Week 5(ish) - Remote Work and Afrofuturism

Sorry for the late post folks. Or really, sorry to myself for my lack of consistency. :{ I’ve been strapped with UX course work this weekend. And I was far too busy at work to carve out the usual time for course work or other projects. 

This is one of the only times when I resent my 6 hour commute. Usually, I can use that time to read, listen to podcasts, and even write or do small text-based assignments; but these assignments involved finding and interviewing people. Not exactly something I could do on the train. 

My whole group had a hard time getting interviews as well, but I was one of the only ones that couldn't find any in time. Due to that, we only got to start on the 6 assignments the same day they were due. Eesh.

So I stayed up Sunday and much of Monday getting that work done. :(

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But in better news, I went to an amazing afrofuturist event (last) Wednesday called Planet Deep South. It was absolutely fantastic! (Reccomended by Deigratia from Futurus, who I met at the WeWork opening event if you recall:)

I learned a lot about the Black Arts Movement, the history of afrofuturism, and got to connect with some incredible people. 

I also caught the work-from-home wave after Jason interviewed the Wade Foster, the co-founder of Zapier, on This Week in Startups. I've worked remotely quite a few times, but never with an actual salary. Reading through Zapier's Ultimate Guide to Remote Work really got me excited about what it would be like to join such a team! 

Furthermore, Zapier has pretty much the most amazing application process I've ever seen so far. At least in terms of their applicant commitment. The transparency and sheer amount of information they have on what it's like to work there, to go through the application process, and what a remote team even looks like puts other companies to shame. 

I really wish everyone would adopt their principles. It would make applying to jobs so much more enjoyable and dignified than the current discouraging, anxiety-inducing guessing game it is today. 

I'm super excited about applying, but I'm honestly scared about messing up this opportunity. I understand my background is terribly nontraditional, and at the same time my daily struggles makes it difficult to take the time to apply. For this position, I want to take the time to really learn how Zaps work, dust up on my API knowledge, and make sure I show how I can contribute to their Customer Support team (and eventually build my way up to becoming a Product Designer). But I aint bout to sell my self short no more... lol. If I want to create a life where I can make the biggest impact, I have to learn to move with confidence and action.

Here goes!