My third week of internship is coming to an end. For the past two and a half weeks working at a software-testing firm, I have learned that working in an office setting can be a lot of fun! Here at PQA (Professional Quality Assurance), not only do we work hard, we also play hard. What more can I ask for in a job?
I arrived at work right on time this morning in my jeans and Chuck Taylor high tops (our work environment is casual). My Shad colleagues and our ever so cheerful trainer, Edna, greeted me as I walked through the door. Yesterday was the final morning of the software testing portion of our training. This morning, we moved on to content quality assurance.
Lunch was brief; eating out with the other Shad Valley interns is always quite entertaining. Our conversations are fueled by good food and stories of our Shad experiences.
In the afternoon, my colleagues and I first worked in pairs on our Lynda.com tutorials. Then, we moved onto the Mac system where we modified and edited a video using Final Cut Pro 7. It was a bit frustrating at first, but we were pleased to master the program by the end of the afternoon.
Diana Sun
Hometown: Fredericton, NB
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Today was another awesome day working in the planning and policy division of Municipal Affairs in Newfoundland. It was an exciting day filled with many new activities not entirely different from my Shad Valley experience. It started out with a trip to see the new Robin Hood Bay waste management facility. Upon arrival we were given a detailed presentation about the current composition of the area and plans they have for the future. We were then given a tour around the perimeter where we could see all the different aspects of the area. It was very gratifying to not only discover that all waste and dump sites will be reduced, but also how they plan to accomplish this.
When the tour was finished we returned to the office. My Shad colleague and I continued to write the newspaper articles that we've been working on this week. The goal of these articles is to make people aware of the importance of leadership in the areas of information management and project management. Today we got one step closer to completion and hopefully, one step closer to being published.
Our next adventure was lunch with Roger Fitzgerald, the current speaker of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly. While giving us a tour he provided us with all kinds of information about how bills are made and the process they must undergo before they can be considered legislature. He also educated us on who will talk during a typical meeting and for how long. I felt privileged to be given this inside look at things.
We finished the remainder of the day with some more work on our articles. Today was a great day. We were able to get out and learn through new experiences.
Mark Shea
Hometown: Fogo, NL
When the tour was finished we returned to the office. My Shad colleague and I continued to write the newspaper articles that we've been working on this week. The goal of these articles is to make people aware of the importance of leadership in the areas of information management and project management. Today we got one step closer to completion and hopefully, one step closer to being published.
Our next adventure was lunch with Roger Fitzgerald, the current speaker of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly. While giving us a tour he provided us with all kinds of information about how bills are made and the process they must undergo before they can be considered legislature. He also educated us on who will talk during a typical meeting and for how long. I felt privileged to be given this inside look at things.
We finished the remainder of the day with some more work on our articles. Today was a great day. We were able to get out and learn through new experiences.
Mark Shea
Hometown: Fogo, NL
Monday, August 10, 2009
Monday mornings are always hard. Work is a forty-five minute drive away, so I have to get up at six a.m. to get ready. My drive picks me up and we arrive at the Bell Aliant office just before eight-thirty. Andre, who provides my assignments, has not arrived yet, so I start up my laptop and pc and continue working on the project I started Friday.
The project is working with the program Compass. I am taking Microsoft Word documents and copying them to Microsoft FrontPage then into Compass, thus cutting out the need for so much formatting. Once the document is in Compass I compare it to the original Word document and format it to look as close as possible. This will create a database that the Security Management Group’s customers can access for help when it is necessary.
Around ten-thirty I take a break and make a run to Tim Horton’s for some caffeine. I have a small snack before returning to work. I have many documents to go through so I work hard for the rest of the day. It will probably take two or three weeks to complete all of the documents, so other than lunch and another break in the afternoon I am busy all day. At four-thirty I pack up my things and leave the office. I meet my drive and we begin the journey home. I make it home just in time for supper, after a tiring, but good day at work.
Grant Charlton
Hometown: Hoyt, NB
The project is working with the program Compass. I am taking Microsoft Word documents and copying them to Microsoft FrontPage then into Compass, thus cutting out the need for so much formatting. Once the document is in Compass I compare it to the original Word document and format it to look as close as possible. This will create a database that the Security Management Group’s customers can access for help when it is necessary.
Around ten-thirty I take a break and make a run to Tim Horton’s for some caffeine. I have a small snack before returning to work. I have many documents to go through so I work hard for the rest of the day. It will probably take two or three weeks to complete all of the documents, so other than lunch and another break in the afternoon I am busy all day. At four-thirty I pack up my things and leave the office. I meet my drive and we begin the journey home. I make it home just in time for supper, after a tiring, but good day at work.
Grant Charlton
Hometown: Hoyt, NB
Friday, August 7, 2009
Over the past week I have been interning at Canadian Pacific in the Communications and Public Affairs department. It has been an interesting and new experience, and I have been able to learn about the many different aspects that make up this department. Though I have also had the opportunity to explore each floor and learn about the different jobs that this company has while I was putting up their monthly calendars. In addition, I get to use Photoshop on a daily basis to create contact cards for the graphic designers and to edit photos that are to be used on the company’s internal website, RailCity.
During my four days here I have also been invited to attend one of their weekly meetings where they discussed projects that they have coming up in the future. One of their main projects is the Spiral Tunnels, as it is almost the 100th anniversary of this innovative transportation method, but Canadian Pacific is also a sponsor of the 2010 Olympics so they are heavily involved in planning right now. One of my most exciting tasks so far was writing an article that was featured on the daily newsletter that is sent out to the entire company! Overall, it has been an eventful week and I am very grateful to the other employees that have been very kind and welcoming to me.
Jennifer Mo
Hometown: Calgary, AB
During my four days here I have also been invited to attend one of their weekly meetings where they discussed projects that they have coming up in the future. One of their main projects is the Spiral Tunnels, as it is almost the 100th anniversary of this innovative transportation method, but Canadian Pacific is also a sponsor of the 2010 Olympics so they are heavily involved in planning right now. One of my most exciting tasks so far was writing an article that was featured on the daily newsletter that is sent out to the entire company! Overall, it has been an eventful week and I am very grateful to the other employees that have been very kind and welcoming to me.
Jennifer Mo
Hometown: Calgary, AB
Thursday, August 6, 2009
As the sun sets on that ninth wonderful day of work at Ericsson, I turn around and look at the tall building in which I worked today. Feeling a mix of pride and joy for the work I accomplished through the day, I slowly walk toward my car, thinking about the people I met, the things I learnt and the progress I made so far.
But then, you must ask yourself: “What makes that boy so proud?” Well, first of all, let me describe a normal day in the life of Olivier during his internship at Ericsson Canada and you might understand the reasons I feel this way! As the day starts, I settle down at my desk (you heard well, my own desk!!), open my computer, read my messages and then start working. Christine, which is my supervisor, then comes to greet me and wish me a great day. I then start working on the tasks I was assigned while people from the floor come and go, chatting happily about all sorts of things. At lunch time, I go downstairs in the cafeteria where I sit under a tall tree through which the sun’s rays gently warm my face and arms. On my left, there is a father who brought his little boy to work with him and on my right, there is a director slowly eating a delicious-looking salmon filet.
Afterwards, the afternoon is pretty calm but similar to the morning. At around three o’clock, Christine comes to my office to wish me a great evening and tells me not to work too much at home. At around five o’clock, I close my computer and head toward my car. On the way, I chat with an employee I have never met and wish a good evening to the security guard who returns the wish. Now, do you understand why I am so proud of my day at Ericsson Canada?
Olivier Gilbert
Hometown: Beloeil, QC
But then, you must ask yourself: “What makes that boy so proud?” Well, first of all, let me describe a normal day in the life of Olivier during his internship at Ericsson Canada and you might understand the reasons I feel this way! As the day starts, I settle down at my desk (you heard well, my own desk!!), open my computer, read my messages and then start working. Christine, which is my supervisor, then comes to greet me and wish me a great day. I then start working on the tasks I was assigned while people from the floor come and go, chatting happily about all sorts of things. At lunch time, I go downstairs in the cafeteria where I sit under a tall tree through which the sun’s rays gently warm my face and arms. On my left, there is a father who brought his little boy to work with him and on my right, there is a director slowly eating a delicious-looking salmon filet.
Afterwards, the afternoon is pretty calm but similar to the morning. At around three o’clock, Christine comes to my office to wish me a great evening and tells me not to work too much at home. At around five o’clock, I close my computer and head toward my car. On the way, I chat with an employee I have never met and wish a good evening to the security guard who returns the wish. Now, do you understand why I am so proud of my day at Ericsson Canada?
Olivier Gilbert
Hometown: Beloeil, QC
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
“You’re done already?” is the usual response from my supervisor at TBT Engineering. So far, I’ve been working in the corporate office. I fairly enjoy being at work in an office with these hardworking, kind people and I’m grateful for this experience. Sometime in the future, though, I’ll be sent out to various areas such as surveying and environmental, which is exciting.
Today, I’ve done various office duties, like any other work day, such as binding piles of documents, organizing cell phone documents, and framing certificates. Most of the work is new to me but I’m getting the hang of it through practice. Organizing cell phone documents involved moving them into piles of expiry year, unlike alphabetical or numerical order. Binding the documents was hard work for the arms as I used a self-use machine but I managed to finish in an hour before I had lunch. It is interesting waiting for what my supervisor will hand me next because every task is different from the previous. No matter if it’s challenging or not, I accomplish things with good work ethic and an open mind.
Pamela Angees
Hometown: Thunder Bay, ON
Today, I’ve done various office duties, like any other work day, such as binding piles of documents, organizing cell phone documents, and framing certificates. Most of the work is new to me but I’m getting the hang of it through practice. Organizing cell phone documents involved moving them into piles of expiry year, unlike alphabetical or numerical order. Binding the documents was hard work for the arms as I used a self-use machine but I managed to finish in an hour before I had lunch. It is interesting waiting for what my supervisor will hand me next because every task is different from the previous. No matter if it’s challenging or not, I accomplish things with good work ethic and an open mind.
Pamela Angees
Hometown: Thunder Bay, ON
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Today at my internship with EnCana, I learned how to read piping and instrumentation diagrams, or P&IDs. These diagrams show the various pipes, tanks, heat exchangers, and other processes used at an oil and gas facility. After figuring out where all the numbers and lines went, I traced all the lines with diluent running through the Christina Lake facility. Each sheet would have diluent arriving from another P&ID, travelling through pipes and other processes, and either mixing with another fluid; ending the path, since it wouldn’t be only diluent anymore, or leading off the page to yet another P&ID. Like a cross between a labyrinth and a treasure hunt, it involved great dexterity with a pink highlighter, and many trips to the printer to retrieve the next P&ID.
Other tasks involved in my role with the hazard and safety section of Integrated Oil has included finding incident reports that can be classified as process safety incidents (PSIs), and proofreading an evacuation plan and a fire policy. I guess I’ll pretty much be an expert on process safety by the end of this, I’ve been learning so much about all the things that need to be considered to keep the workplace safe.
Evangelian Collings
Hometown: Calgary, AB
Other tasks involved in my role with the hazard and safety section of Integrated Oil has included finding incident reports that can be classified as process safety incidents (PSIs), and proofreading an evacuation plan and a fire policy. I guess I’ll pretty much be an expert on process safety by the end of this, I’ve been learning so much about all the things that need to be considered to keep the workplace safe.
Evangelian Collings
Hometown: Calgary, AB
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