First Week at IASTED Calgary

So, it is approximately 3 in the afternoon on a Monday, and I feel that I should recap what the first week of working at IASTED Calgary was like.

Before I go into the major details of my escapades at working at IASTED, I think I need to outline the major preconceptions of (highly likely) most Co-op students:

1. You are going to be the coffee maker/server.

Myth Busted: The only coffee getting that occurs is if you want to make it yourself. Seeing as I don’t drink coffee (sacrilege, I know), I haven’t made any, not even once =).

2. No one would actually give you tasks requiring responsibility.

Myth Busted: This one is completely untrue. In my first week alone I have created 3 different newsletters, an advertisement for a journal, re-done a brochure for ordering journals, and sent out and prepared a sponsorship package for a potential sponsor.

3. Working an office job is easy.

Myth Busted: Not at all. You would think sitting down in front of a computer is easy, but it certainly is not, and it also is most certainly not just sitting down. I have had to commute from one desk to the next in order to correspond with various people in the workplace to approve and complete projects.

So, given we have all the misconceptions out of the way, here are my initial observations from working at IASTED Calgary.

First of all, the hours are flexible. This means that there are two sets of hours, and you can come in and leave between those two sets as long as you fulfill the minimum requirement of 37.5 hours per week. This I find very useful, for I can leave early if I need to or stay a bit later or come earlier if I need to get work done. Secondly, the people here are very friendly and made me feel quite comfortable when I was settling in the first week. Also, IASTED is located very close to the Calgary’s Farmers’ Market, which is convenient especially when the summer months roll around. After work, I can easily pick up some fresh fruits and veggies. Yum.

The Downside is probably the traffic jam coming and going home. It takes quite a bit of time to go to and from work, but of course, almost everyone probably understands exactly what I am talking about.

So, some things to wrap up this entry:

-Workplace Survival 101 tip: Remember to stretch every once in a while. I came home stiff in the neck the first day. Not a pleasant sensation.
-Goal for this week: Fix up a brochure I have been struggling with.
-Quote for the time being: "No pain, no gain" –Unknown

Well, that’s it for now.

Yours, confused but staying optimistic,

-Poppy.