The Armchair Economist’s Apprenticeship is a weekly series documenting my progress throughout my journey in the apprenticeship module of the Praxis program. I’m currently a market research analyst apprentice for a non-profit (my position is subject to change depending on the needs of my employer). At the request of my boss, I’ll be keeping the details of my employer under wraps for the time being.
Week 12: July 20, 2020 – July 24, 2020
What I’m Learning:
One cool thing I learned at work last week:
Last week I spent most of my time on a new side project which was about event planning for a seminar. This was my first time planning for an event and I started out by looking for a different venue because the original venue canceled on my employer due to COVID-19.
My first step was to ask my employer what their criteria was for this one-day seminar and then create a checklist for the venue. Basically, I asked for the number of attendees, catering options, social hour preferences, the number of hours we’ll need to rent, equipment for the speakers, and parking space accommodations for 50 plus people.
I then created a spreadsheet with a list of viable venues and restaurants (for the social hour).
This side project took more urgency than my main marketing project because the seminar is in a month and we were left scrambling to find the right place for a smaller crowd. I’m still trying to find a restaurant but it’s been difficult because of COVID-19 and social distancing guidelines.
One cool thing I learned outside of work last week:
I started the carnivore diet and it’s the first diet I’ve tried in my life. My goal is to not lose weight, I’m around 115-118 pounds so obviously I don’t need to lose weight and if anything I’m trying to gain pounds. I’ve heard so many great things about the carnivore diet like improved mood and staving off depression, reversing diabetes, and curing auto-immune diseases.
So if I’m not looking to lose weight then what do I hope to gain?
My main reason is to hopefully cure this rash-like blister that flares up on my lips, which starts from the edges of my lower lip and in the middle of my upper lip. I’ve suffered from this condition for over ten years and I have no idea what it’s called and I’ve been to doctors and dermatologists who couldn’t give me answers, the closest condition I’ve found that resembles mine is angular cheilitis.
If I let it get bad, my lips will produce this watery substance that oozes out of my pores and it dries into this gross yellowish crusty layer. It makes my lips hard, itchy, and chapped, and if I peel it more of that gross watery substance will ooze out. It also made me feel self-conscious because people noticed how gross my lips looked.
Every time I apply any type of lip balm it’ll only make it worse and make it more irritated. Nowadays, whenever I apply cheap lip balms and sometimes certain lipglosses or other lip products, I start to feel flare ups starting with the swelling of the edge of my lips. I guess it’s made me more sensitive to cheap products you find in grocery stores. So now, after years of experimenting, I finally found the right lip balm that won’t make me flare up and it’s from the Sephora collection.
I’m not entirely sure of the causes for my condition but I’m guessing it has to do with high cortisol, which correlates to high stress. But recently, about three years ago I discovered a treatment to manage it and it’s called hydrocortisone cream.
I bought the cream for about a dollar from Walmart out of desperation and not knowing if it’ll work, and after numerous experimenting with various other over the counter and prescription creams. To my surprise it worked, and kept the rash/blister at bay, for a while. If I stopped applying it once a day, my lips would start to flare up.
It wasn’t until two years ago I discovered another simple treatment to prevent the flare ups. Water. Yes, drinking enough water prevented that whole mess. Aqua est vita indeed.
So how does this relate to the carnivore diet? So far, after a week, my lips have not flared up once and I’m so happy I could cry tears of joy knowing that my cure was simply a nutritional and hydration deficiency. I’m not sure if it was the increased protein or fat intake but whatever it was, eating more meat saved me from a lifetime of suffering.
Nutrition really is everything, folks.
What I’m Creating:
One example of how I created value at work last week:
I made valuable networking connections and in fact it was with a connection I made last year when I was at my previous apprenticeship. My friend who works part time for the Blockchain Center in Miami, emailed me about the courses they offered and later called me to see if my organization would partner with them.
I introduced my coworker who is head of the project with Scott Spiegel of the Blockchain Center and they will coordinate a time to hop on a video meeting to discuss how Scott can create a course for our platform.
What project I’m currently working on at my BP:
I’m finishing up the market research I conducted and completed all the needed interviews. Soon I’ll start a marketing plan that will be presented in October this year.
What I’m doing to become a better version of myself overall:
Be kind and apologize. Always own up to your mistakes.
Weekly Monday Workshop:
What Praxis Monday session did you attend last week (ie. what was the topic & who was the guest)?
LinkedIn with Patrick Downs of PandaDoc.
What was your favorite highlight from the session?
I appreciated the step-by-step guide he provided in his slides.
What was your biggest takeaway from that session?
LinkedIn’s algorithm is slightly easier to break compared to Facebook.
Step 1: Build a profile
– Get a professional headshot
– Upload a cover photo of your personal brand or company you work for
– Create a unique and personalized tag line, e.g. I help sales team ditch documents. I help x do y.
– Add your fun personality
Step 2: Posting Behavior
– Post 3-5x a week
– Follow a scheduling formula
– Infuse your personality
-Hashtags, but not too many. Check for the most active ones for your audience.
– Comment on every comment but over several days to reengage your post.
– Medium sized word posts work best. This means no links on the post nor photos. Just text.
Step 3: Follow the right people
– Follow people respective to your interests and niche
Step 4: Comment habitually
– Comment 3-5x daily minimum. Be thoughtful and add personality
-Post ASAP on influencers’ pages
– Don’t post useless thoughts unless it’s meaningful