Thursday, January 27, 2011

When the real world comes knocking

All good things come to an end – and so it is with CreComm.

During the past three weeks I got a chance to see what that ‘end’ (which hopefully includes a job) could potentially look like.


For me, that meant working as an intern for the provincial government in their communications/writing department.


I wrote a lot of stuff, went to a few places, and met a bunch of very nice people willing to share some advice with an aspiring PR practitioner.


Getting up-close and personal with the province's new Amphibex at my first outdoor news conference - thanks Paul!



It was a great opportunity to gain some insight into the inner workings of our province and build up my portfolio with some published pieces.


It also gave me time to think – without the pressure of making money – about what would make the perfect job.



Work


Being in CreComm for nearly two years has taught me how to efficiently work on multiple assignments that exercise different parts of the brain all at the same time. It’s stressful, it’s exhausting, and it’s life-consuming; but when it’s not there, I miss it.


As an intern, my primary task was writing and editing anything that came across my desk: news releases, brochures, web content, letters, etc. I was never writing about the same topic, and quickly became well-versed in a number of things. (Need to know about EIA (Employment & Income Assistance), renting with pets, or water turbidity? That’s me!)


On the other hand, I was using the same skills over and over. In the end, I realised I like being a generalist, not a specialist.



Workload


At my work placement, I was fairly busy, but not too busy to take a decent break for lunch and a quick walk – which I needed, being at a desk most of the day.


When I got to shadow a few of the communications coordinators, I noticed that sometimes lunch break wasn’t even on the agenda, or the 15 minute walk for coffee would have to wait. I was, however, a bit jealous of how often their work took them beyond the desk – out scouting locations or attending meetings elsewhere.


I also still haven’t come close to deciding where I stand with BlackBerries. All of the coordinators I met had the standard BB and almost all were constantly monitoring them for incoming news (even at staff meetings... um!)


The good side to these devices is you don’t have to be tied to a desk to do your work. The bad side is that your work follows you everywhere.


Everyone I spoke to said there is a fine balance to deciding when you will answer a call/email/text, and at what time of night you turn the phone off. I don’t want to be tied to a desk all day, but I also don’t want to be a slave to my BB (or preferably iPhone).



Work environment


I’ve been to many a typical government and corporate office before, so the neutral coloured walls and furniture, cubicle mazes, few windows, and (I’m biased!) PC computers with Microsoft OS didn’t surprise me, but it did make me think about how it could affect my work.


When I started my program at Red River College Princess Street Campus, I immediately felt my creativity jump a few notches simply by being in more visually interesting surroundings. I’m always amazed at how texture, colour, and the appearance of open spaces can make people in the room feel more energized and inspired.


I love homes and offices with well designed interiors that foster good working conditions both physically and mentally, and definitely believe it’ll be a deciding factor with some of the jobs I take in the future.