Looking Back

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?


Here are my goals from my first blog post:

My three goals for this internship:

1) Learn about city government and its sustainability programs

2) Gain research skills

3) Network and learn from my coworkers

I am only halfway through my internship, as it is a yearlong experience, so I still hope to learn a great deal more. Here are my thoughts so far on reaching my goals:
1) I have gone to some City Council Subcommittee meetings, and learned about how the Public Works department fits in to the City as a whole. I came in knowing very little about all of the programs in Solid Waste, which I now know is an extremely efficient and hard-working department with a lot going on behind the scenes. Not only have I learned about sustainability programs, but I have also helped shape them!

2) I have done a lot of research, and learned a lot about other cities and municipalities solid waste programs. I have emailed and called different people, and learned how to better organize and present information.

3) This is the goal I would like to focus on in the next half of my internship. While I have gotten to know my coworkers better, I would like to learn what they do in more detail and collaborate with them more on projects.

I have also done several events and ride alongs out in the field, and I have learned why the solid waste division values field experience so much. It is very important to know what is going on at every level. 

Although I am finished with this intern class, I am not done with my internship, and I look forward to learning a lot more in the coming months.