Looking at my blog from the beginning of the semester seemed like a bittersweet adventure. I remember when I read that would we would be keeping a blog this semester and feeling a sense of excitement because I have always wanted to have a blog. Little did I know my blog and I would be attached at the hip for the duration of the semester. I am actually sad that this class is over and reflecting on the experiences brought back a sense of all sorts of emotions. Overcoming the awkwardness that was customer interviews and the free money exercise, to creating a new venture in my company Stud-ease I have come a long way since the beginning of the semester. Watching my first elevator pitch and seeing my comfortability and confidence grow in front of the camera is awesome to witness from beginning to end. Realizing that failure is a part of life and even the most successful people today have been through it and come out on the other side. There are so many takeaways from this course that I can't simply narrow it down to one.
Creating an entrepreneurial mindset seemed like just an idea at the beginning of the semester, almost like one of the course objectives every professor lays out in the syllabus and never really revisits at any point in the semester. But starting with a clear objective and almost doing a check up on that objective really made me think and process what that objective means to me now. When I first recorded the video saying the mantra it was nothing but words, now I can say that it makes sense and has more meaning. Being an entrepreneur doesn't have to be owning your own business but how you function and how you think about things in any job you are in. I can definitively say I am an entrepreneur.
The best advice I can give to a new student taking this course is just to try everything! This course will take you out of your comfort zone and I encourage you to let it. This course isn't about future oriented concepts that you hope to put in your back pocket and hopefully use someday, but it provides information and gives you experiences in four months that you will take with you far beyond your time at UF. You can only grow when you step out of your comfort zone, try things and if you fail try some more, your dreams are always obtainable with the proper mindset, and I encourage you to redefine failure. View it as an opportunity to learn as opposed to a let down and try again!
I thought it only fitting as it is the final reflection to include a quote from the ultimate dreamer Walt Disney himself. "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney
Hi Skylar,
ReplyDeleteWell done on your final reflection and congratulations on finishing out the semester. I also thought it was awkward to ask random strangers about their opinion on a business concept, but the more I did it the easier it became. I actually enjoyed the customer interviews the most because it taught me a lot about market research and product creation. I like your Walt Disney quote at the end and think it would be a great slogan for this class. Great job this semester and best of luck going forward, you can check out my final reflection in the link below.
http://rogerstrobert.blogspot.com/2016/04/final-reflection.html
I definitely think that stepping out of your comfort zone is crucial to development in this course. One thing that I also mentioned is to make sure that you take advantage of the extra credit given so that if you were to miss a few assignments then you wouldn't need to worry about it affecting your grade too much since you can earn a whole letter grade. If you are interested in reading my post, here is the link http://niblaidoc.blogspot.com/2016/04/final-reflection.html
ReplyDeleteWow what an awesome final reflection! I liked how to included not only a photo, but a quote and a video to an incredibly relevant song. I'm glad to hear that you gained so much from this course and got closer to that entrepreneurial spirit. I have to agree with Codi, a word of advice is to take advantage of the extra credit! Sometimes it's easy to forget to do some assignments throughout the course and the extra credit can make up for that!
ReplyDeleteCheck out my blog here http://kevindoanent3003.blogspot.com/2016/04/1-i-remember-most-difficult-assignment.html
Hello Skylar!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, nice reference!
I really liked your post, and I have to say I relate to your views a lot. I also think that trying things and getting out of your comfort zone is key in this class. I am also glad that you re-watched your elevator pitches! I think that is a perfect way to figure out how much you have grown.
Good job and here is the link to my blog post: http://kwallaceent.blogspot.com/2016/04/final-reflection.html
Good luck on the rest of the semester!
Katherine Wallace
Great blog post! Very interesting blog post! I really enjoyed reading about your experiences with this class. Its great to see you enjoyed this class and actually found the experiences valuable. If you would like to read about my experience here is a link to my blog:
ReplyDeletehttp://agubernikoffent3003.blogspot.it/2016/04/final-reflection.html