I have learned I am a hands-on person in the most roundabout way possible. Sometimes we can never realize just how big a project is until we’re a part of it, and this week I observed this first hand.
When I first started interning, my desk was pretty much in the middle of nowhere compared to the people I was helping the majority of the time. This week, I was moved over by everyone else and I learned a lot about myself. Before this change, the atmosphere I was in was very quiet. At the time I thought I was being plenty productive, but after moving I have come to realize that I am more efficient in a busier work environment. I was always the type of person that seemed to get more things done in the buzz of a coffee shop, rather than somewhere as quiet as a library. I have found this to be even more true this week.
One of the things I learned was how to submit a website quote. Upon learning how to do so, it was mentioned that I could reach out to a coworker since I can help complete them. Eager to use my new skills, I reached out and was invited to watch her complete one more before being cut loose to complete some on my own. I soon realized once I sat down that this was a completely different task than the one I had previously learned, but excited to learn something new I watched and tried to observe as much as I could.
In all honesty, this project was a lot more detailed and intense than I had expected. I still found it fascinating to watch all of the small pieces grow into this large proposal. After watching for awhile, I was dismissed and sent off to complete one of my own. I started by making small changes to proposals and then by the end of the week was adding product and publishing numbers within the presentations.
I found that once I actually started making edits and diving into the proposal itself, I started understanding exactly what I was doing. I never realized how much I rely on hands on experience until this particular project. While entering some data seems like a small step for such a big project, it is most definitely big a step in the right direction.