Work Experience Essay

The excitement I was feeling at this moment seemed almost unreal. I felt as though I was about to
burst as I sat there in my room, by myself, wondering what to expect.
It was the night before my work experience, and the late September winds had started; autumn was
well and truly on its way; it was the time of year when everything matures and all is gathered in for the
winter. As I sat on my soft safe bed I slipped under the warm duvet, and wondered what tomorrow would
bring.
I was going to a vetenary practice in the urray that I had never been to before. I had always
dreamt about becoming a vet and this was my first chance at experiencing my future. It was going to be an
early glimpse of what I might become. It would either be wonderfully exciting, a day that whi!!es past
without seeming to take breath, or it would drag and I would have to rethink what I wanted to do with the
rest of my life. "orse still, what if I was simply confused all day#
I expected it to be $uite a big surgery and for it to be kept very clean. In my mind I could see
pictures and cards on the walls, with %Thank you so much, from &epper and family', %Thanks again, (i!!y
and folks.' The cards %signed' by the pets, and their owners. Above them a row of framed certificates,
issued by %The )ritish *eterinary Association' and +niversity ,egrees. There would be rows of steel
shelves on the wall also, with colourful boxes and bottles of all those mysterious solutions used by vets to
create small miracles. The room would be clean and also lively with work.
I also imagined the waiting room, a contrast to the clean order of the surgery; in here there would be
lots of happy pet owners, waiting to get there puppy's first shot, to get their rabbit's yearly in-ections, or the
guinea pig's wormed. These pet owners wouldn't really know of what went on behind the surgery doors.
examining, testing blood, cleaning ears, taking temperatures, and it is, of course, the *et's -ob to make the
owners as comfortable as possible while waiting, as well as the ever important pet itself.
It was with these thoughts that I fell into a light, dream filled sleep; I dreamt of birds, cats, dogs,
horses and rabbits, all sitting with their loving owners.
So it was with slightly bleary eyes that I approached the actual vet's surgery I was to spend the next
week in. The morning was misty and cold, but it was a crisp cold, and the mist was thrilling rather than
frightening. I felt as though I was travelling somewhere, the feeling you get at four in the morning, when
you are catching an early fight; you step outside your door and your own, familiar street looks different
somehow. It was like that, but I wasn't going to another country, I was stepping into another time, me in the
future.
The small white door opened onto the waiting room which was much smaller than I had expected; it
was a hatch in the wall, like that of a dumb waiter, and I half expected an order for fresh Scottish Salmon,
with a side order of salad to appear in front of me. Instead, behind the hatch was a middle aged woman
who greeted me with a friendly, %/i there, have you got an appointment#'
/aving explained to her who I was and why I was there, she took me through to the surgery and
introduced me to the vet himself. The tall middle aged man looked down at me with pleasant eyes, and my
first day began. The surgery was as clean as I had expected, but was much $uieter than I imagined, but
the rows of medicines I had pictured were there. Also, there were posters of lost pets all around, and I
hadn't thought of that and I felt a moment of sadness for the people who had looked after these animals.
The first day was definitely interesting; as it was the first time I had been on this side of the table,
having had many pets of my own. 0ater on I observed a routine operation on a small black cat, which went
successfully, and after that the day passed $uickly, and in no time I was putting on my coat again, ready to
go home.
The week that followed went by swiftly, all the new information I was receiving making it seem so
much shorter than it really was. )ut I do still remember observing a dental operation of a rabbit. This
stands out because it was an intense operation that I had never heard of. )ut even though I had never
heard of it, the vet seemed calm, as though he had done it a hundred times.
The operation was a serious one, but the atmosphere in the surgery was composed and not at all
stressed, and I realised that this was a huge responsibility, but was one that you can train yourself to cope
with professionally and with a steady hand. This was something I realised I would learn over time, but it
was not out1with my abilities. In that moment, I could readily imagine myself doing this -ob. I knew it would
take practice and maturity for me to get to this stage, but I did think it possible.
/owever, the least en-oyable part, the one that made me $uestion my ability to carry out this -ob,
was on the last day. A small Tom cat that had previously been in that week was put to sleep due its
untreatable illness. The owner was a girl like me, in her late teens, who came in with her mother and as the
terrible news was given, she held her mum's hand as though she were only a child, and I felt for her in that
moment.
2et the procedure had to be done, and everyone in the room knew that, even the young girl. The
vet went about his dark duty with clear sympathy, but also with a professionalism that was plainly re$uired,
and I thought that I, too, could learn this kind of professionalism.
0ooking back on the week, the most important thing I learned was not about the procedures, but
about myself. I learned that I was still young enough to be scared by new and frightening experiences, -ust
like that young girl with her cat. )ut I also learned that I have the $ualities re$uired to become a
professional and caring *eterinarian.
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4or teenagers, having a -ob is a way of making money, -ust a way of having extra cash for movies or
clothes. It makes one feel independent. &ersonally, it made me feel sort of like an adult. It taught me how
to be responsible and to handle my finances. I had to learn how to take public transportation, how to
interact with my coworkers, work with different types of people, and also learn punctuality. In a way, it was
almost like I had learned real life skills in under 5 months. I will never forget my first -ob experience. It will
always be a big part of me maturing and becoming a young adult.
I had landed an internship at Agosto Inc., a computer company. Initially, my first thought was I'd be working
in a cubicle entering data in a computer, mostly doing paperwork and barely talking to my coworkers. )ut
boy was I wrong. To my pleasant surprise, none of my predictions came true. Agosto Inc. was a modern,
fast1paced company. They work with 6oogle Apps and the latest technology like cloud computing. "hile
other companies were going through financial troubles during the economic downturn, Agosto prospered.
7ompanies turned to them to help them turn to 6oogle. They helped numerous companies become more
successful. This was Agosto's first year hiring ST8&1+& Achieve interns and I have to say they did a
fantastic -ob.
y first day on the -ob was 9une :;, <=:<. I remember walking in very nervous and taking a seat. I glanced
around and saw my expression was mirrored in my coworkers' faces. >ur supervisor welcomed us warmly
and even gave out snacks. They clearly explained what they expected and walked us through the steps. I
remember leaving with a smile on a face, happy that I landed my dream -ob. The first week was very
informative. >ur supervisors helped us become familiar with 6oogle Apps. "e played with it, did tutorials,
did assignments until we knew what we were doing like the backs of our hands. 4inally, after a couple of
weeks we were ready to start on a first pro-ect. "e were all assigned different clients and began building
websites. It was an en-oyable experience and I loved every step of it.
?ot only did we build websites for clients, we did onsite training for different companies and helped them
become familiar with 6oogle Apps. It re$uired us to speak in front of people and be willing to answer
$uestions. It was nerve1wracking but my supervisor arissa Slag was there every step of the way, guiding
and correcting my mistakes. "eek by week, time flew by. )efore I knew it, it was the last day of my
internship. "e had a little party and had a great time. )oth of my supervisors, arissa and Thomas )lade,
gave us some useful advice on furthering our future careers. That advice has proven to be beyond helpful
and I'm sure will take me a long way.
All in all, my internship has taught me many beneficial things. To always have an open mind and be willing
to work in any type of work environment. To be willing to adapt to fit in a new work place; and to always be
respectful and kind to not only my future supervisors, but my coworkers as well. "hat I have learned in the
span of less than three months will always be a big part of me growing up. I'm looking forward to taking
what I've learned and applying it. I really don't know where I would be if I didn't take this -ob opportunity
because without it, I would have never learned what I have. I'd like to thank ST8&1+& Achieve and Agosto
for providing me with this wonderful experience.
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8very young person eventually needs to consider a career path, and working part1time -obs are a common
way to gain experience in determining which career field is right for the individual. &art1time -obs are good
way to gain experience not only in a particular position, but are also instrumental in teaching a newcomer to
the working world a number of important skills that are necessary to succeed in the long1term.
4rom the real situation @ one day to be a serving staff at a coffee shop, I myself find that part1time work
activities give me many useful lessons. "orking environment is the way to have many interactions between
us and customers, partners, also the managers. The important thing I want to mention is Ato be welcoming,
friendly and politeB. Sometimes, the complaint of customers, the criticism of the manager make u so
confused. /owever, learning how to suffer from such things like that is also a lesson when you are
engaged in a part1time -ob. So, Awork $uickly and stay calm under pressureB. )esides, being in working
environment compels me to improve communication skills. At the first time, I felt so shy because of my
influent communicability. )ut, thank to character of the -ob, I try to overcome myself and make it better as
much as possible. I think it works some way. 4inally, what I learned from a part1time -ob is ability to multi1
task. /aving organi!ation skills is very important even in the most unorgani!ed, chaotic atmosphere.
Although the part1time -ob I chose is not relevant to my ma-or, I still think itCs useful, at least in the current
time. &art1time -obs are a good way to learn experience not only about working, but offer a number of soft
skills that I am sure it will be very necessary for my -ob in the future.
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Two weeks after my examination, I began to feel restless. Three more months to goD Then, a friend told me
that he had got a -ob as a waiter. /e said, CIf you are interested, -ust go to any hotel and say you want to
work as a part1time waiter. 2ou get paid E5 an hourF. I started to calculate how much I could earn by -ust
standing around and looking handsome in a black1and1white outfit and a bow tie. I would be rich, I thought.
The next day, I went to the >ceania /otel. I was told to speak to the ban$uet supervisor. F"hy do you want
to be a waiter#F he began.
I did not know whether to tell him the truth or not. CI want the experience,F I replied. I felt good because I did
not exactly lie. After a few more $uestions, he said, F7ome tonight. >n trial. ?o pay. ,ress neatly in white
shirt and dark pants.F
I was disappointed because I would have to give six hours of my time for free. /owever, that evening I was
at the hotel an hour before the appointed time. "ith five others, I was ushered into a ban$uet hall.
It looked grand and I found myself getting excited. "e were told what to do and given a bow tie each. I was
assigned to the waiter at Table <.
F"atch and learn.F said the supervisor.The function started smoothly. y first assignment was to take some
dishes to the kitchen. I knew my sister would have loved to see me balancing the tray stacked high with
dishes. She would say I looked like an overweight penguin walking up a slope. Then I noticed that I had
dirtied my shirt. A cookFs assistant handed me a shirt. 6ratefully, I slipped out of mine and put on the fresh
one, hoping no one else would notice.
The rest of the evening went fine. I was made to fill up the glasses and take away the dishes. I kept thinking
perhaps that was the punishment for my clumsiness.
"hen I got home, my sister looked at the patch on my shirt. F/ow many dishes did you break#F she asked
with a grin. I was too tired to answer her. At that time, I felt like I had -ust wasted six hours trying
to be something I was not cut out to be.Two days later, I received a call from the ban$uet supervisor, who
said, CEeport for duty tomorrow night at half1past five. 2ou will be paid EG an hour. "eFll provide the
uniform and transportation home.F
2ou should have seen my face at that time. I felt as if I had -ust won the lottery.