Reflective Essay
Completing my placement with Remix has been an incredible opportunity and an extremely educational experience for gaining a realistic idea of life in the work place. Throughout my internship, I have documented my work experience on a weekly basis, noting down new skills that I have gained as well as areas for improvement. As part of my course requirements, I must write a reflective essay to evaluate my progression throughout the completion of my placement with Remix.
From day one I started to learn new things about myself and the way that I learn. The key areas of development I will discuss in this reflective essay include the following: the workplace culture, meeting work objectives, the way that I learn, experiences that related to my studies, how the experience will help me in my future career, the achievements I am most proud of, and finally what I would do differently next time.
When I first began my internship with Remix I felt very intimidated by the work environment. Not because it was a scary place, but simply because I had never worked in an environment like it before. I soon discovered that there was nothing to be afraid of however the moment I became aware of the workplace culture. Everyone was friendly, accepting, playful, helpful and welcoming. I was always asked to do something rather than told. Informal banter appeared to be standard throughout the office, even among those at the top of the hierarchy within the organization. In short, the culture was relaxed and fun, which made it almost effortless to build internal relationships from day one.
Reading through my journal entries I am taken on the journey of developing relationships with Steven and Isabelle, with attendance at events making the bonding experience even more possible. I noted different aspects of the culture shared amongst the Remix team and made efforts to fit in with this culture in order to feel like part of the team. This turned out to be a lot more effortless than originally imagined, with email conversations between Steven and Isabelle developing into informal text and Facebook messages. I learnt how to develop a balance of informal and formal communication with my co-workers in a way that allowed for me to still respect their authority and get the job done, at the same time as feeling like a valued member of the team and as an equal. My efforts here have allowed me to achieve my personal learning goal I set for myself in my original PPLGS.
Originally, my work objectives consisted of simply following instructions given to me by Isabelle. These tasks could include anything from making phone calls on behalf of the company to participating in data collection. Once I proved competent in these areas, Steven began to assign me written tasks for online content. In my journal I mention my first ever written work published to the online site – an article on G-shock watches. I recall my excitement of having my name printed along with my article on the Remix website. By the end of my placement however, I had contributed over 20 articles to Remix’s online content and approximately 16 articles to their published hardcopy issue out in June.
I found that the standards I held for myself far exceeded those that Isabelle and Steven held. I often found myself sending through work that I had rushed in order to meet spontaneous deadlines, and feeling as though I hadn’t done a good enough job as a result of having limited time to work with. However, I often received very positive feedback, with Steven raving about my writing in his completed collaborative assessment and in his discussion with my academic supervisor, Elena Kolesova. I feel that my success here was largely based on my efforts to analyse current Remix content in order to mirror their ‘voice’. I also often requested feedback to assure myself I was on the wrong track or to discover areas for improvement.
These learning strategies have paid me well in developing as a competent writer. I learnt how to condense masses of information through highlighting the most newsworthy points based on what I had learnt in my ‘News writing for the media’ paper, then structuring these points using frameworks also learnt through completing that paper. I would then read an article by Steven and/or Isabelle to gain a fresh idea of their writing style before turning my notes into a written piece. I also discovered that I work well under pressure after facing a number of deadlines set for me at times where I wasn’t even in the office. This ultimately improved my time management skills, as it forced me to prioritise tasks on a regular basis including all activities in my daily life. I recall writing about these deadlines in my journal and mentioning the other responsibilities I had on my plate at the time. These responsibilities included attending university, group meetings, and shifts at work, on top of hours in the office with the Remix team and hours spent outside of the office working on deadlines.
These experiences will help me greatly in whichever career path I choose for my future, as time-management is a key skill that can benefit efficiency in any aspect of work. Understanding how to adjust to different work cultures and how to build relationships with co-workers on a level that holds a balance of formal and informal elements is also of importance. These two skills will help me to organise my social and professional life accordingly, with the ability to meet deadlines while staying on top of other aspects of my life that I consider to be of equal importance. They will also help me to build strong internal and external relationships related to my career.
Looking back I can identify three moments during my placement that I am most proud of. The first moment was when I was invited to the launch party by the Remix team. This made me feel as though I was valued as a part of the team and that the team wanted to connect with me on a more social level outside of the office. It raised my confidence and allowed me to build on internal relationships at the same time as developing new relationships and establishing important connections. The second moment was when I managed to complete 16 written pieces in under a week for the printed magazine released in June. Although I found this challenging and stressful, I felt extremely proud with myself that I met all deadlines and produced work to a desirable standard in Steven’s eyes. I was attempting to produce the same quality as Josie, the ex beauty editor for Remix magazine who resigned during my placement. Considering she has had many more years of experience in the industry than me, I was able to mirror her language enough for Steven to not feel the need to edit much of my work – if any. This was also the moment where I felt I had achieved my professional learning goal I set for myself in my original PPLGS The third moment was when the printed issue came out and I saw my published work along with a picture of myself alongside the other members of Remix in the team bio section. This truly made me feel as though I had established myself as a part of the team, both in my eyes and in theirs.
Before I began my placement at Remix, I had expected a completely different experience. I did not see myself producing the majority of their online content, nor did I see myself having actual written work printed in their magazine. I thought that I would mainly assist in these areas, but not have the experience to actually achieve these things for myself. Basically, I lacked confidence. I expected to be treated as less superior to others in the office and I did not have faith in my ability to produce written work to a standard held by members of such a successful organisation. I did not expect to build such strong relationships as I thought that the workplace would be a lot more formal than it actually was. My experience turned out so much better than I could have imagined, and I believe this is the case for two main reasons. First, I selected an organization with a similar culture to my own, producing work that I feel passionate about. And second, I applied theory learnt in class to my experience in the office to help me adjust to organizational cultures, produce quality written work, and build strong interpersonal relationships.
Looking back, the only thing I would have done differently is let my hair down a bit more. Although the team went to a number of lengths to make me feel as though I was one of them, I still felt like an outsider for majority of my placement. This was a result of having less experience than them and coming into an environment where everyone was already very close with one another. It was hard to break down that cognitive barrier, and once I did it was too late, my placement was coming to an end. This had me at a disadvantage because I lacked the confidence to contribute ideas are push for more advanced work. I feel I was too submissive and for this reason I did not contribute as much innovation to the company as I had the ability to. I refuse to let this reoccur in my future work experiences, as I feel it truly does affect the extent to which you climb the ranks in a company. With more experience I believe I will build greater confidence, ultimately overcoming this disadvantage.
Despite this, I do feel beyond satisfied with the work I produced for Remix during my placement, and I am more than happy with the feedback provided to me by Steven after completing my internship. Looking through my learning journals it is clear that I have grown from a student into an individual who is capable of keeping up in the workplace. I have learnt how to meet deadlines, effectively manage my time, build strong relationships, condense masses of information, produce written work to a high standard, and adjust to new work cultures and writing styles. Overall I have loved having the opportunity to work with the Remix team and I would love to work in a similar environment in the future.