Your Childhood and Youth
What’s an activity you spent hours doing as a child? What were your favorite subjects?
I played house... a lot. I was always the dad though! Weird.
Who were your childhood heroes?
My dad was my hero. So was my Uncle Todd, even before he died. I used to name all of my teddy bears Mark and Todd :P.
What did you want to be when you grew up and why?
I wanted to be an astronaut because the movie "Apollo 13" made it seem so special. I knew that I didn't want to be a veterinarian or a teacher. It wasn't even because everyone else wanted to be those things, it was just because they seemed like boring jobs to me. I remember thinking about that on the playground at Saint Elizabeth Seton Elementary School. I eventually gave up on my dream of being an astronaut because my little sister would cry and be super upset/scared every time I talked about it. (This was in, like, middle school...lol).
What undergraduate classes interested you most and came naturally to you?
I loved biology, and it came pretty easily to me. I majored in applied and computational mathematics. Of those core courses, I really loved complex analysis because it was so intuitive, but yet abstract. That class made it fun to think. I also loved my philosophy classes and literature classes, even though they were stupidly easy (humanity classes at a technical school...not exactly challenging). It was a nice brain break to think about humanity.
What undergraduate classes (if any) were not naturally interesting to you and did not come easily?
Sadly, my art history class was pretty uninteresting to me. I think that is just because I was overwhelmed with my other classes. Or, maybe it was because it was a lot of memorizing dates and locations, and less about historical context.
Your Corps Experience
What drew you to join the corps?
Well, I just finished my time in the TFA corps, and so now it is easier to say what good happened while I was in the corps rather than why I joined, but I joined because I wanted to do something that had meaning and affected the lives of others for the better in a real way.
What part of the corps experience inspired you?
Ummmm, the teaching part. Duh!!! My students are the shit and I have learned so much from them.
Which parts of your Teach For America experience made you feel alive when you were in the classroom?
Okay, these are confusing questions. "Teach For America experience"? Wha? Getting to know my students made me feel alive in the classroom. Before I took the time to get to know them I kinda dreaded going to school in the mornings, and couldn't wait to go home at the end of the day. Now I wake up happy each morning, love staying after school, and am currently teaching summer school.
Which parts of your corps experience (if any) were you less excited about carrying out while you were in the classroom or were not your strengths?
What have you learned from your corps experience which might inform your choice of leadership path and career?
Your Interests and Passions
What kinds of books and magazines do you gravitate toward when you are browsing in the bookstore?
What social or political issues are you passionate about?
What would your friends and relatives say are your greatest strengths (if you’re not sure, ask them)?
What are some things you wish you could do more often? Might they relate to future careers?
If you won the lottery, what would you do (after your initial celebration)?
If you could trade places with anyone in the world for a day, who would it be and why?
Your Natural Inclinations and Growth Areas
What you are doing when you feel the most alive and like yourself?
What kinds of work give you energy and are so interesting to you that you can become engrossed in it for hours on end?
When you have held a job or done an activity that was not a “fit”, how did you realize this did not fit you?
Which career would you avoid at all costs? Why?
What aspects of your work style could you improve upon?
What kinds of jobs or professional development opportunities might challenge you to grow in this way?
Your Ideal Work Environment
How do you do your best work?
What kind of environment is conducive to your success?
Based on past experience, which kinds of cultures and organizations are the best fit for you?
Is there an element you have been missing in previous jobs that you’d like to find in the next position that you hold? If so, what is it and why do you think that matters to you?
Your Big Wins and Best Memories
Think about the last time you were really excited about life and what you were doing and how you felt. What made this moment so exciting? Are there careers that could help you experience this excitement more often?
Think of a “defining moment” in your life, a turning point that shaped who you are, or a decision that you made that shaped who you are today. How did it affect you? Did it tell you anything about possible leadership paths for you?
What have been your greatest accomplishments? What key skills did you leverage to achieve your goals?
What has been the most gratifying thing you have ever done? What do you think made that gratifying?
Thinking Boldly About Your Next Steps
What is the greatest joy in your life?
What would your ideal job description be? As you answer this, don’t worry about whether the job exists – you can create it.
What are your greatest professional curiosities?
What are big ideas or dreams that you’ve never shared with anyone?
What jobs would you pursue if you had three lifetimes to pursue them and financial obligations or the opinions of others didn’t matter? Why?
What leadership path would you pursue if you knew you could not fail? What draws you to this path?
How could you uniquely contribute to your community, country, or the world?
I would like to hear your answers to these! :)
ReplyDelete