SELF REFLECTION

Bryn Sprado

I have not attended school since 2013 and that was probably the last time, I had to really try in terms of getting an education. This semester and this course have shown me so many things that I was not aware of before. Starting university, I was highly intimidated. I have learned how to gain courage and confidence from this course and that alone has been a huge win for me. This course has taught me to be aware of my surroundings and to look at all the factors that would go into owning a business or even just being a team player within a company. I have learned that creativity is an asset to any workplace. Before starting this course, I did not think that today’s world cared about creativity. I now know that the rest of the world realizes the potential of creativity. A value I have always valued but never knew would be valued within the education system. I always thought creativity was needed in terms of writing a book or painting a picture. I now know that creativity can be used for so much more.

One thing I really liked about this course was the professor’s ability to mix viewing videos with his readings. His readings were straightforward, and the videos were extra handy to helping me understand. Sometimes when I was confused on the readings, I could just watch the videos and I would understand the concept. I enjoyed unit one the most because at the time it was all so new to me and I was learning so many things at an accelerating rate. Unit one really showed me the basics to what I was missing within my own workplace. Unit one and two helped me understand problems within my workplace and other workplaces I have worked. It gave me tips to adjust to those problems and it helped me see the solutions to the problems. Out of all the courses I ended up taking at MRU this course ended up being my favorite. I was invested within the coursework because I could apply it almost right away to my everyday life. This course helped me see that I have been holding myself back for years in terms of being motivated. This class reminded me that I need to take charge of my life and pursue my goals and dreams. Having to work with a group of individuals to do the class tasks was a challenge in the beginning but ended up being rewarding in the end. Being able to bounce ideas off other group members and getting used to interacting with other people was beneficial to my learning. The group work helped me come out of my shell and forced me to interact in an uncomfortable situation, which the workforce is like. This class was straight forward, to the point and motivating.

I think most of the stuff I have taken from this class will be remembered and carried with me for quite some time. This course helped me find my confidence and got me used to reaching deadlines for assignments. The principles within this course were very useful and some of them have been used in many other areas of my schooling. Mind mapping has been a wonderful tool that I have used constantly since learning about it. Capturing and managing ideas, learning from failures, and taking risks have been valuable principles that I will choose to remind myself of throughout future courses, jobs, and my personal life. This course re shaped my mind for the workforce and gave me a better outlook on life. I found the simulator and all of unit 3 to be the hardest for me just because I could not seem to do well within the simulator. I do not think I have reached as high of a grade as I would have hoped for in this class, but I am sure happy I took it. This class had nothing to do with any of my career choice classes and somehow it benefitted me the most. I also really liked the “a synchronous” portion of this class. It forced me to step out of my shell with my group and taught me how to figure stuff out on my own.

I noticed myself getting better with my vocabulary and words, the more the project tasks went on. My problem solving within the project tasks and my ability to complete the project tasks enhanced before the end of the semester. The professor was there any time I needed, and I was able to understand everything clear. If I were to give advice to a friend about this course, I would say take advantage of having a group. Great ideas come from many and having a group helped me significantly throughout this course. I made some friends and got my butt in gear. Having a group also made the class tasks assignments easier. By working together and sharing the same goal we were able to complete almost all the assignments no bumps. Although there were times where we needed to get used to each other, all in all, I did better with a group than on my own. I had a tough time with the business simulator but having feedback from peers and capturing and managing ideas helped me do better each round. Some of my teammates were crushing it and I still could not do as good as them, but I did not let that discourage me. Although I played the simulator many times I never really could get ahead like the others. I took that as a learning curve, and I moved forward.

This course gave me the necessary skills to be a powerhouse within my workforce. This course built my confidence, showed me that failures are stepping stones, challenges are opportunities and that innovation is possible within my own life. In some ways I needed this course to stay motivated to do my other courses. The reminder of these principles helped me overcome not going to school for eight years. I feel like this course gave me a different outlook on life. I now want to be positive and creative.