Independent Study
What I Did...Today I also edited some pieces and took pictures. I also worked on a project for the advancement team. They had me putting in the names of the grandparents that were not in their system, in the system. I spent a lot of time on that because all the names were written out and some of them were really hard to read. I also had to look up some of the addresses to find out the spellings and some of the zip codes. Outside of doing that, I took pictures of the ELC during field day and the lower school during their passion project presentations. Then I just did some editing of one big piece for a little bit. What I Learned...Today, because I did work that I had done the previous days, I did not learn a ton. I more enhanced the skills that I learned the days before. Over the 4 days I spent a lot of time taking pictures, so by today I have become a lot more competent with it. One thing I did not like about taking pictures was when I was a distraction to the kids and they would not stop posing and staring at me. I felt as though I was interrupting, but photographing events like field day was really fun. I felt a lot more comfortable with that setting. But overall I really enjoyed the photography, I would say that was my favorite part of this week. To Compare... This week was almost a mix of my first two weeks. It was a small group similar to For Keeps, but it dealt with a lot of the same issues and worked on similar projects as Verisk. They were both working on brochures and editing different projects. I think I like the smaller environment, like at Maumee Valley, the best. It is just not as political as the corporate scene and for the time I've spent in both, I liked it better. At Verisk everything was higher stakes, they were dealing with a lot more projects and were constantly publishing different articles and blogs. Maumee Valley is also a non-profit and For Keeps and Verisk are not. Pictures I Took...
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What I Did...Today I spent most of my day taking pictures. I took pictures of three more intensives: Horror Literature, Health, and Sports and Justice. I also took pictures of the ELC because they were having a sprinkler day and the UI because they were having a guest speaker. Once I got all the pictures I did write-ups for each intensive. I just talked about what they did throughout the intensive and what they were doing in the pictures. Outside of spending time doing that, I put some more auction stuff away in the attic and edited just a few more pieces. What I Learned...Today was interesting because I actually started writing for a piece on the on-campus intensives and it was harder than I thought it would be. The write-ups are short, but you still really want it to capture your idea and get your point across. Your word choice and structure are all key components that you have to be aware of. When I was taking pictures in the UI, I quickly learned how difficult it can be to photograph kids that age. They kept staring right at the camera and sometimes would make funny faces or would get distracted by the sounds. Finding a balance of not being too distracting, but still taking good pictures is hard and I have yet to master it. The same thing applies for the high school students. I would ask to take pictures and they would get super uncomfortable and wary. Once I told them to just keep doing what they were doing and to ignore me i slowly was able to get better and better pictures, but sometimes they just never went back to normal, which is perfectly fine, those pictures just usually were not the best. It was also hard because a lot of the intensives were just working on their final projects, so the pictures were all sort of similar. So throughout the time I started trying to find different ways of taking the photos so that they were not all the same even though they were all doing more or less the same thing. So, whether it was the angle or the lighting or the setup, I tried to vary the photos which was a fun challenge.
What I did...Today I delivered some of the boys' district championship shirts to the teachers who were on campus. I also put one of the shirts and a baseball hat in the display case up at the front desk. I then edited some more papers and took some more pictures. Today I took pictures of the anatomy intensive and the physics and photography intensive. After that I went through about 400 letters that are sent out to various people who are related to the school and I made sure the layout was right and marked anything that was wrong and needed to be changed. Once I completed that, the day was almost over, so I organized the photos I took and that was just about it. What I Learned...I learned that when your are taking pictures it is a lot more beneficial if you take an abundant amount. Even if you take 200 and only get twenty good ones, you would not have gotten those twenty without taking the other 180. You cannot get too caught up in waiting for the perfect moment for the perfect picture, you'll be waiting forever. I have found you just have to start taking pictures and the perfect moments will come. I also learned how important it is to edit and peer review everything you do. Even after something was edited two or three times, we were still finding mistakes others did not. It takes time, but it is so important because put something out there with mistakes may not be that big of a deal, but it could also be a big deal and reflect badly on our school. When I was editing I also learned about all the little writing conventions we have for our pieces, like always either saying Maumee Valley or MVCDS, not MV. Also, you want to say, "Pictured" instead of, "Photo." There are just little things that you would not think about as a reader, but when writing and editing they are things you have to be aware of.
What I Did...Today I did quite a bit. To begin I took pictures of some of the on-campus intensives for The Valley, which is something I will be working on all week. I also helped move boxes into the attic and helped edit some writing. I also organized and labeled the boys' basketball district championship shirts. Then I went to a meeting about receiving content for changes that need to be made to the website. What I Learned...Today was interesting because it was really different from my last two weeks (either tomorrow or Thursday's blog I will go into detail with the comparisons). It was cool to see the behind the scenes of everything from how our website looks the way it does to where we store all of our event necessities. One thing I learned, is that when you are designing a web page, brochure, or flyer you want to make sure you have all the content before you begin designing. The content determines the design of the page, not the other way around. If you are trying to write what you want based off of a design, you will most likely write too much or too little. It is much better to have what you want said already picked out before assembling the design.
Since I am working on the piece for The Valley about the intensives, I have not learned a ton about this yet, but it is cool to be actually working on a piece. To be able to take the pictures myself and be able to do the write-ups is something I am really looking forward to making progress on these next few days. I think it will be a good experience to learn about what it is like to actually create a project. What I Did...Today I went to one meeting and that just about all I did because it was a short day due to Memorial Day weekend. She gave me time to finish up my projects, but I was pretty much done with them so I did not have much to do then. The meeting was about reviewing the satisfaction of the employees within their team and it was actually really interesting. What I Learned...In the meeting they went through a bunch of survey results they had collected in April. There were a bunch of different questions, but they were questions like, "Do you feel you understand your expectations before starting a project?" "Is your work space contributing to the success of your work?" "Do you feel comfortable confronting your team with issues that arise?". All these questions were answered anonymously and then were compared to the results of last year. It was interesting to see how people really felt about their job and how much they were happy or unhappy with it. Overall I would say the results were good in the sense that everyone was more or less comfortable and happy with their job. The one thing I found kind of funny, was that their work space questions were super low in the sense that people were unhappy. This is because their floor is being remodeled, so they are in a swing space right now, but I was surprised how much it affected people and much they wanted their space back. Even just in the 5 days I was there, everyone was commenting on how they hated the swing space and how everyone is working from home and how bad it is and, not I am going to lie, I was pretty surprised by that. I just did not realize how much of an influence it had on people.
What I Did...Today I had two interviews, one with HR and one with a Project Manager. Before my first interview I worked on my research. After the interview I started my second writing project which is creating a web page for another product. I only got a little done because soon after that I had meeting to go to regarding their plans for the year. At the beginning of each year they make an agenda for the year, and this was a check in on that agenda. I then had my second meeting with the project manager. What I Learned...My interview with HR was super interesting. Like market research, she told me how a lot of people who go into HR are also interested in psychology. They are interested in knowing how people interact and do what they do. She told me about how the perception of HR that most people have, is not close to what they actually do. People think they are just the bad guys who deal with all the problems employees have, they are just the guidance counselor. Now this is part of their job, but they also, well at least for her, do entries for payroll, help get benefits for the employees, try to stimulate the employees, try to satisfy the employees, do recruiting, communicate with other companies with something like helping them create an intern program, talk to and create international companies, and they must have an understanding of every aspect of their company so they can assist them and give valid help. She talked about how her favorite part of her job is how it is always changing, it is constantly challenging, and it is constantly making her learn and adapt. She said you can never predict people and she is a person who gets bored easily, so this is the perfect job for her. In my interview with the project manager I learned about her day to day work. Depending on the day, she is usually working on webinars, strategic projects, overseeing the marketing coordinator, presentations, agendas, and events. She also talked about how, similarly to HR, she learns something new everyday, she constantly being challenged. When it comes to her challenges though, she said the hardest part of her job are the learning curves she has to go through, whether it is for a system or a new project. On the flip-side, she loves the team dynamic of bring a project manager. She learns from her time and they learn from her and she really enjoys that collaboration. One thing I found interesting was that she said they are never short on ideas for products and new projects. The product teams are constantly coming up with new and creative ideas, she never has to worry about not having a good project to work on. Questioned Asked...Day 1:
To go back to day 1 at For Keeps, really everything I learned was new. I have had no previous exposure to retail marketing or retail alone. So, their organizations stratgies, their day to day life, their logic behind decision making, their marketing, it was all new to me. I think the biggest thing that surprised me though, was how they have to pay for display fixtures if they want to carry specific brands because those companies require it. Day 2: I did not learn the actual numbers they have to meet, but she did tell how almost 70 or 80 percent of their sales and revenue comes from September through December because that is when they sell Christmas. They have to reach a certain amount in that season so it can sustain them through the year. She also said that usually each day they have a goal of sales they want to meet, but when I was there, because it was the week after mother's day they did not have that. They knew they were not going to be selling much at all, so it was not worth it. Day 4: I do like that kind of marketing. But on that scale you are not only doing marketing you are dealing with the sales, the products, the customer interaction, and the marketing. I like that because you are apart of it all and that is cool. I also like the material they were marketing more than I like insurance. What I Did....Today I started out my day with just working on my research project. I then went to a meeting and that lasted until lunch. The meeting was a training session on a new software they are going to be using for are their projects. After that, I interviewed one of their market researchers and got an idea of what he does and how his job works. I then went to a meeting that was about figuring out which projects are the biggest priorities and which ones are not. I then just finished the day with working on the project. Although, I've been kind of stuck with the project just because two of the three competitors do not have a lot of information about their reports online so it has been hard finding stuff on them. I also do not know a lot about what I am researching, which makes it hard because I do not have the background knowledge needed to figure out what is really necessary to know. What I Learned...Most of what I learned was during the interview with on of their market researchers. His job is basically to make surveys, hold focus groups, or have interviews with his clients or costumers to figure out what in the company is or is not working and figure what outside of the company is or is not working. So, for example, if he sent out a survey to the customers and they are satisfied or enjoy this one part of the product, but the company is still spending all this time trying to change it, he would tell them to stop because it is fine. It would be the same if they did not like something that the company was spending no time on it at all. On a day to day basis he is working on 5 to 6 projects at a time and usually it is making surveys to collect quantitative data. He also said that the hardest part is dealing with all the different personalities, but that is also his favorite part. His favorite part was also the reward of seeing what people aren't satisfied with and having the power to change that for them. One thing I found interesting was that with all the surveys he sends out, there is only a 10% return rate. I also found it interesting that a lot of market researchers minor in psychology or are really interested in it because it is essentially constantly asking why this and why that. They want to know what makes certain people do this rather than that, why people do what they do. In the meeting I sat in on before lunch they were having a training session on a new software they are going to be using for their projects. It is basically a way for them to request projects, keep track of tasks, have deadlines, and really be organized all in one. It was interesting to see the process of a project, but i did not grasp it all because a lot of it was really specific and detailed about stuff I just did not know. But overall it was an interesting meeting. To Reflect...Compared to my first week, this week is extremely different. For keeps is a business to customer organization and Verisk is business to business. So already they are different because they are catering to very different groups of people. Also For Keeps is really small and has a few people doing almost everything. Verisk on the other hand, has 4 groups of around 13 people doing just their marketing. At Verisk, because it is so big, everything is so different; they are in way more meetings, there are a lot more politics, and the problems they deal with are a lot different. But when it comes down to it they both had some issues with people they worked with and they were both just trying to please their customers and make money. Overall I enjoy the collaboration of marketing and meeting with people and not just sitting at my desk all day. I do not love l the actual material, but I think that comes from the fact that this is an insurance company and I really know nothing about it, so I think I am just too ignorant to really understand. I think I could really like marketing if it is with a topic that I also enjoy and fully understand. I also was able to talk to my sponsor about the specific projects marketing does and she said along with the videos they do brochures, flyers, social media, web pages, blogs, they hold training sessions, leadership programs, and really anything else to help promote the product. Decision Net FlyerISO Claimsearch Solutions BrochureWhat I Did...Today there were less meetings than yesterday and I spent more time on my projects. When we arrived the first thing she did was meet with someone who had been gone the past few days to catch her up on the issues they have been having with Decision Net. Then until lunch I worked on two projects. I worked on a research project which is to research competitors for Decision Net so that she can learn more about it and get an understanding of what separates them from the others. So I went through and tried to find all the reports they offer to see if we offer the same ones and how we compare to them. I also worked on a writing project which was basically editing a blog post for their June preview on hurricane catastrophes. I worked on that for a while and then I also was supposed to go to a meeting to learn about a new software they are going to be using, but they were having issues with the conference room they reserved and couldn't find a new one, so that meeting will happen tomorrow. Then I really just continued to work on the research project. What I Learned... Since today I did not do too much other than work on this project I did not learn a whole lot, but it was still a beneficial day. It was interesting to me how many meetings my sponsor would go to that were not planned. She would just run into people she needs to talk to and make an impromptu meeting or just call someone and talk to them for 30 minutes. So even though she has only 2 or 3 meetings planned in that day, she often times will end up having 5 or 6. Also I have found it interesting how busy everyone is. There are so many different projects and products being worked on that little things like research on competitors get left in the dust. I keep hearing how sales doesn't understand the project or how this person hasn't learned about what it does or how another person doesn't think it will sell or be beneficial. There is a lot of miscommunication and disconnect, at least with this certain project, which I think is why there have been so many issues with it. My sponsor talked about how her team is of 13 people, but has a work load of 30, so I really think everyone is just so busy things like what I am working on are overlooked. I just find it interesting that stuff like that happens when you have such a big company. Although here I don't know what the meetings are about, I think I have learned that I like the meetings and collaboration of my sponsor's position, but the parts where you are just sitting at a desk doing work is not my favorite thing. Also I want to learn more about how they actually market their products because I haven't really learned about that and I think that comes from me not really knowing anything about what they are doing. The only thing I have heard about are the whiteboard videos they have just started creating for their projects. They do those by basically collaborating with the project manager to create a script and figure out what they want advertised and then they send it to someone who can do the voice over and illustrations. Hopefully in the next few days I can ask enough questions and figure out their other marketing strategies.
What I Did...Today was my first day at Verisk which is a large data analytics company that helps people with their insurance, natural resources, financial services, government, and risk management. I am shadowing the head of one of their marketing teams. She spends a lot of her time in meetings and so we were in a lot of meetings today. Right away when I arrived she had to talk to a product manager because one of the projects they are working on is having a lot of trouble. The communication between the sales team, the marketing team, and product team is not good and aren't going anywhere and they are blaming each other for it. She says the politics of her career is the worst part. After that impromptu meeting she had a her weekly Monday meeting with her team. They just went over the projects they were working on and what was pressing for the week ahead of them. After that she introduced a research project she is going to have me working on this week. Then we went to lunch and met with one of her colleagues and after lunch I was able to interview him. I then was introduced to two writing assignments I am also going to be working on this week. What I Learned...Today was a bit overwhelming with the amount of information I got. I learned all about their company and how it works, but there is still a ton I do not fully understand. On the marketing team basically each person has a list of projects they are working on, some are more pressing than others, and their job is to advertise and try to sell their products to other companies so that those companies will use it and sell it to costumers. I am not completely sure as to how they do this, but that is one thing I would like to find out.
In the meeting I went to with her team, I heard about how the marketing team wants to send out a survey to the other teams to get feedback on how they are doing. They also talked about how this new add-on to a product is not working and how that needs to be addressed, but there need to be meetings with sales and the product manager first. One of the things I found interesting was that one of the newer strategies they have started using are videos for their projects. The got really good feedback and people were really impressed with them, but because it is still new they are still figuring out how to distribute them and how to measure their success and effectiveness. My interview was with one of their product managers and he was super interesting. Basically this company deals with insurance claims for mainly catastrophes, but also other scenarios. He estimates the size of impact when it comes to the insurance for catastrophes such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. He then works with clients all over the world who have been effected by catastrophes and deals with their insurance claims. But there are all different categories of scenarios they help with. There are the catastrophes, but then there is risk loss. This is stuff like when an oil refinery blows up or a cargo ship sinks. These are not considered catastrophes because they do not effect that many people or buildings, but they still work with them. They also have different categories within risk loss, like terror, cyber, silent cyber, property which he also deals with. One thing I found really interesting was that if a plane crashed the damage done to the people or places on the ground would be property, but anything that happens to the plane and people on it is under aviation and they don't cover aviation. What I did...I really did one thing all day and that was re-pricing. Willow Tree, which is a popular vendor they carry in their store just changed almost all their prices. So when they do that the stores have to adjust their selling prices. I think I mentioned this in a previous post, but the price change is usually only a few dollars so it doesn't affect the costumers that much. So, because there was the price change they printed out all new price tags for all the boxes and I had to go into the basement and change them. The boxes were alphabetically organized by the name of the piece, so I would have to find the piece, take off the old price tag, put on the new price tag, then put all the boxes back. If something was goofy, like there wasn't an empty box for the display piece upstairs, or there were two empty boxes, or there was an extra tag, or there weren't enough tags, I had to write it down and pull those pieces because that means their inventory does not match. I did that for all but about 30 minutes of the day, so the rest of the day I just helped out here and there. One thing that was cool was they let me call a costumer to tell her that her bag she had ordered was ready to be picked up. What I learned...In all honesty today I did not learn that much just because I was doing a lot of busy work. But I did learn how important organization is in a store like this. Your
back-stock has to be completely organized so everyone knows where everything is and how to find it. If you can't find something in a reasonable amount of time your costumers will be waiting for too long, the work you do day by day will take much longer, and your inventory will most definitely be inaccurate. Even though the re-pricing I did today took a really long time, if it wasn't as organized as it was, it would've taken much longer. Also after I called the costumer they were telling me how important it is to make sure you mark down that you called them, the date you called them, and whether you left a message or talked to them. This way if they call and say you didn't notify them, you have proof that you left a message or who you talked to. They also said that sometimes if they leave a message with a kid or husband they mark that too because a lot of times the message does not get across through them. |