Throwback Blog: A Second Look At 2015

Blogger's Note: Throwback blogs are blogs from my past. I start posting past blogs reflecting what I wrote. It's like my "A Second Look" blogs for which I give myself feedback.

Today's throwback blog is titled A Second Look At 2015 written on Dec 17, 2016. These are the top 18 blogs in 2015. All of the feedbacks are true today. The general feedback for the feedbacks is I practice them today. An additional feedback for the feedback 4. A Sample Of Changes Everyday is I see more people losing natural beauty as they naturally age. I reiterate 6. I Define Self-Respect for which people with problems don't respect themselves. I remind responsible adults 14. Accept The Daily Adult Living. I could have slowed down multiple times during my Self Job Training Graduation Analytics Research Technology; on the other hand, it took me nine years and two months to complete. Regardless, 17. Yes Slow Down eat breakfast, eat lunch, eat dinner, sleep well, and pace accordingly are great to slow down.

It's the time I look back at my 2015 blogs to give myself feedback. The goal is the same as past second looks: relearning from my mistakes, reinforcing my lessons, reminding myself my moments, refreshing acquired knowledge, rediscovering new wisdom, and correcting errant blogs. These blogs are also the 2015 best blogs.

There are 18 blogs for A Second Look 2015. There were 17 blogs for A Second Look 2014 and 11 blogs for A Second Look 2013. These 18 blogs are spread throughout the year. The breakdown: Jan has 3, Feb has 1, Mar has 3, Apr 1, Jun 2, Jul 3, Aug 1, Oct 3, and Nov has 1. I continue my second looks in Dec because I want a full year to think about my past year.

I provide the title and link to the original blog, date, summary, and my feedback. Enjoy!

Blog Title: 1. Exercise Your Body From Head To Toe Inside And Outside
Date: Tuesday January 6, 2015
Summary: Use it or lose it. Use your abilities physically, mentally, and emotionally. Otherwise, you lose them.
Feedback: The blog is another way to say maintain your body inside and outside.

Blog Title: 2. My Spirituality Discovery
Date: Sunday January 11, 2015
Summary: Reading my personal bible once a week and sleeping seven nights a week are my spiritual discoveries.
Feedback: The next job my spiritual practice sleeping is a weekday priority. I admit I haven't read my personal bible weekly for months. Ironically, I have been productive completing my responsibilities one at a time. No rushing. Minimize stress. I pace myself. Fortunately, I remember most of my personal bible I recite at times I need encouragement.

Blog Title: 3. Go Get My Life
Date: Saturday January 31, 2015
Summary: Getting a life requires working. A good life is not given on a silver platter. Be responsible. Don't take life for granted.
Feedback: I wonder if I wrote the blog in 2007, then I tell myself I'm full of shit. 2007 was the year I took all my successes and fortunes for granted. The blog above is I'm a man of my word today sincerely and truthfully. I continue learning new job skills. I workout at the gym. Moreover, I'm retired from anime. I say goodbye to anything and to anyone holding me back. I have more free time to earn a good life.

Although my past contract job ended up nowhere, I continue doing what I wrote. No wasting time. No jerking around. No taking my life for granted. Work and earn.

Blog Title: 4. A Sample Of Changes Everyday
Date: Friday February 27, 2015
Summary: I wrote four life changing samples humans experience. They were beauty, jobs, climate, and computer.
Feedback: Quoted for emphasis. Our looks change as we age. Many of us find another job. The weather patterns are changing. Technology innovates every day. Most changes are beyond our control.

Blog Title: 5. Work Sat Mar 7, 2015
Date: Saturday March 7, 2015
Summary: I drove on the carpool lane solo to work on Wed Feb 25 and Thur Feb 26 because there were two car accidents in those two day.
Feedback: I never drive on the carpool lane solo for the rest of my life regardless of time. I never drive on the carpool lane solo between the minutes before the carpool time starts and the minutes after the carpool time ends. Why? A police officer pulled over three solo drivers minutes before the carpool lane time ended on Thur Feb 26. I was lucky I merged out of the carpool lane.

Blog Title: 6. I Define Self-Respect
Date: Thursday March 12, 2015
Summary: My self-respect definition is live a good life. Take care of yourself. Be active. Avoid situations where you're uncomfortable.
Feedback: Here is another blog I wonder if I wrote the blog in 2007, then I tell myself I'm full of shit. To repeat, 2007 was the year I took all my successes and fortunes for granted. Self-respect is controlling more of your life. I want to control more of my life. I want to be in my driver's seat. Be professional. Avoid anything and anyone holding me back. Self-respect requires strength, courage, intelligence, and desire. Sometimes self-respect includes saying good-bye.

Blog Title: 7. My Girlfriend's Ultimatum Or Her French Black Dress
Date: Sunday March 15, 2015
Summary: The blog is from a dream. It tells me how to make my lover happy. Also, for the record, my lover must make me happy.
Feedback: Be the best. Never take my woman's love for granted. I want to be the person not to get the French Black Dress. Be strong. Be smart. Improve. Show the world the woman is happy being with me.

Blog Title: 8. Never Give Up Finding The Ultimate Happiness
Date: Saturday April 11, 2015
Summary: There is a human being meant to fall in love with another human being.
Feedback: The bullshit blog theme continues. I wonder if I wrote the blog in 2007, then I tell myself I'm full of shit. To repeat, 2007 was the year I took all my successes and fortunes for granted.

I believe it today. I'm always working on finding my ultimate happiness even when I'm unemployed and living with my parents. A lover makes happy life happier and sad life bearable. There is someone out there who's a match. There are an infinite amount of different people including geeks, boring people, introverts, book lovers, adventurers, wine lovers, and preppers.

Blog Title: 9. The Past Caught Up With Me
Date: Wednesday June 10, 2015
Summary: The problems I ignored in the past are affecting me in the present. Some of the problems included living a boring life and poor job skills.
Feedback: Checkpoint. How am I doing solving my past problems? They're a work in progress. I need more time. I'm optimistic my hard work catches me up what I missed pays off soon.

We live with problems. Nobody lives a life problem free. Carefree, worry free, and lazy people ignores problems. Eventually the problems come back in a negative way.

Blog Title: 10. My Manifesto Jun 11, 2015
Date: Thursday June 11, 2015
Summary: I wrote eight promises to live a good life. Some of the promises included get a job, live independently, and no hoarding.
Feedback: I need more time to accomplish the one shot goals. The indefinite promises are continuing accomplished.

Blog Title: 11. Top Ten Life Lessons From The Beatles
Date: Wednesday July 1, 2015
Summary: The ten life songs from The Beatles are Getting Better, You're Going To Lose That Girl, Here Comes The Sun, Something, Carry That Weight, We Can Work It Out, The Long And Winding Road, I've Got A Feeling, Get Back, and Let It Be.
Feedback: I repost to remind myself and my readers.

Blog Title: 12. Independence
Date: Friday July 3, 2015
Summary: The day I declare myself living independent is coming soon.
Feedback: Here is a 2015 bullshit blog. On the other hand, I wrote it on Independence Day weekend. Also, I have been repeating myself throughout 2015 my current life situation. In other words, duplicate blogs on how I'm getting better. Is it okay? I remind myself by repetition.

Blog Title: 13. Did I Make A Difference?
Date: Tuesday July 7, 2015
Summary: I recognize the people who helped me, taught me, and corrected me. I don't know how to pay back my debts for their assistance.
Feedback: I want to make a difference to other people. I have big debts to pay back. It's a question of when. I live my live in the driver seat. There are people who take a ride with me for which I make a different to all my passengers.

Blog Title: 14. Accept The Daily Adult Living
Date: Tuesday August 4, 2015
Summary: Strength, courage, flexibility, maturity, professionalism, and a grown-up behavior are required to live the adult life. No day is the same. Expect to be always behind in something. Be prepared for emergencies. Accept new challenges. Always meet new people. Stay active.
Feedback: Here is a good summary to live a good adult life; although, sometimes there are bad times. Nobody lives a 100% perfect easy life. Sometimes we must say no.

I see myself the life I described above as an adult. I hear stories and witnessed myself other people living the adult life above. Unfortunately, some of the adults do a poor job living the adult life. I live my adult life responsibility and intelligently.

Blog Title: 15. What I Learned Finishing CERT Academy Training?
Date: Wednesday October 7, 2015
Summary: One of the two concepts I learned was schools plant the seed. The responsibility to learn more and to become an expert is you. Don't take knowledge for granted. Never stop learning. Continue training. Continue refreshing. Innovate infinitely.
Feedback: Good parents encourage their children to infinitely learn. There's school vacation. There's no learning vacation. Continue learning something, anything. Likewise for adults. It's normal for a working adult to relax after a long day's work. Rest is required. No problem. Find some time in a calendar work week to learn something new. The learning can be job related or life related. The repetition is learning something new and reviewing something existing. Repeat infinitely.

In particular, the CERT 21 hour training planted the seed, started the motion what to learn and what to review, and continued learning. Similarly, I'm following the CERT self-learning attitude to learn Python, VBA, CSS, and JavaScript. There is so much to learn books and videos scratches the surfaces to become an expert. It takes time.

Blog Title: 16. Today I Want To Talk About Adventure
Date: Thursday October 8, 2015
Summary: Adventures are required to live a good life.
Feedback: Good adventures means a good life. Good stories attract good people or meet new people. Good stories mean a life without boredom. I have something to say. I don't have to stay something. Nobody wants to hear boring conversations.

Blog Title: 17. Yes Slow Down
Date: Friday October 9, 2015
Summary: Listen to your body. Get rest when you're tired.
Feedback: Eat your breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals daily. Never skip meals. I want to repeat. Sleep, take a breath, and pace yourself are all important.

Blog Title: 18. All The People In My Life
Date: Tuesday November 10, 2015
Summary: I ask myself the people I met in the past are doing better today. I want to be part of a group of people living a good life.
Feedback: I must make the blog true. My bullshit blogs end here. I don't take past people who helped me, shared their knowledge, and spent their time with me for granted. The next time these past people see me I'm a better Raymond Mar. I prove it to them. I prove it to the world. I nominated the blog for the blog of the year if there was an award.

I Read When I Was Five Years Old

Many of today's four year old children and five year old children can't read. I read sentences when I was five years old. I read words when I was in preschool. I remember reading my teacher's name on her desk. I remember reading my name on my snack bag my mom prepared me. I read books when I was in kindergarten. I remember reading the word "playhouse" in the indoor blue colored classroom playhouse with stairs, doors, beds, and a kitchen. I also read the instructions in the math book. My spelling was average. Perhaps, I was in the minority good reading skills didn't correlate with good spelling skills. Sesame Street taught me well.

What happened to schools today compared to decades ago? I don't know why today's young children can't read. On the other hand, I know junior high school students learning Algebra. My nephew learned Algebra when he was in junior high school. Perhaps, at the end of the day, today's public education system has neither progressed nor digressed.

There Is Work To Be Done

There are responsibilities to be completed. Get it done. In particular, the single and unemployed people. Not all work involves being compensated with money. There is physical work staying in physical shape and maintaining good health. There is work preparing healthy meals. There is work maintaining a clean and organized living environment. Work to get smarter by reading books and learning skills. Training in job skills is work. There is nothing wrong with watching television and playing videos games. They're leisure activities. Watching television and playing video games to avoid work is a problem. Watching television and playing video games don't pay the rent or mortgage.

Self Job Training Graduation Analytics Research Technology

The college diploma is fake. The degree is fake. The award is earned. The training is real. I passed the classes for data analysis or data science. YouTube videos, online education, books, articles, and online posts are my learning sources. The part time self-training took nine years and two months. The self-training could have been completed in five years if I trained full time. The reasons for the part time included household responsibilities, family obligations, other personal commitments, and mistakes from Aug 2014 to Dec 2019. Nov 2014-Mar 2015 were excluded because of a contract job.

I summarize my self job training completion from start to finish.

Aug-Oct 2014: The Preview, The Foreshadow, The Seed

I failed an interview for a contract Data Analyst position because I failed the Excel tests in Jun 2014; in particular, I failed the VLOOKUP test. I never used VLOOKUPs in past jobs. I couldn't explain how I used Excel successfully without VLOOKUP. Bible truth.

I reviewed and learned Excel which included reviewing pivot tables and learning VLOOKUPs watching YouTube videos in Jul 2014. My contract job with a retail startup wasn't renewed in Sep 2014. My friend Appu introduced me to Python for the first time and Ubuntu for the second time. He introduced me to Ubuntu for the first time in 2008. My first Python learning came from a book written for kids. The self job training ended in Nov 2014 when I found another contract job in a networking company.

May 2015-Dec 2019: I Didn't Know What I Was Doing

I actually started in Apr 2015 during my last month at my contract job. The first topic was relearning Oracle SQL. I continued Excel which included dashboards, statistics, and data analysis in May 2015 when I became unemployed. I taught myself Salesforce watching YouTube videos and reading a tutorial book. I created a free Tableau account to learn Tableau from a .pdf book. I quit both Salesforce and Tableau because there was no progress.

VBA was added on Feb 2016. I continued Oracle SQL and Excel. Python began in Apr 2016 learning online from CodeUpStart promotion on Kickstarter. The lessons were terrible. The CodeUpStart convinced me to be skeptical when paying for online training courses. Linux and the text editor Sublime Text began in May 2016. I reviewed HTML, learned CSS, and learned JavaScript. I uploaded my redesigned webpage Innovate Infinitely on Jun 29, 2016.

A major change happened on Apr 2017. I was diagnosed with Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis. I was admitted as an in-patient in a local hospital requiring an Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatography which removed gallstones and a Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy which removed my gallbladder. There was no job training for the entire month. The self job training became a consistent five-day responsibility thereafter. Git was added in May 2017. Appu introduced me to Project Euler to practice Python in May 2017. Drill training began in Jun 2017. Excel was the first drill training topic; for example, formulas, tables, and pivot tables. VBA drill training began in Sep 2017.

The self job training became six days a week in Feb 2018. My friend Spiritsnare told me about free Salesforce official online courses which I learned on Sundays. I stopped the Salesforce in Mar 2018. The six days a week stopped in May 2018 because I got sick in Apr 2018. Power Pivot and Power Query were added in Jun 2018. Power Business Intelligence (Power BI) was added in Oct 2018.

The year 2019 became inconsistent for the topics I learned for the week. Some weeks its Power Pivot and Power Query one day, Python another day, and Power BI another day. Other weeks its Python and SQL one day, Excel another day, and VBA another day. Each week and each day were random topic or topics. I continued six days a week job training between Jul 2019-Nov 2019. No new topics were added.

Jan 2020-Mar 2024: The Light Bulb Turned On Bright

I built my second desktop PC in Jan 2020. Upgraded hardware. Windows 10 operating system. Office 365 subscription. Upgraded Ubuntu from 18.04 to 20.04. I also re-evaluated the topics. Power BI, Power Pivot, Power Query, Python, and SQL were the five topics each week. JSON were added on Apr 2020. A two group and two-week rotation started in Jun 2020 which continued to Mar 2024. The initial first group was Excel, Git, Linux, Power Pivot, Python, and SQL for six days. The initial second group was JSON, Power BI, Power Query, Python, and Sublime Text for six days. The COVID-19 global pandemic made the six day weekly rotation easier. Data analysis was combined with Power Pivot and dashboards was combined with Power BI starting on Aug 2020. I completed JSON in Sep 2020.

The year 2021 started with a winter break from Dec 20, 2020 to Jan 16, 2021. I changed my two group and two-week rotation. Excel and data analysis, finance, Power Query, Python, and SQL were the first group for six days a week. Git, Linux, Sublime Text; Power BI and dashboards; Power Pivot; and Python were the second group for five days a week. PowerPoint replaced finance in Jun 2021. R and R-Studio were added in Jul 2021 for Saturdays. Also, Access was added in Jul 2021 for which I finished in Nov 2021. Data analysis ended in Aug 2021. I took a Summer Sabbatical October 2021 from Oct 13, 2021-Thur Nov 4, 2021 because I was tired.

The groups changed in 2022. Excel, Power BI, Power Pivot, PowerPoint and dashboards, Python, and R and R-Studio were the first group for six days a week. Sun was the day off. Linux, Sublime Text, and Git; Power Query; Python; R and R-Studio; and SQL were the second group for five days a week. Thur and Sun were the days off. I combined Excel with PowerPoint and dashboards in the first group in Jul 2022. Thur and Sun were the days off for the first group and the second group in Jul 2022. R and R-Studio was replaced with another Python in the first group in Sep 2022.

I added Windows 10 drill training on Jan 2, 2023. Windows 10 became part of the first group. The Thur and Sun days off changed to Sat and Sun days off in Mar 2023. Jun 27, 2023 was the turning point. It was my senior year. It was time to wrap up the topics. It was time to final review everything. Here came graduation. The endgame began. Power BI, Power Pivot, Python, R and R-Studio, and SQL were the endgame topics. Git and PowerPoint and dashboards were excluded in the endgame topics. Excel, Linux, Power Query, and Sublime Text topics continued as drill training. Excel, Linux, Power Query, Python, SQL, and Sublime Text were the endgame first group. Power BI, Power Pivot, Power Query, Python, and R and R-Studio were the endgame second group. Oracle SQL was the first endgame final completed on Jul 10, 2023. Windows 10 stopped in Aug 2023.

The rest of the endgame topics were completed in 2024. I finished Power BI on Jan 16, 2024. I finished Power Pivot on Jan 17, 2024. I finished SQL on Feb 14, 2024. I finished R and R-Studio on Mar 7, 2024. Topics completed were replaced with incomplete topics; for instance, one week two days of R and R-Studio and two days of Python because Power BI and Power Pivot were finished. I finished Python on Mar 25, 2024. I congratulated myself graduating. I never paid for any online training courses.

Apr 2024-?: Never Stop Learning

I began researching new skills to self-train on Mar 26, 2024. The new skills are the graduate self job training. The topics are either Excel and Power Pivot or Excel and Power Query, HTML and CSS, JavaScript, Python, and WordPress. Power Pivot and Power Query rotates every two weeks with Excel. One group. Sat and Sun are days off. Never stop innovating. Innovate infinitely.

There are multiple family priorities since Apr 1, 2024. There is no graduate self job training as of today.

Suggested Learning Sources

Here are suggested YouTube video channels, online education, and books in alphabetical order.

YouTube
Corey Schafer. Multiple topics for beginners to experts.
EJ Media. HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and JQuery.
Excel Campus - Jon. Excel career training.
ExcelIsFun. Excel, Power BI, Power Pivot, and Power Query. Best for Excel newbies.
Kevin Stratvert. All purpose educational content creator.
Manish Sharma. Oracle SQL expert.
MarinStatsLectures-R Programming & Statistics. R-Studio.
MyOnlineTrainingHub. Excel and Power BI career training.
ProgrammingKnowledge. Linux, Ubuntu, and VirtualBox.
sentdex. Professional programmer.
Socratica. Educational courses.
thenewboston. Bucky is a genius in multiple programs and multiple technologies.
WiseOwlTutorials. Excel and Excel VBA.

Online Education
Codecademy. Free and paid courses in technology. Examples are AI, programming languages, web design, data analysis, and game development.
Codewars. Learn programming by solving problems. Free to join.
Kaggle. Download data sets to practice data analysis.
Project Euler. Solve mathematical problems by writing code. Create an account to track progress and access solutions which must be solved by the user first.
Socratica. Free and paid courses in math and science.
SQLZoo. Learn SQL following their tutorials.
w3resource. Free online tutorial to learn and to practice.

Books
M Is For (Data) Monkey by Ken Puls And Miguel Escobar. Beginner Power Query.
Master Your Data With Excel And Power BI by Ken Puls And Miguel Escobar. Intermediate to advanced Power Query.
Python For Kids by by Jason Briggs. If you can't understand Python written for children, then change your career choice.
Supercharge Excel by Matt Allington. Power Pivot or DAX.
Supercharge Power BI by Matt Allington. Power BI and Power Pivot or DAX.
The Visual Display Of Quantitative Information Second Edition by Edward Tufte. Create professional charts. No chart junk.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog March 2024

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. Measles and whooping cough were health headlines. The last two weeks of the month went by fast. Mar was the fastest month of the 2024 year. I began living a normal life slowly.

Fri Mar 1. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) dropped the minimum five day quarantine for people who tested positive for COVID-19. The new infections caused less severe illnesses, fewer hospitalizations, and fewer deaths. CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said there is immunity within the US population against COVID-19. The country is no longer experiencing large waves of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. There are predictable summer surges and winter surges on a smaller scale. The CDC wanted to align COVID-19 guidelines with other common viruses such as influenza and RSV. However, the five day quarantine remains for health care facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes.

Infected people should stay home to recover. People could leave their residence fever-free without medication for at least 24 hours and symptoms improve for 24 hours. However, the CDC recommended these people take additional precautions for five days including wearing a mask and limiting close contact with other people.

The current weekly average hospitalizations was 20,000. The current weekly average deaths was 2,000. 1.2 million Americans died. 95% of the recent hospitalized patients didn't receive the latest vaccine booster.

COVID-19 dropped from the third leading cause of death in 2020 and 2021, to fourth in 2022, and to tenth in 2023.

Mon Mar 4. The White House lifted regulations people working in close contact with the President and Vice President no longer require a negative COVID-19 test.

Tue Mar 5. A 62 year old man is vaccinated 217 times. The unnamed man from Germany received the COVID-19 vaccine over 29 months. No side effects. Researchers found his immune system produced a large amount of antibodies. No weaken immune response. He never tested positive for COVID-19.

Tue Mar 5. The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic subpoenaed New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The reason was the handling of nursing homes during the pandemic. Cuomo instructed nursing homes to admit recovering COVID-19 positive patients from hospitals. Cuomo reversed the admittance weeks later.

Tue Mar 5. I voted. I shopped at Costco. I overheard another customer the last time she shopped at Costco was four years ago.

Tue Mar 5. The US Government free at-home COVID-19 test program is suspended on Fri Mar 8. All orders placed on or before Fri Mar 8 are fulfilled. Each household order receives four rapid antigen tests. 1.8 billion free COVID-19 tests delivered. The free tests continue to be distributed to long-term care facilities, food banks, health centers, and schools. The free program is suspended for the sixth time. The nation's respiratory virus season ended. The last suspension was May 2023. It was reopened on Sep 25, 2023.

Wed Mar 6. Shopped at Costco Business Center.

Fri Mar 8. An emergency request from a family friend for a home repair. Got gas at Chevron. Shopped at Lucky.

Mon Mar 11. Shopped at Costco and Lucky.

Wed Mar 13. Paul Alexander who lived in an iron lung after contracting polio as a child died at the age of 78 from COVID-19. Alexander was known as The Man In The Iron Lung. He was paralyzed from the neck down in 1952 at the age of 6. The iron lung is a respirator which works like a person's diaphragm.

Fri Mar 15. Shopped at Costco. Light crowds. More people wore masks. Perhaps, the reason is hay fever or spring allergies. No bananas.

Sat Mar 16. Helped a family friend reorganize their residence. Ate at Chiptole. Shopped at Harbor Freight and Kohl's.

Sun Mar 17. Four year anniversary State Of California shutdown due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Sun Mar 17. Worked out at the gym for the first time since the State Of California shutdown due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The last time I worked out at the gym was Mon Mar 16, 2020.

Tue Mar 19. Former President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil was accused of falsifying his COVID-19 vaccination records. The accusation extended to 16 other people in his circles including his family members. Bolsonaro was one of the few world leaders against the vaccine.

Thur Mar 21. Watched NCAA March Madness Oakland vs Kentucky and NC State vs Texas Tech at the five minute mark during the second period.

Thur Mar 21. Life expectancy in the US increased in 2022 after declining in 2020 and 2021. The CDC reported life expectancy was 77.5 in 2022. Life expectancy was 76.4 in 2021. Heart disease is the number one cause of deaths. Cancer is number two. Unintentional injuries is number three. COVID-19 is number four.

Fri Mar 22. Watched NCAA March Madness Vermont vs Duke and James Madison University vs Wisconsin.

Sat Mar 23. Watched NCAA March Madness Michigan St. vs University of North Carolina at the ten minute mark during the first period.

Thur Mar 28. Shopped at Costco, The Home Depot, and Safeway.

Fri Mar 29. Helped a family friend reorganize their residence. Ate at Hong Kong City restaurant. I ate inside a restaurant for the first time since the State Of California shutdown due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Shopped at Costco Business Center.

Sun Mar 31. Watched NCAA March Madness Elite 8 NC State vs Duke part of the game.

No Job Breaks During My Job Search

I share my no breaks job search being long term unemployed in descending order. I forget all phone interviews. Phone interviews are phone interviews. Most of the phone interviews are recruiters instead of hiring managers for contract positions. Long-term unemployed can get job interviews.

*Dec 2019. I was interviewed for a data analyst position in a hardware networking company. A second interview was scheduled in Mar 2020. The reader should know the outcome given the date Mar 2020--the COVID-19 global pandemic. The company announced a hiring freeze.

*Feb 2019. A US based temp agency arranged a phone interview for a six-month data analyst contract. The company produced hardware chips for Internet-Of-Things. I requested a person-to-person interview because I needed to fulfill my due diligence. I experienced bad job opportunities because I failed my research. I was given an offer. I completed the paperwork. The 11th hour the agency said the contract was cancelled. I suspected a director in the division cancelled the contract.

*Aug 2018. The same US based temp agency arranged a business analyst contract for another hardware networking company. I passed the interviews. I passed the Excel test. The hardware networking company choose to hire a contractor internally.

*Nov 2017. A hospital interviewed me for a Customer Product Analyst. The hospital rejected all the candidates. I saw the same job ID with a different job title weeks later.

*Oct 2017. Google interviewed me for a Reporting Analyst II. I found out I was the sixth candidate to be interviewed. The five candidates previously interviewed were rejected because they failed the interview skills test. They must have failed intentionally. I realized why after the interview.

Side note: I took an Excel test during an interview for a low paying contract analyst position decades ago before my current long-term unemployment. The recruiter told me the contractor position was open for weeks. The recruiter must be desperate to fill the position. I arrived at the job site. I realized why the previous job interviewees intentionally failed the Excel test 30 seconds inside the building. High cubicle walls. No sound. Dull air. I forgot the idea of taking any position to strengthen my resume. The contract analyst position likely weakened my resume.

*Nov 2016. I interviewed for a four-month contract position at a software company for hospital information systems. I was interviewed for the incorrect position. Also, the job agency submitted my resume modified to the hiring manager.

*Jul 2016. A Canadian based aerospace company interviewed me for a database coordinator position. The panel interview consisted of all the department employees. The questions didn't match the job description. The technology used was outdated. It was a dead-end job.

*Aug 2013. Interview for a sales support position for a Taiwanese technology and manufacturing company at their Fremont, CA location. The interview was short. The questions asked were irrelevant to my experience. I suspected the hiring manager interviewed the weakest candidates to hire a specific worker. My interview was dead on arrival.

*Aug 2013.. Interview for an analyst position in the accounting department for a Japanese technology and manufacturing company. The interview was at their South San Jose campus. The hiring manager was fired for doing something illegal.

*Oct 2012. The position was a Contract Support Specialist for a biotech company in North San Jose. A friend helped me forward my resume to human resources because she knew someone responsible for hirings. I was approved for a first interview. Unfortunately, there was no interview because the San Jose location was incorrect. The correct location was in the East Coast.

*Sep 2012. I interviewed for an analyst position at my alma mater San Jose State University. I passed the Excel 2003 and Access 2003 exams administered to all job candidates. The actual interview half of the job requirements were not mentioned in the job description. I was unqualified. My interview was dead on arrival.