This week has not led to any new major projects besides the usual office work. I have mainly been doing busy work like mailing out business letters. I did help the sports director, Dave Plevich, with a business letter he was mailing out. I rewrote and reformatted the letter and helped with the overall layout. Then we printed it out and so basically I will not have much to talk about because it was sort of a hum-drum week. Everything was sort of Deja Vu.
I was hoping to get a new project to work on, but Cindy didn't have anything for me. I had just been lucky in previous weeks to get a steady flow of new and interesting things to do. This leads me to reflect on how this is typical, everyday office work. Not every day at the office is a new adventure. A lot of it is work that you don't want to do--but it has to get done. Someone has to do it. Interns are good for that!! I think it's funny because regardless of whether or not there is a big project pending, on any given day I can walk into the office and if Cindy isn't in, then Lauryn or Dave jumps on the chance to give me work to do. The good thing is though while I feel there is definately a use for me in the office, I don't necessarily feel "like just an intern". I get to sit at a girl's computer desk that is never there, who is another coordinator at the visitor's center (Markeisha) and feel comfortable working with everyone there. I don't know where Markeisha is that she is never there, though. Hmm, it's one of those things I don't know, but when I'm there never think to ask!
Here are some things I've learned so far. It is all really common sense and basic though. However, it is so much different from actually stating these and knowing it in your head to actually applying it as an intern. That's why I think being an intern is really valuable. First off, I don't feel too shy to ask questions, but I have learned to try to figure out more things on my own before giving up and asking first. Also, if I can't figure it out, it's much better to ask questions than screw the whole thing up and get it wrong. Also, as I have said before set goals and deadlines even if your boss doesn't give them to you. Also, if there is nothing to do, instead of doing nothing ask around to see what you can do. I have so far never been turned down. :-P I actually learned to do that in my old job because employers really appreciate that. Well, I am done talking today because it feels like I am just jabbering on.
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Great stuff here, Kellen! I especially appreciate your attention to spelling the specific kinds of things you're learning; it's easy for people to say "oh, that's common sense," but you're doing a very valuable -- and often difficult -- thing in reflecting on and writing about what you're learning in terms of the organizational culture. As we learned in our first reading of the semester (by Sherry Southard), learning "protocol and human relations" can be the most important thing for professional writing interns to gain!
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