(2020) Biggest Takeaway by Griffin Wilson

 By: Griffin Wilson (Artists Working in Education)

My biggest takeaway from this internship is that my work is not always about how much I do, but about the quality of what I do. I learned  that talking to people is always the best way to figure things out. If I want to avoid misunderstandings, I need to ask people to clarify. I also learned that writing things down is a good way to stop you and otters from being confused.

I have never had an internship before, and this experience has had a big impact on the way I view work. I came into this internship expecting my employers to want results and productivity. I did a lot of my work trying to just get it done. I did not try to do things I was not comfortable with because I was afraid of wasting time. It got to the point where it was having a hard time getting my work done because of the way I viewed my tasks. I was so busy trying to be productive, that I was doing the exact opposite. Finally I was able to explain how I felt to my employer. She explained that she was not worried about how much work I was getting done and was instead looking for the results I could give her by taking my time. I was then able to feel better about the work I was doing and overall be more productive than before. My project is now coming along very well and i feel comfortable trying new things.

 

Talking to my employer is something that I should have done from the start. I would always go to her with my questions and concerns, but for some reason I did not talk to her about this as soon as I should have. I know now that I should always talk to the people in charge with any concern I have to avoid misunderstandings or mistakes. I am glad that I figured it out before it was too late.

Writing has never been my area of expertise. I try to avoid it if possible. But this internship, along with prior experiences, has helped me see that taking notes and making sketches is a good habit to be in. It has been easiest to keep track of my ideas and present them to my employers. I have an interest in engineering, and taking notes and sketches of your thoughts and ideas is a big part of that. I will need to get better at it if that is something I want to pursue.

 Overall I learned alot from this internship, but I am still learning. There are still things I have to figure out. I believe having an internship will prepare me for the future in ways I may not yet have realized. I believe in the mission that my organization (AWE) believes in and am glad to be a part of that mission.I hope to be able to do this again next summer and continue my learning experience.