f|back (june '06): interns in the '90s

interns ... i thought about my internship program because of my recent post for the love project. at cubeopolis, i have recently had an opportunity to (re)repackage my r|cat internship program (formally structured in 2004 but in place less formally since 1995) to modify it a bit for an internship effort. stated differently - i look forward to working with a friend to implement an off-shoot of my internship program this year in cubeopolis.

(2006 intern, amabelle,
as part of reality: intern, aka r|intern)

program features ... i REALLY loved the internship program i had developed and truly believe in the value of its elements - outlined 10-12 weeks activities and deliverables, stated qualifications, areas of responsibility to choose from and focus, mid-program (aka mid-term) and final presentations, evaluation of presentation (a little like a mini-toastmasters), goals and objectives, draft of resume content (BEFORE completion of internship program) when outlining project(s), and peer/mutual evaluation as an informal performance review. i am also glad that there are others who see the value of the program.

random memorable moments ... with every intern, there is ALWAYS a memorable moment. i am glad that in 2006 i captured those for interns from the '90s decade. (note to self: pull together the 2000-2006 batch of interns!)

(repost from 06/03/2006) i've been asked how many interns we've had. labing-lima. quinze. quindici. fifteen. quince.
a few things before i list those whom i can remember...

• volunteer - some have volunteered time
  
• honorarium - still a volunteer, but some have received a form of gratitude, which is not necessarily compensation commensurate with services (e.g., laptop carrier, wireless card, meals, reference materials, etc.)
  
• independent contractor - some have served as independent contractors, often if they have some level of work experience

the following are first name only, some characteristics i recall, and a random memorable event (RME).

1. jason (dan's son) [1995, 2001] ... (flagship of interns!) interned with us twice; first volunteered for experience and then as an independent contractor. first time was during summer while finishing up environmental engineering degree. second time was after a couple years of work. very hard worker. creative. good self-starter. RME: 1st time - blue blazer (symbol of adulthood, tho' a little "wham-looking" type of blazer) when we had a meeting with my 1st client (City of Chula Vista). 2nd time - deb's party in aliso viejo.
   


2. cris [1996, 2000] ... interned with us twice; first volunteered for experience and then as an independent contractor. had a geology degree. met him when he was as hired as a summer student worker at my last "corporate america" job (with the electric/gas utility). he was coming out of high school and was very self-motivated ... by the tide. he'd do at least an 8-hour work day - and flex time around the tide. to surf. yeah. to surf. RME: 1st time - benigan's & "his" driver's license. 2nd time - dinner & drinks at old town mex.
   


3. susan [1996, 2000] ... interned with us twice; first volunteered for experience and then as an independent contractor. totally bright. self-motivated. entertainingly sweet. was seeking a degree in environmental-related field. quite organized and RME: 1st time - working on an air quality permit (1st one) and totally kicking butt! (it was awesome.) 2nd time - speed-calling for a project that resulted in meeting a very aggressive deadline.
   


4. maria [1997] ... volunteered. recommended by a work colleague who was teaching an air quality extension course at UCSD. brief stint. helped on emission calculations, permitting and regulatory review. extremely fast-learner. attended a client meeting with me. spoke (and still does) italian (1st language), german, french and english. had tendency to say numbers in german. RME: 11:00 PM (yeah - night!) phone call to discuss a table of emissions and regulatory interpretation.
   
   
5. agnes [1997] ... volunteered. her background in geography (GIS interest). developed maps as part of my presentation material to my first distributed generation (DG) related client that was in the process of commercializing a new gas turbine. client very happy! RME: at dinner, having a philosophical conversation about life.


6. ryan [1998] ... honorarium. SDSU internship program. part of international business class. our 1st time (only time) with this program. (had other prospects in subsequent years but no fits from the candidates that applied) stipend (tax-deductible) to the school. knew MS Access. made a database for fledgling san diego greenmap effort. RME: an odd habit - though not disturbing and remaining unnamed - that hopefully has not carried into his professional life.


7. christina 1 [1998] ... volunteered. communications major. girlfriend of the son of a friend of mine. (follow that?) helped with a newsletter that i wrote for a local association. RME: attending an association meeting while men twice her age gawked. (to give you an idea - she had a stint as a newscaster in florida).
   


8. greg [1999] ... honorarium. my friend's co-worker asked my friend if she knew of summer job opportunities for her friend's son. that's how greg came to us. environmental engineer student. worked a brief stint - air emissions calculations + regulatory interpretation. bright. self-motivated. attended client meeting. RME: attending a client meeting and being reminded i was short, because he was tall (as was everyone in the room).


9. laurel [1999] ... independent contractor. environmental science major. had a previous summer job with a corporate environmental department. did mega-work with us. jammed through many-many activities. high energy. committed. attended client meeting often. RME: one of hundreds of gals who attended/participated in a local radio event-stint ... where some guy was looking for a date ... gals were lined up to impress him and get the date. she did this before work - cute leather jacket, fitting top, home-baked cookies, a little 'gift', and a sweet opening line. (we heard her on the radio) she didn't get the date, but we had some extra cookies!
   

o.k. - interns of this decade (2000) in another post.

why job fairs are like match (dot) com...

... or "you must be tired 'cuz you've been running through my mind all day."

a.k.a. ode to the bass player
tales of sub-dermal gps chips, dating, and jack* (of lord of the flies infamy)

(unfortunately, this post is NOT about sub-dermal gps chips, dating, or jack ... but it is from bass player. ideally, the other three topics may unfold - or not - in another blog post.)

breakfast buds yippity-yap ... this sunday morning a few breakfast buds met up at rudy's can't fail cafe, sans one of our buds, gadgetman. (alert: girlnutkin did not have grits today.)

one of the breakfast buds is someone i met in january at a career fair at cubeopolis - he, the prospective candidate intern. me, the cubeopolis-gatekeeper to determine whether he was worthy of an interview with cubeopolis.

during the job fair, after about a 5-min chat and a resume drop-off, i looked at his resume while he spoke a little more about his interest and noticed bass player as part of his hobbies. random thought popped into my head, so i asked a question, and go figure - he knew my friend in cubeopolis (and her boyfriend, who also played bass). aside from being qualified and a potential cubeopolis match, he knew someones that i knew.

welcome in to the gates of cubeopolis for a possible interview.

shortly after the job fair, he shared a quippy email in between lab runs. below, enjoy the creative juices of someone who, although is not part of cubeopolis (and it's not a pretty story), is part of breakfast buds. lucky are we to have ... bass player in our breakfast buds entourage.

BONUS ... he shared pete, the unemployed hedgehog comics (wiht a job fair - 3 parts - comic strip) with this (LOVE IT!)

(from a jan 14, 2010 email - unedited - between girlnutkin and bass player)

why job fairs are like match.com
interviews = internet dating
job fairs = match.com

sadly, most people in this modern world have had to endure the trials of going to a job fair, and i am no exception. however, with the advent of the internet, and dating sites like match.com , i have come to see the job fair for what it truly is, or has become.

typically, the first thing that you do when you walk into a job fair is to peruse the posted signs of the company profiles available and consider which ones immediately show the most promise, whether or not you want to come back to the others, and, finally, which ones that you would like to give a chance, just because you get a feeling about them.

much is the same in match.com, the first thing you do is log in and start looking around all the personal profiles. you look for the racy ones that just jump out to you, mark the secondary ones that you would like to connect with later, and relegate the leftovers to be considered, or ignored, later.

from this point, things get even more similar.

round 1 - approach: the booth/profile looks attractive, and they have some keywords posted up that all stand out to you. some you identify with, others you know you can ascribe towards. of course, everyone is hovering around the one that is judged "the best", so you have to wait your turn, and strive to set yourself apart from the masses. the odds are not that great that you will get chosen out of the hundreds of suitors, but you have to have faith! already, to you, it seems like you would be a perfect match, now you just have to strut your stuff and convince them of the truth of this assertion.

everyone likes confidence, and you are always judged on that first impression, so the first 5 sentences uttered out of your mouth had better be golden, and not some of the same diatribe that everyone else has been spitting out. if you catch their attention, you get that warm invite and you get to move to round 2 with a bonus.

round 2 - detail
now you have fired off your first volley! granted, you might get dismissed for any dumb thing that you say, but if you didn't put your foot into your mouth, the chances are that they are going to start to look at what you can bring to the table. your resume/profile, at this point is key. as soon as their eyes latch onto the details, they are looking for something that attracts them, and make you sound like a stellar candidate. everyone is looking for the same things: education, smarts, experience, communication skills, compatibility, and passion.

this is the place where sooooo many people embellish (read: lie their pants off) in hopes that they can pass off these virtues without a hitch, and if they don't ... well, they probably wouldn't have had a chance anyway, so they might as well take the chance. from their image (looking more dependable, clean cut, and professional than even they are comfortable with), to their experience (skills they really have, languages they really speak, why they have been separated for so long, etc...).
fortunately, if you did well in "round 1 - approach", you have the optional bonus that you will be given credit simply because you were creative, confident, and charming. they may even overlook detracting factors, or consider them areas where they can help you flourish. nothing like tempting the artistic with a medium of great potential.

round 3 - conversation
so, if you haven't gotten summarily dismissed already, now is your chance to stake your claim to fame. The conversation is all about giving enough information to make sure that the interviewer knows enough about you to remember, and think of you fondly. your main objective now is to get to the next level, such that they will call you (out of all the suitors!!!) and ask for that next one-on-one session.

(from bass player closing email: ok.... I'm running out of creative juice at the moment, AND i have to take care of these samples now that i have finished their digestion. Talk to you laters!)

and there you have the beginning of a friendship with the bass player, who probably does not have a sub-dermal gps chip, is conversant about dating, and made a reference to jack this morning.

(about jack at shmoop, sparknotes, and
about lord of the flies at wikipedia).