Changing Perspectives

With only a month left of my internship, I can say that my initial perspectives about myself, my colleagues, and my workplace has changed since day 1. When I first met the CEO she seemed kind of distant from everyday office life and I was a little bit intimidated by her. However, she arranged a special lunch for all of the interns and we got to spend an hour or so talking with her. I realize now that she is a very inspiring person who loves Make-A-Wish and what it does! She is very friendly and definitely willing to take time out of her day to help you with anything you need.

My perspective on my supervisor has also changed slightly, as well. I have found that she gets distracted very easily and often forgets to give me tasks. For example, the other day she mentioned that she wanted me to look at something but she had to go retrieve the paperwork first. She got busy doing something else and completely forgot. I had to remind her 3 or 4 times before she actually gave me what she wanted me to look at. I try to be understanding and remember that she has a lot more on her plate than I do, but I don't like my time to be wasted.

The workplace is still very casual, both in dress and in conduct, and I think that reflects in the work ethic. I often see people using their time on Facebook or in non-work related conversation when they have a lot of work they could be doing. I even heard somebody laugh and say, "Wow, I didn't get very much done today."

I have also realized that there is a rather interesting hierarchy in place. The other day somebody from the national office came in and my supervisor was going around the office and introducing her to some people. She introduced her to most people except for a few that she just skipped over even though they were sitting right there. It was almost like she was saying "Oh, this person isn't that important--you don't need to meet them." I was surprised because everyone seems like they have an important role when I am there and my supervisor usually emphasizes that to me.

The workplace is still all women! It is nice at times, but other times, it drives me nuts. I don't think I could work in an all female environment after graduation. However, my supervisor told me that in the non-profit workplace, a majority of employees are female so I guess I might have to get used to it.