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Google Project Management Certificate - Completed

       I thought I had about two more weeks to go when I published the last post about Google PM Certificate, well that’s where I was in the course when I did the first post about the topic on May 10. However, the closer I got to the end, the more I wanted to just finish it. Good thing I did it on May 19! What a relief!      Why did I feel that way? The fact was, the last course had 8 peer graded assignments and I took these assignments seriously. In the previous courses there were a lot of graded quizzes that somehow I found them easy enough. If I didn’t get over 90%, I would actually redo them to make sure I understand the concepts. With peer graded assignments or any writing actually, I held myself to higher standards. Instead of spending an hour on the assignment, I often spent way longer. So much so that I had no weekend last week and this week, I have to make up some time for my internship job! I got all fired up and completely drained my mental capacity.      This is
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Google Project Management Certificate

    Several of Google's professional certificates went online at Coursera in March 2021.  That same week, I also started my internship with an early startup company.  All the sudden, I went from deciding what to do next to sleep deprived.  Life is like that, isn’t it?      For those who just want to know if it’s worth it without further reading, what I can tell you is that I finished 5 out of 6 courses in a two month span and I enjoyed it very much.      Let me backtrack for those of you who are going to read more.  Google certificates are designed for anyone, with or without degree, with all walks of life.  Anyone who could spend about 10 hours a week for six months should be able to obtain the certificate.  While I am not sure how much the industry would value Google certificates, the fields such as project manager, UX designer and data analytic are certainly in demand.  Upon the completion of the certificate, you also get help with your resume and apparently job search as there
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A letter to Melinda Gates

Dear Melinda, If you are in front of me, I would give you a big hug if you let me. No, you don't know me and I only know you through news and your book - A Moment of Lift.  Thank you for all you have done and share your experience with us. I am saddened by the news that you are divorcing.  My immediate reaction to my friend was, "if two smart people can't figure it out, what hope do we have?" Now several days have passed.  Unlike other news, your divorce is lingering in my mind.  Today, I would like to say to you, "Thank you again, Melinda, for having the courage and do what you believe is the right thing to do even though it is incredibly tough". It's not about money.  It's about equality.  It's not about compromising.  It's about standing up for yourself.  What you did gave me hope and courage.  If we are to be equal to man, we start from our own house. Your children are lucky to have such a thoughtful mom.  Happy Mother's Day! Sincerel
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A Letter to Michelle Obama

 Dear Mrs. Obama, Recently I read "A Promised Land" followed by "Becoming", I have to agree with you that Mr. Obama is indeed quite verbose and wordy! Thank you for sharing your story and I am very touched by it.  I admire your relentless effort to make the world a better place, especially on the welfare of our children. Here is part of my story that I would like to share with you.  My family immigrated to Canada when I was 15 years old.  Despite poor English, I graduated from the top engineering school in Canada, worked for a few years, and later got a master degree in engineering.  Very much like your old self, I don't have much of an aspiration, I was just climbing to a secure future.  I had my first child well into my 30s, and after giving birth, I stopped working.  Do you know anyone like me?! Almost 13 years later, my family settled in US and my youngest child just turned 11 years old.  I wanted to lead by example and show my children, especially my daught
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Interview Disaster

Update 11/18/2020 - my windows got re-installed... 11/03/2020 It would never happen to me. How could it be? I have been preparing for this. I have been waiting for this. Then, it happened to me. On this unforgettable Monday, Murphy's laws - whatever can go wrong, will go wrong - came true and true. I have gone through two phone interviews with a company. At 1 PM, there was a video interview scheduled for 2 hours, with 3 people. I knew it’s the last stage. I am this close. I tried to soak up as much React, a web front end language as much as possible for this day. Disaster struck #1: The day before, I got a phone call from my sister that my dad was in a motorcycle accident. All of his left side is scratched up. I spent two hours in the morning with my dad, my mom, and my sister to better assess the situation before the interview. I am upset that I wasn’t there to help and that he didn’t call anyone for help at the scene. Disaster struck #2: It’s almost 1 PM. I made sure
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Journey of Returning to Work

This is a tough one. Along the way, it’s filled with self doubt and rejections. I am still on the journey, but I feel I should write something down. It might help other stay at home moms some day. Here is the background. I have a bachelor degree in computer engineering, a master degree in engineering. I stopped working when I had my first child, which was 12 years ago. Now that the children are more independent, I want to see if I can be back at work. Lead by examples, right? I want to give my daughter a real life example of the complexity of being a woman today, balancing between family and career. So far, she has been witnessing the stay at home mom part, which I do believe it’s a good option for some. I started by searching on the Internet, searching for companies and programs that help women/men to return work after a long break. After some failures on job applications, I realized I should update myself with the current technology and environment first! Well, the easies
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Amazon Delivery

I am so impressed.  At 1:53 PM, I check the status of the package I ordered from Amazon and I see the following: 😃 Wow...  How could an online store beat delivery companies like USPS, UPS and Fedex in their own game? Wait...  Let me check if the package has arrived.  And of course!  I turned the box so the label wouldn't show. I use Amazon to check the products.  I use Amazon to do last minutes gift shopping.  I use Amazon to buy items that are otherwise difficult to locate at stores.  It's time saving, and hence life saving. I am sure Amazon would like me to do more, like access their digital contents.  For now, I am satisfied with this distance relationship, no desire to be more entrenched with a company.
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