Well, session is coming to a close as is the semester. At this rate my boss predicts that the session will end sometime in the next 14 days. It's a little sad because this job/internship has been the best of my life. I loved getting to work in a professional environment with a bunch of truly great people. I made new friends and gained a few helpful connections.
Coming in into this position back in January, I had very little knowledge of how the actual governmental process works. Because of this internship, I got to see it work from the inside and I learned so much. For example, I learned how bills are transferred and voted on, I got to experience representative democracy first hand, and I saw how the organizational process at the legislature works. I learned about proper etiquette and seeing the Senators go to work during floor session and caucus was something truly great. I'm walking away with so much more knowledge than I had when I first stared out.
This job also gave me reassurance that government is a career I will be satisfied with in the future. While it can be difficult sometimes, I saw that it was an honorable profession. Everyone was friendly and even though I was a Page, I felt like an equal amongst my co-workers. It was as a professional environment that is serious when it needs to be, but people still had a fun time. It was because of this that I looked forward to working every day. It felt like everyday I learned something new and I loved that.
Despite being learning so much, I still feel like there is always more to learn. This is partly the reason I would definitely be interested in returning for the next legislative session. If they are willing to have me back next session, at any point, I would accept the position with open arms.
All-in-all, this was a great experience that I'll never forget. It was my first "official" job working in government and a professional environment. After this it will be hard to go back to a normal job in retail or something like that. This internship worked out wonderfully, and I'll be sad when the session is officially over. I appreciate the opportunity I've received and I can only hope I get hired back next session to continue gaining experience in government sector.
Thanks for reading my posts everyone!
Friday, April 20, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Whacky day at the Senate
Yesterday was a lot of fun. It seemed to be a normal day like any other. I showed up to work, finished my responsibilities and went back to the office. At about the usual time, the Floor bell rang (a bell that alerts Senators and staff that Floor Session is about to start). All of the pages including myself made our way to Floor. It seemed to be a long session, but it didn't matter because everyone was having a ton of fun.
There were a few important bills that were voted on, a few of which involved women's contraceptives. It got serious for the first part of floor, but towards the end there was anarchy (maybe a slight exaggeration)! Senators and secretaries were consistently forgetting what to say or do in certain situations. There was a lot of confusion and all of the Senators seemed to be out of the groove. What was so funny about all this, was that everyone was okay with it. It wasn't a stressful situation, instead everyone was laughing about it and people were having a good time.
Everything just seemed backwards, thanks to a few unusual floor amendments that needed to be voted on. It stretched the session at least 40 minutes longer than it needed to be, but no one seemed bothered by it. What I found so great wasn't just the fact that things were a bit crazy and funny, but this instance showed that working in government doesn't have to be all serious all the time. No one is perfect and even the most experienced professionals are capable of being a little lost. I took solace in that and it reinforced my thinking that government isn't always so tense. It can be fun from time to time, I love that.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Personal Post 5 - Choosing A Concentration
I'm at the point in my college career where I must start considering what specifically I should do. Up until now, I've been content with the ps/pp degree but I hadn't figured out a sound concentration within that degree. It took a while to figure out, but as of today I am confident that I should concentrate in public leadership & management (thanks in part to my awesome adviser Chris Hiryak!).
It was a tough decision but it is the best fit for me. I've never had a quantitative or analytic personality. Those are two exremely important factors if I were to concentrate in public policy, but that's probably not the best fit for me. Don't get me wrong, I am extremely interested in public policy but focusing in on the little details of law making and implementation would be extremely difficult for me. Instead, I'm more interested in the organizational process of government. Public leadership/management is a much broader field of study and would certainly apply to the type of position I'm looking for in a government administration.
Still, I have yet to figure out which specific career I would like to pursue. I figure this is something I'll never truly figure out as life, professions, and the world around us is constantly changing. Regardless, with a concentration in leadership and management I feel far more confident moving forward, it just feels right.
It was a tough decision but it is the best fit for me. I've never had a quantitative or analytic personality. Those are two exremely important factors if I were to concentrate in public policy, but that's probably not the best fit for me. Don't get me wrong, I am extremely interested in public policy but focusing in on the little details of law making and implementation would be extremely difficult for me. Instead, I'm more interested in the organizational process of government. Public leadership/management is a much broader field of study and would certainly apply to the type of position I'm looking for in a government administration.
Still, I have yet to figure out which specific career I would like to pursue. I figure this is something I'll never truly figure out as life, professions, and the world around us is constantly changing. Regardless, with a concentration in leadership and management I feel far more confident moving forward, it just feels right.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Career service event - Successful Interviewing Seminar
For my second career event, I attended a seminar dealing with professional interviewing and the different ways to be successful. This was extremely informative. The first piece of advice that I got was that you don't want to prepare so much that you can't communicate what you want to effectively. In other words, don't over think too much. Be genuine and answer questions with professional, but honest responses. Our instructor said that you should come off as prepared, not rehearsed. I couldn't agree more.
Something else that I found interesting was that it's important to market yourself, but at the same time evaluate your potential employer. Your feelings are also important, not just meeting interviewer expectations. It can't hurt to know a little about the company as well, reviewing key concepts and assessing yourself to confirm that it's a good fit. I really never thought of it like this but there is a lot of truth to this information.
After talking about the preliminary things, we moved onto the actual interviewing process. It's no secret that first impressions are extremely important. When scheduling, it's best to plan to be either one of the first or last interviewees for sheer memory sake. Arriving for an interview can be stressful, but it's a good opportunity to get in the zone and be prepared. One of the most important aspects, if not the most important, is a nice professional appearance. Our lecturer described it as "business casual". From there we went into a more descriptive lecture analyzing the types of interviews conducted. There was a screening interview, commonly known as a telephone interview. From there we talked about a panel interview, which is one of the most stressful interviews in my personal experience. Often times there are multiple interviewers and applicants in the same room, all being interviewed at once. Then there is a structured setting, which is much more conversational in nature. The end result is multiple different processes that can play out differently. It's important to stay calm, confident, and precise no matter what happens.
The final segment of this career event emphasized the actual interview and what to expect. There is almost always an introduction, middle, and closing section during your interview. In the beginning there is usually a question that embodies: "tell me about yourself", what this means is tell me about yourself as it applies to this position. That's an important piece of information. The middle section is more straight forward, often they ask you to "give an example of...". This can be one of the most off-putting parts of an interview, so it's crucial to expect it and think of possible scenarios in advance that you could use as an answer. By the end it can't hurt to have some questions prepared. I found it interesting that you're not suppose to ask anything that "assumes" you got the job. Instead, ask things about the company and the interviewers.
Overall it was a very good event, and I learned a lot. I'll definitely be using some of these strategies for future interviews, being prepared without being rehearsed stuck out in particular. The closing message was that honest answers and confidence are the most important things, that's what employers look for. It was a great seminar.
Something else that I found interesting was that it's important to market yourself, but at the same time evaluate your potential employer. Your feelings are also important, not just meeting interviewer expectations. It can't hurt to know a little about the company as well, reviewing key concepts and assessing yourself to confirm that it's a good fit. I really never thought of it like this but there is a lot of truth to this information.
After talking about the preliminary things, we moved onto the actual interviewing process. It's no secret that first impressions are extremely important. When scheduling, it's best to plan to be either one of the first or last interviewees for sheer memory sake. Arriving for an interview can be stressful, but it's a good opportunity to get in the zone and be prepared. One of the most important aspects, if not the most important, is a nice professional appearance. Our lecturer described it as "business casual". From there we went into a more descriptive lecture analyzing the types of interviews conducted. There was a screening interview, commonly known as a telephone interview. From there we talked about a panel interview, which is one of the most stressful interviews in my personal experience. Often times there are multiple interviewers and applicants in the same room, all being interviewed at once. Then there is a structured setting, which is much more conversational in nature. The end result is multiple different processes that can play out differently. It's important to stay calm, confident, and precise no matter what happens.
The final segment of this career event emphasized the actual interview and what to expect. There is almost always an introduction, middle, and closing section during your interview. In the beginning there is usually a question that embodies: "tell me about yourself", what this means is tell me about yourself as it applies to this position. That's an important piece of information. The middle section is more straight forward, often they ask you to "give an example of...". This can be one of the most off-putting parts of an interview, so it's crucial to expect it and think of possible scenarios in advance that you could use as an answer. By the end it can't hurt to have some questions prepared. I found it interesting that you're not suppose to ask anything that "assumes" you got the job. Instead, ask things about the company and the interviewers.
Overall it was a very good event, and I learned a lot. I'll definitely be using some of these strategies for future interviews, being prepared without being rehearsed stuck out in particular. The closing message was that honest answers and confidence are the most important things, that's what employers look for. It was a great seminar.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Another interesting argument...
As of late I have been treated to many interesting arguments regarding bills. The categories range from everything from border security laws, small business policies, and even Arizona observatory laws. However there has been one topic that thus far has not been mentioned in debate, abortion. Well, the silence was broken last Thursday.
Although I'm not entirely sure what the actual bill the Senators were debating did, I do know that the core argument was either pro-choice or pro-life. The topic involving abortion is one that is heavily controversial in our society, and it's no different here. The majority of pro-life supporters are the the Republican majority, while pro-choice is naturally in the Democrat minority. Though the bill up for vote debate had very little do do with abortion regulation in Arizona, it didn't stop the Senators from voicing their opinions on the entire matter. Most arguments from the Republican side consisted of points regarding "the sanctity of life" and religion. The Democrats relied more on the individual rights and choices of the women who were making this difficult choice.
I tend to lean more towards a woman's right to choose, but then again its still really not by place to say. What I do know is that this topic has been gaining heat for many years and I believe it's becoming a very intense argument, from a political standpoint as well as a societal one.
Although I'm not entirely sure what the actual bill the Senators were debating did, I do know that the core argument was either pro-choice or pro-life. The topic involving abortion is one that is heavily controversial in our society, and it's no different here. The majority of pro-life supporters are the the Republican majority, while pro-choice is naturally in the Democrat minority. Though the bill up for vote debate had very little do do with abortion regulation in Arizona, it didn't stop the Senators from voicing their opinions on the entire matter. Most arguments from the Republican side consisted of points regarding "the sanctity of life" and religion. The Democrats relied more on the individual rights and choices of the women who were making this difficult choice.
I tend to lean more towards a woman's right to choose, but then again its still really not by place to say. What I do know is that this topic has been gaining heat for many years and I believe it's becoming a very intense argument, from a political standpoint as well as a societal one.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Interesting politics
As of late, there has been a heavily debated bill here at the Senate regarding Billboards in Northern Arizona. Basically, billboard companies want the freedom to put billboards wherever they want while astronomers don't want billboards near their renown observatory. Supposedly the billboard light interferes with the ability to see the stars, and the observatory near Flagstaff is one of the best in the world.
Over the last week this bill has been a hot button issue, with most Democrats wanting to ban billboards within a 75 mile radius of the observatory while Republicans see no reason to do so. it was first considered much more of a "liberal issue" but around the office everyone seems to have a different opinion. During floor session, the argument went on for at least 30 minutes. It was said that the company's lobbyists negotiated to turn off all billboards between 11:00pm til the early morning. Democrats claim that there was no such mention of an agreement.
Personally, I side with the observatory. It's one of the leading facilities in the world that generates millions of dollars for the Arizona economy. Putting up a lot of billboards would completely interfere with the clearness of the sky and the ability to see stars and planets clearly. Earlier the Pages actually had an interesting discussion regarding the matter. Like I always say, there's never a dull moment here at the Senate.
Over the last week this bill has been a hot button issue, with most Democrats wanting to ban billboards within a 75 mile radius of the observatory while Republicans see no reason to do so. it was first considered much more of a "liberal issue" but around the office everyone seems to have a different opinion. During floor session, the argument went on for at least 30 minutes. It was said that the company's lobbyists negotiated to turn off all billboards between 11:00pm til the early morning. Democrats claim that there was no such mention of an agreement.
Personally, I side with the observatory. It's one of the leading facilities in the world that generates millions of dollars for the Arizona economy. Putting up a lot of billboards would completely interfere with the clearness of the sky and the ability to see stars and planets clearly. Earlier the Pages actually had an interesting discussion regarding the matter. Like I always say, there's never a dull moment here at the Senate.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Office interactions
One thing I've found interesting since I began working for the Senate is the amount of professionalism amongst Senators. For the longest time a presumed ideal that politics had to be dirty or unforgiving, everything based off of majority power and party beliefs. To a degree this is true, however it's not always the case. Across the office there is mutual respect between all of the Senators.
What I mean is that regardless of party affiliation or political ideology, each one of the Senators are very diplomatic and friendly towards each other, at least that's the way it seems on the surface. They may argue or disagree on a bill, get into a heated debate on the Floor, but there is still a sense of respect and general friendliness. Democrats and Republicans alike frequently talk and joke around with each other when they see one another and I wouldn't be surprised if some of them hung out, outside of the work place.
It's good to see things like this because it displays that the political process isn't always dreary and hopeless, and if you don't get your way, work doesn't have to become hell. I see that these people, Senators as well as the few representatives I've met, genuinely care about implementing policies for the good of Arizona regardless of party affiliation. It's something every Senator strives for and it's truly a great thing. That may not be the case everywhere but in this state I find it refreshing that despite core beliefs and values, everyone gets along and respects the opinions of one another.
What I mean is that regardless of party affiliation or political ideology, each one of the Senators are very diplomatic and friendly towards each other, at least that's the way it seems on the surface. They may argue or disagree on a bill, get into a heated debate on the Floor, but there is still a sense of respect and general friendliness. Democrats and Republicans alike frequently talk and joke around with each other when they see one another and I wouldn't be surprised if some of them hung out, outside of the work place.
It's good to see things like this because it displays that the political process isn't always dreary and hopeless, and if you don't get your way, work doesn't have to become hell. I see that these people, Senators as well as the few representatives I've met, genuinely care about implementing policies for the good of Arizona regardless of party affiliation. It's something every Senator strives for and it's truly a great thing. That may not be the case everywhere but in this state I find it refreshing that despite core beliefs and values, everyone gets along and respects the opinions of one another.
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