some call it, a sales call. While it may have been confusing for me at first, I have come to view it as a way for companies hiring a product (a possible candidate) that is competent in solving "their" problems and increasing "their" sales. So, candidates shouldn't be talking about themselves rather they should research the company and interviewers to better serve them with their possible contributions towards the business. Candidates should aim to listen and focus on the customer's needs (the company) and answer the interviewer's questions while also staying engaged by asking questions of their own to assess if their job needs are met. Candidates should refrain from giving a number for their salary and be aware of "cut-throat" negotiation strategies used by employers.
Finally, I created multiple social media accounts, so that's exciting. I can't wait to use them in the future. Additionally, I watched some videos that made me question what I have been taught about negotiating and leadership. The different perspective enriches my knowledge about these topics and boosts my confidence in asking for what I want as well as handling negotiations with potential employers. Still, there is so much more to learn to perfect my interviewing skills as someone who should be engaged instead of scared of the process.
I started with making my resume on resume.io since I've used that site before in class, but I don't know if it's free. Either way, it took a long time as I had to rewatch the videos, next time I should skim the whole page first and then complete the assignment while I'm reading the steps. I could have saved myself some time, but we live and learn. At least I got my cover letter done, but the information that the links gave were a bit contradicting, so I just combined everything I learned to accomplish it. Now, I just started working on social media.
I started off by finishing the different ways that companies can get paid- credit cards, crypto, and cash. Crypto is very interesting in the sense that they give value to something digital and that fluctuates overtime. I'm curious why people say they are coins when they're not even "coins" like the ones we use. At least I got to start on my linkedIN account which would help me in the future.
Today, I have familiarized myself with my syep workday, it consists of many videos and a lot of articles. From learning about the expectations of working remotely to the many different checking accounts, I am learning a lot about finance as well as rules of the workplace. Currently, I am struggling to take in all the information regarding checking accounts and different bank features.