Thank you

For your final assignment, write a thank you letter to your supervisor and/ or organization as a whole. Feel free to send a copy of your post to them as well.

Rick,

It is my pleasure to work for you and your company.  I have learned so much from your many years of experience and I appreciate your patience and your pushing when I have asked for help.  I am filled with questions and you are always very willing to answer them all, big or small. 

I also appreciate your generosity and understanding when it comes to me needing time away from meetings because of my rigorous school schedule or if I need to be with my kids.  This job came at a time when I was in greatest need.  You took a chance on me and have been so supportive along the way.

Thank you for an amazing internship and I look forward to working with you for the years to come. 

Warmest regards,

Candace

Follow Up to First Blog Post

What were the most important things you learned from this internship? Look back to your first blog post. Did you meet your initial goals? Why or why not?

I feel like the most important thing I have learned from this internship is that what you expect will happen, can change in a heartbeat.  With that, patience is essential.  Many of my projects were placed on hold.  I expected to have people work under my direction. 

With the changes that happened, I feel I have been able to hone in on my job and become better.  I have been asked to attend meetings that are typically “for Verizon’s eyes only” and am a contributing member of the group.  It has been rewarding and I am growing confidence in my abilities more everyday.

My goals I stated in my first blog are these:

1. To effectively provide great service and commitment to Verizon by ensuring I follow through with all tasks and expectations in a timely manner.  Hopefully, within 24 hours.

2. I am hoping to grasp the handling of the lease documents and making sure the passing the documents required to close out the project is complete with little to no errors.

3. I am expected to gain about 100 more projects by the end of the year, as well as bring on 3 people that will work for me.  I want to provide the training tools that I did not receive so they can feel 100% comfortable working in the crazy environment that we have here at Shaw.  

Did I reach my goals??  Well, I have met and exceeded my goals in both 1 and 2. With 3, I had my 100 projects for a hot second, and they were pulled back because of budget restrictions.  I have been able to create training tools that help my client as well as the future of employees of Shaw & Associates.  So, I would say I have met 95% of my goals. 

J

Career Services Write Up #2

I had the pleasure of attending the Idealist Fair in mid-October.  It was really great.  This fair had TOP schools from right here and all around the country that were pitching how great their graduate schools were. 

Some of the schools there were: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, University of Michigan and even ASU.  Basically, the programs offered were programs that have the public in mind.  Masters of Sustainability or Masters of Public Policies.  There was so much there, it was hard to decide where to go first!

I made my way around the room and it was a bit overwhelming.  I'm not one to talk about myself so I found it tough to mingle with the schools that I was interested in.  I talked with some schools and because of the cutoffs, I probably won't be able to do graduate school for another 2 years.  My schools of choice only have fall starts and the package needs to be submitted in early December.  It's ok though, I am really looking forward to having the time off and being with my family.

Overall, the fair got me thinking about some things that I have planned and I really hope that my hopes become reality some day.  If you have big ideas and need a little direction, check out the idealist website.  They have great tools for advancement and also events that are held around the country that are really interesting.  http://www.idealist.org  

:)

I'm Gonna Do It!

I don't care what anyone says, I am going to do what so many other bloggers are doing and am going to tell everyone who cares what I am thankful for. BORING, but hey, it's a free write and it's my blog.

So, this year has been really tough.  I am thankful for the opportunity to stand up in front of my family and telling everyone to get over themselves and we need to come together as a family unit and support one another.  I have a huge majority of my family back and I love all of them, even though many of them annoy me.

I'm thankful for my mom.  Cuz, she's amazing.

I'm thankful for my kids.  Because they give me SO much love, support and they drive me nuts.  I love my kids with all my heart and they love me with all their hearts. I'm so lucky to have these kids.  

I'm thankful for my hubs.  He makes me laugh and feel so important.  I've never felt so much love in my life.  He completes me.  No, seriously, he does.

Now for the good stuff.  I'm thankful for chocolate chip cookies and champagne.  Sleeping in to 7 am.  I love my TV and OrangeTheory Fitness.  I love my friends and my kick ass  car.  I love my Vera Wang heels and my Target Converse.  I love food, NYC and my hairdresser.  Traveling is also pretty cool too.  (Except for people next to me on the airplane who fight me for the "correct" amount of arm space.  Those people suck.)

And I'm thankful to live in a country where I have clean drinking water and the ability to speak freely.  Thank you to everyone who keeps me safe and my kids free from harm.  

Thanks to you all.  :)  Happy Thanksgiving.

Getting Closer!

It has been nothing but crazy in school lately and I cannot wait to cross the finish line!  It seems as if this time of the semester everyone is getting antsy for their papers and finals to be complete and then relax!  I know I am looking forward to it being over!

One thing that I was able to do today was a presentation (my one of two this semester) and work on my fear of public speaking.  It went as well as expected... I had flash cards with what information I needed to get across, but I most definitely sounded as if I was working off a script.  One thing my teacher mentioned to me that when I went off script, I sounded a lot more relaxed and comfortable.  I knew I needed the script to keep from saying, "UMMMMMMM" and have those dreaded long pauses.  

While it was super uncomfortable, I was happy to have done it.  It helps me grow each time and I was able to take some advice from my teacher that did help.  She told me to take my time and really think about talking slowly.  This way, you don't sound rushed and you can actually get your words out clearly.  Again, it did help, but I still freaked out!   :)

We are almost done guys!  Good luck with your presentations, projects and reports!

My Organization's Strengths & Weaknesses

What are the strengths of your organization? If you were in charge of a similar organization, are there any things you would do differently?

The organization I work with is considered one of the elite that do this type of work in the industry.  So, what makes me happy is that I am held to a higher level and looked up to from other consultants in the area.  It keeps me on the top of my game and pushes me to be the best and exceed what the client wants. 

While we are one of the best consultants in the area, behind the scenes can be a different story at times.  There are some managerial issues that could be tweaked.  For example, there is no formal handbook or training.  I had a difficult time adjusting when I first started because I had no idea what to do and made some mistakes, many embarrassing.  However, this has made me learn the job more intricately and now I am able to pass along my knowledge to people that are coming into the organization.  Also, there were no standardized forms that we used throughout the organization.  I was able to take the opportunity to standardize the forms for the company. 

All things considered, I really enjoy working for this company.  Being a consultant is very rewarding as I am able to use my own judgment on issues and to get things done for my client. 

TV Time

One thing that I absolutely love to do is watch TV.  It's something that my family and I did when I was little together.  I would watch football with my dad and soap operas and game shows with my mom.  My brother and I would always find a way to watch the latest movie together.  

When I have an hour or so to kill, TV is my go-to.  First off, I love love love reality TV.  Ever since the inception of when "reality TV" became a buzzword, I was hooked.  It is what killed the music video!  (And I loved me some music videos back in the day...)  I named my second child after I was enamored with this hot guy on Survivor.  No joke!  I loved his name so much that I named my kid after him.  And don't get me started on Bravo/TLC and A&E!  LOVE!

I also love documentaries.  Netflix is the best because there are countless documentaries at my disposal, which is the coolest thing ever.  The best one I have seen to date is Marley.  A great documentary on Bob Marley's short, yet amazing, life.  I also love any documentaries on space, the planet and animals.  Really any documentary rules.  Which ones would you suggest I watch?

Lastly, who doesn't love to watch sports on TV??  Football season rocks. Baseball is kinda boring but awesome when you have DVR. Basketball is amazing....but hockey!  That is where it's at!  Growing up in Cleveland, we did not have a hockey team.  Teams would come in and play at the coliseum every once in awhile and it was great to go to those games with my dad.  My husband lived in NYC for a brief period and we would go and see the Rangers play.  Combined with the most awesome fans in the world and the best colors ever, the Rangers are my fav!