Beyond the Identified Tasks

I have a clearly defined list of projects which will serve as my internship duties and I work on them because they are what I do. Writing in media other than the traditional is a large part of my internship.

I will be doing a balancing act between two database platforms for a while. The goal is to make the switch to MS Access; however, time is not our friend with this project. This is one of the projects I can take home to work on. Another project is converting our six websites over to the latest GVSU standard. This is a project that we will do cautiously. From experience we have learned that converting can cause some unexpected results. Doing one site at a time is the only way to approach this. We will also take a close look at the design of each site as we go which is another factor in the speed with which we approach this project. Like all the departments on campus, we have more work to do than time and/or manpower to accomplish it. Sometimes we work like superhumans to meet deadlines and the satisfaction of a job well done is immeasurable. Sometimes I call us the A Team. "I love it when a plan comes together."

This week I had a fun opportunity to rewrite a letter for a program that is outside my duties. Our administrative staff hold the secretaries in high esteem when it comes to rewriting and editing. I enjoyed working on the letter and plan to add it to my portfolio.

The reading assignment this week was a repeat for me. I had read both stories for another writing class. They reminded me that so much of what happens on the job is in flux. The procedures manual here at GVSU is one example. It is a fluid document. It is no longer printed. Like the student catalog and course catalog, it is a dynamic, online, ever-changing document. Change - it is the only thing you can count on.