Alex Thomas for Hearing and Brain Centers Application

Speaker: Alex Thomas

Alex Thomas: Hi, my name is Alex Thomas. I'm a hearing care specialist, uh, licensed to practice in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and I got board certified last year. Um, I was very surprised to see this ad on, um, online. Um, I generally try to follow everything of Doctor Darrow. Um, I've taken a few of his courses and enjoyed them all and keep telling people everyone that I meet that, you know, they should take such and such course, blah, blah, blah, anyhoo. Um, I'm applying because, well, I greatly admire the man and, um, I would love to work with, for him, with the values that he espouses. So, um, and that's it for that.

Alex Thomas: Uh So why should you hire me? Well, I'm very passionate about what I do. Um I was honestly originally planning on becoming a teacher, high school teacher to be frank, um, but ended up falling into this field and I really enjoy it because I get to help people. It's really all I've ever wanted to do. And the, um the moment that you change someone's life, uh you can actually see it and I doesn't happen all the time, of course, but when it does happen, it just brings joy to the heart. Right. In addition to that, I, I love what I do based on the technical parts of it, I can get a tiny bit technical sometimes but, um, probably nothing compared to an audiologist. However, um, I, I just enjoy it and I feel like I'm good at it. I like connecting with people and helping them.

Alex Thomas: So what is my greatest accomplishment so far? That's a tough one to answer because, um I always sort of think the next greatest accomplishment is on its way, you know, you're continually learning, um, and making yourself better, both professionally and personally. And so you have greater heights to reach all the time. So, but if I had to choose, um honestly, I, if I had to choose personally, I'd probably say becoming myself, so to speak. Um I had AAA tough growing up and I was lost for a little while. Um, just like anyone, I guess you could say, but coming into my own, being able to be content with who you are, um, and being able to just live life as it's meant to be lived, you know, um, that I consider to be a great accomplishment. Um And something that's always going to need to keep going with that, you know. Um, it's not a one and done process there. Um, professionally, I'd say, well, finding a field that I enjoy, you know, previous to being a hearing specialist, I would have one job and I'd stay in that job for about a year. Um until I'd find a new challenge. And to me, uh, a hearing specialist is a different challenge each day because you have to deal with the, the different um challenges that different patients present. Um And I've been doing this well, I get, I was properly licensed in April 2021 but really, I've been doing it since 2019 and I'm not tired of it yet. So I found a challenge that is worthwhile to continue being challenging. And that's a great accomplishment for professional life and honestly personal. Any who, that's my answer to that question.

Alex Thomas: So describing my perfect day. Um I think it would be hard to have a perfect day that said, I guess answering two fold again, personally, ver versus professionally. Um personally, definitely has my father in it very close to him. Um Kind of think of him as like a best friend, sort of vibe. Um But uh you know, I have a lot of what I would actually call kind of perfect days. They're Sundays. I have brunch with my father on Sundays. We go out, we joke, sometimes we have philosophical conversations, sometimes they're very science based secrets of the universe, all that sort, sometimes we talk about audiology and how it relates to how the brain works and all that. So, um anyway, we do that. We have a good time together. Sometimes we'll go to target afterwards and um you know, have people take videos of us messing around. Um That's generally what I would call a perfect day. Um Professionally, it's whene whenever those days come where, you know, you've changed someone's life, um where they get those wide eyes or that massive smile or they're just completely shocked if that happens in my day. Or even if I've got someone calls me up saying, you know, thank you for what you did for me. You know, I get those calls sometimes that makes my day perfect. So there you go.

Alex Thomas: So in the next 3 to 5 years, where do I see myself? Both pers personally and professionally personally. I hope to be married. Um My father keeps telling me Alex, by the time I was your age, I was already had two kids. I had been married, I owned a couple of houses and I was divorced already. And I say dad, I don't know if it's something to brag about that. You were already divorced by my age. And he says, you know what I meant? Well, I don't want to be divorced but I would like to be married, maybe have a kid on the way, um, or have a kid, you know, I don't, I don't wanna get too bogged down by the details of it, but, uh that would be nice. Um I wouldn't mind at some point owning one of those tiny homes. Um, I like the idea of it. I'm not sure how practical it is for New England though. Any who uh professionally, I just like to be in a secure job. Um, something that I know is, has a future, you know, something that I don't see ending right. Um, there are few jobs out there that are being filtered out both by education as well as, um, just, you know, the consumer market changing. So, um, yeah, there you go. Uh, I think that, that solved that question.

Alex Thomas: So what do I think of for motivation, inspiration or direction and why um might be asking why I'm repeating these just to focus my mind. Um So motivation for me, how can I help someone? Um It's what I've always wanted to do with my life when I was a child. I wanted to be an oncologist. Not sure how got so specific with that when I was 10 years old, but I, I wanted to be an English teacher at one point. Um And now I'm a hearing care specialist no matter what I see, the, what part of this job helps people and what am I doing to advance that part? Um So why I don't know, just always what I wanted to do I believe in helping people. Um I don't see that it may make me like um be revered in history for it. It's not, that's not the purpose, it's just to be a good person. Um And that's how I see to do it. Any who um if I chose something for inspiration, I guess it probably would be a combination of uh Martin Luther King Junior, my stepfather and my father and all for different reasons. Uh Martin Luther King Junior was a great man. Um He stood up for what he believed in. He stood up for his fellow man. Um I guess I really see him as an inspiration simply because we share the same birthday. Um You know, our goals are, are, are very different, the way we do. It is very different, but ultimately helping our fellow man is the purpose and he was very inspiring. Um My father, another great man, um he's worked all his life since he was seven years old. Um People have taken advantage of him for it, but he just keeps on plodding along. He's determined. He's, he's very secure in who he is and what he will contribute and how much he'll give of himself to contribute, which in answer to that question is as much as humanly possible. Um He's probably the strongest man I know. Um And so he inspires me that way. Um And my stepfather for a very different reason, he's not a very nice man. Um But he did teach me a very strong work ethic. Um And he that kind of motivates me. Um And he also, he also inspires me to be not like him, um be kind, be generous, um you know, uh give of yourself without um expecting to be rewarded, things like that. So anyway, long winded answer again, I'm a bit of a talker uh does help me um empathize with people though. Thank you.

Alex Thomas: So what gives me a sense of purpose? Um I'm not quite sure how to answer this question, um be because I don't wanna continue to repeat myself about, um, you know, my purpose being to help others. But what gives me that sense of purpose? Um I'd say how I was raised, um treat others better then maybe I've experienced in the past but also to treat others. Um The way they should be treated, it's, it's that golden rule of kindergarten, you know, um treat others the way you want to be treated. It's I use it more frequently maybe than I should, but it's such a simple thing and the fact that a lot of people maybe forget about it or just ignore, it doesn't make much sense to me. It's something simple you can remember, but maybe the other that gives me the sense of purpose, my heart. Um I'm a emotionally driven man, not, you know, out of control or anything like that. It's just, you know, some people are driven by their logic and some people are driven by their heart and no, nothing's wrong with either of those two things. Um And there's actually positives from both sides of it. If I had to say though, I would be driven to a purpose from my heart. And that's what makes me want to help people, which is what I value as her view as my purpose. Hopefully, that answered the question.

Alex Thomas: So what does success look like to me, su success looks like you like your job first off. Um Something that you enjoy doing um If you're not enjoying what you're doing, well, that's one part of success that you did not succeed in. Um Maybe also something that's, you know, financially helps secure your life, however you choose to live that life. Um Something that for me would support, uh you know, having a family at some point. Um Success looks like to me having that family, um having those people that care for you around you and that you care for them. Um Success looks like being able to enjoy the world around us while we're here in it. Um You know, not spending every day um for the rest of your life, you know, grind into that work schedule. It's not bad to do it now while we're young so that we can do that when we're older. Um So that's what success looks like to me, family, good job, happy life as best as happy you can get it and family around you and enjoying that life that you have to live. All right. Thank you.

Alex Thomas: OK. So what would be my top three book recommendations? So I said in an earlier video, uh and I don't know if you can tell this, but I'm moving my hands a lot. I'm Italian. I talk with my hands. But um top three book recommendations. I was an English major in college. I love this subject. I would say two definitely have to make my list. And that would be Frankenstein and the last Man, both by Mary Shelley. Um I personally love gothic fiction and I mean, the classic gothic and so Mary Shelley really gets that niche for me. They are two of my favorite books. And Frankenstein is just, you know, it's so much different than what you'd imagine it to be. It's, it's essentially a even potentially an expose. I guess you could call it on how, you know, things are not necessarily how they're perceived to be where Frankenstein's monster is the one that's really noble and sublime. Um Whereas Frankenstein himself, Doctor Frankenstein is perverted, um not in a way but perverted in terms of his morals. Um Very interesting book. The last man uh was published a couple of years after Mary Shelley died, um, how she had a very tragic life. So it's unfortunate from that viewpoint. Um, but the last man says it in the title, it's the book about how someone becomes the Last Man. Um, Bernie Tragic Story. But imagery is amazing. Uh So the third book that I'd re recommend might be, you know, I really like Bill Bryson. Um, I've read a lot of his stuff but a walk in the woods by Bill Bryson, how he and his friends, uh, hiked the Appalachian trail. It's kind of inspiring for years after I read it. I wanted to hike the Appalachian trail myself. But, um, any who, um, I guess I'd recommend that one for the inspiration it invokes.