CTP Skill Center

This week we officially wrapped up August, started September, and worked on a number of different projects at CTP. On Monday, I believe we did some email scenarios that had major formatting issues. It was good practice learning to pick up Grammarly alerts and trying to resolve each spelling, formatting, or grammar error for a business letter context.

We worked on two Google Sheets assignments this week, which was also good practice doing data entry and setting up the tables with formulas. The first one we did was a phony Girl Scout Cookie order, which had a couple scenarios where orders changed and so did the related data that displayed with formulas. The second one we did was a UCSF Nurse Wage Table. It sure would be nice to have some of that 2017 monthly salary for a Step 11 Nurse, Clinical 4. One day.

The other important development this week was working on a sample cover letter for the position I found at Cal State – East Bay. It’s interesting to finally get the chance to follow correct structure and try to plug in real world examples of details from my work history or the job application. I hope we get more practice either here or in SJS.

Finally, we had two assignments due today, the Accountability Assignment and the Monthly Evaluation. It was difficult to manage the deadline because I had been preparing to meet my instructor for Salesforce Admin Academy. I hope the training is worthwhile and amounts to more job prospects going forward.

Starting out, I got to meet my seniors in the CTT program, who all seem like very cool people to work with. I then listened to their presentations on the tech articles they chose for the week. The first one, about how Amazon is destroying rare books, really was a downer for all of us. It’s important to know but at the same time we have to pace ourselves. It’s balance we’ll have to work at. Hopefully we all can find ways to destress today and over the long Labor Day weekend.

Following the presentations, I then went off to a separate breakout room again and looked for my own article for next week. Finally, I’ll be upgraded from passive observer to an active participant. Then I worked more on the lab.

Today I presented my article on Amazon scanning and destroying books for AI training. It’s important to be aware of it, but it’s also kinda depressing, so I’ll pick a more positive topic for next week’s article. After the article presentations, I joined the combined session with PRO, and I was actually able to complete the UCSF Nurse Wages spreadsheet just before the end of class! ☺️ Unfortunately, I was unable to complete my Skillsoft requirement and send the email on time due to technical issues, as well as an unexpectedly complicated and difficult week in my personal life. I will complete that this evening.

9 3 2026

Today, during the first half of class, we presented our tech articles, and we got to meet a new fellow student Micheal and we had an icebreaker to learn more about each other and warm up to each other. After a while, we presented the articles and later returned to class. Then we worked on a Google Sheets nurse project. For me, the assignment was hard because I spent time trying to split the cell into two to match the finished example; next time, I should focus on inputting the data first and worry about the cell separating with the spare time.

The week we worked on various Google Docs and Google Sheets assignments was a fun and interesting week. I was also able to finish some chapters for CTT class outside of study, and I did well on the different tests they assigned at the end of the chapters. I also enjoy doing and working on the typing tests in the afternoon to test my typing speed.

September 3, 2026: Today, I presented my weekly tech article and did an assignment on Google Sheets.

Today we went over the general concepts of the Weekly Projects and what was expected to me. Then I spent the rest of the day working on the Project Inception Lab, which I documented on OSticket. Though they’re rudimentary, it was fun to create little images with helpful boxes and arrows so my notes can be followed more efficiently.

Awesome day of work. I really appreciate Mike for taking us through cover letters today as that is a big worry for me every time. When I was younger I would have Indeed or some other generator create cover letters for me that no longer feel quality as what we were able to produce today. The documents provided in class were exceptional as well as Mike’s help in pushing us all forward (not rushed or embarrassed, genuine outlooks for our improvement). At the end of class he mentioned we have another spreadsheet assignment tomorrow and I became so jittery writing this blog post and my attention went straight to excitement. Thank everyone for the aid! You are all awesome and a great team!!!

Today I got through the middle of the week with a lot less stress and fewer technology hiccups. My phone app for Homebase worked, so I guess I will be clocking in/out with that method instead of the old way on the computer. My typing scores today were on par with my recent practice and improvements.

The major assignment today, which took up most of class time, was the Sunshine Express Cover Letter assignment. The task was to find an approachable position on Indeed that I was mostly qualified for and to follow the step by step instructions covering the format and content of the letter.

I found a job that interested me called Administrative Support Coordinator I at Cal State East Bay. There was a lot in the job posting that indicated they may hire somebody directly associated with the campus, because of special working knowledge and experience directly related to the schools STEM lab department. However, I possessed most of the required and minimum qualifications for the job in its entirety.

The cover letter language was not easy to flesh out, particularly the two paragraphs related to “my qualifications” versus “my interest in this position.” I did my best and worked with Antonio, reading each other’s letters and providing feedback. I’m looking forward to working on more cover letters in the future and improving my career positioning.

Today, I unfortunately had to join the session late due to a very difficult situation that was completely beyond my control. I did follow the call-out procedure, so it won’t count against me, but I still hate missing class time, and I hope I never have to do it again. Anyway, I was able to make up the Meeting Deadlines assignment today, and I got through a lot of the Cover Letter assignment as well.

9 2 2026

Today we started class with about 15 minutes of typing practice and posted our scores in the chat. Then we spent the rest of the time working on the Sunshine Express cover letter and how to make an effective one to get a feel like if we were applying for a job. I feel better now that I can write and draft an effective cover letter for when I apply for jobs in the future. I wanted to thank Alex and Mike for their feedback on my first draft of the cover letter and for making it better with revisions.