Many things have happened since my last blog post. I’m not sure the fact that so much has happened because I  had lots to going on or is simply due to the fact that I don’t blog as often as I should. Regardless,  I want to share three and half new things in life.

First,  I have a new place in Mt Pleasant/Columbia Heights.  Per my previous blog post, my last living situation was not ideal and I choose to move on my own.  Unlike with my previous living arrangement, I will not be hosting a house warming party. Sorry to disappoint those of you had had gotten used to the tradition.  That being said,  feel free to come visit.  Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights are full good bars and eateries that I love check out with some good company.

Second, I’m DONE with school. That’s right.  I’m going to add “M.B.A” after my name in my e-mail signature.  I kid, I kid. While I didn’t finished with my 4.0 like I intended when I started the program, I’m very happy with my end 3.5 that I ended with. Overall,  I thought the program is wonderfully designed so that students were able apply the lessons learned in class in their daily workplace. Another aspect of the program that I really enjoyed is that each class built on previous one. And this class brought together many of the lessons from the previous classes. I was also very pleased with the quality of the professors throughout the program. Though, I may have had qualms with some of  their teaching style, it never occurred to me that the professors or teaching assistants were unqualified to discuss the topic that were being brought up in class. I walked away from the with better research skills, better critical thinking skills, better writing skills (don’t use my writing on this blog as evidence) and better presentation skills.  During the entire two years, I also had the pleasure to work with an amazing cast  that made group work enjoyable. And to them I say, “Thank you”.   I had planned to go law school after the finishing this program but as of right now those plans have been pushed back — pending further evaluation.

Lastly, I’ve moved on from DCI Group LLC. I very much enjoyed my time at DCI group.  During my time there, I had the opportunity to meeting and work with some nice people on some very interesting projects that provided me unparalleled experience in the world of public affairs and government relations. As f this week, I now employed with Blue State Digital (BSD).   My move to BSD will also take me to Boston late this year or early next year. While I love DC and its atmosphere, I’m excited about the prospect of living in another city.  Although to be quite honest,  It’s freaking cold in Boston. P.s. The  move to Boston is the half item that I referred to in the first paragraph.

And that’s  all for now folks.  I’m looking forward to riding the quiet wave for a bit before getting busy again…. at least outside work.

Technorati Tags: Blue State Digital, Boston, DCI, Job, MBA

The past week was a crazy one; the end of another semester and the start of a new gig.  Now that life has calmed down a bit, I wanted to take a second to say a big thank you to everyone that helped me during my job search. My job search ended late last month when I accepted an offer for the position of Web Strategist at DCI Group, where I will be helping our clients navigate through the social media interweb.   In these tough economic times, I was lucky enough to received multiple offers.  However, I would be lying if I said I did all the work that got me these offers. In fact it was quite the opposite. During my search, a number of people graciously volunteer their time to proofread my resume and cover letters, help make video resumes, offer career advice, make introductions on my behalf,be a reference, and pass my resume along. Between writing cover letters and submitting my resume for various position, I attended a number of social media/technology events around town where I met an incredible number of nice and smart folks using the web to bring attention to some great causes.  I will work to keep in touch with as many of them as possible.  But more importantly, I hope to work with some of them (in pro-bono capacity, of course) on some of the projects that they are currently undertaking.

The entire job search experience was very humbling and I’m very grateful for all the help I received.  Again Thank you.

Image by d0ntblink

Technorati Tags: Career, Job, Personal

In this video (taped yesterday) I share some good news and some bad news.  Bad News – I got laid off yesterday,  Good News – I’m closer to becoming a U.S. Citizen.

As I said in the video, I’m looking for a job so if you know of anyone hiring please pass along my resume.  Thank you.  As always, comments/suggestions about the video are welcome.

Technorati Tags: Be the Change, Career, Job, MakembeTV, vblogging

My first video. Enjoy. Leave any feedback. Sorry for the cheap camera. If I follow through, I will upgrade.

Over the last year or so, I’ve been working at the National Association of Home Builders as a Developer.  Tomorrow will mark my last day there.  For me, NAHB was the perfect second job out of school.  While there,  I had the opportunity to work with some great people and develop my technical skills as well as my interpersonal skills.  Everyone in my department took great pride in servicing our clients, which were the various departments, and working harmoniously with our vendors and vendors selected by our clients. Moreover, I moved closer to reaching an equilibrium between life and work or as the girlfriend would probably say “between work and more work.” I will truly miss working with the people at NAHB.

As of Monday, I will be employed with Be The Change, Inc. as Director of Web Technology.  Be The Change is a startup non profit focused on public service and was founded by Alan Khazei who also founded CityYear.  The Organization’s two key missions are:

Crafting a bold and innovative policy agenda that is rooted in the practical experience of social entrepreneurs and civic leaders and sets a pragmatic ten-year time horizon for major systemic change.

  and

Building a broad-based, web-fueled, citizens’ movement that will campaign for better public policies, promote active citizenship and citizen democracy, and give Americans who are frustrated with the status quo a place to channel their ideas and activism.

I was introduced to Be The Change, Inc. through a friend and I have been working with them as a “pro-bono consultant,” for a lack of better word since the summer.  I have an understanding of where the organization is, what it aims to become and how I can help. Needless to say I still have a lot learn about the organization and the rest of the team.  And as with any new endeavor, there will be challenges.  Regardless, I’m very excited for this opportunity and ready for my first week¹.

1. I will be slightly distracted on Tsunami Tuesday.  Are you registered to vote?

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. I went up to New Hampshire to celebrate the holiday with the gf and her family. Needless to say it was freezing. Beside that, I had very pleasant experience. It was def to refreshing to be out of the city and not check my email on a hourly basis even if I have a blackberry. The holiday was full of cooking, eating and conversation. The highlight of the trip was by far learning how to play chess. Despite my abysmal record of 2 and 15, I still think I’m hot issh for learning how to play.

Being in NH for the last couple of days, made me realized that I’ve spread myself too thin and I lost focus on what I want to do and what’s important. I enjoy being busy and having a lot to do and being constantly on the go. However, I’ve come to the realization that it’s not really leading me anywhere fast. So I will take the remainder of the year to close up and a couple of outstanding projects and focus most, if not all, my energy on my schooling and breaking in the public policy field while staying financially afloat.  Web Dev has been great and I learned a lot from many people. In reality, I will not be completely out of Web Dev for while. Since entry level jobs in public policy don’t pay much, I will probably continue to do work on freelance basis. That being said, short of starting my own company, I’ve lost the interest to do it full time for an extended period of time. I enjoy being a geek on my own time much more than in an office. It’s time to commit more time and energy to my other passion, politics. Wish me luck.