Post 5.

I had the pleasure of working with many of the project managers in the division and even got to go on a few field trips! I visited a handful of waste sites around the county-all in various stages of the clean-up process and observed just how technical the job can be. A project manager must be attuned to the department's needs, the project's needs, the stakeholder's needs, and the public's needs. They must be knowledgeable in the technical sciences in order to work with the contractors who devise the Work Plan, they must possess interpersonal skills to address any questions or concerns of the public, and they must be politically conscious if they are to satisfy the needs of all of the parties involved. Many of these projects involve public organizations at all levels of government. In some instances, ADEQ must work with the military or the EPA. At other times, it deals with local businesses and industries. On one follow-along we visited ASU East to ensure that all residents living on campus were in compliance with a state mandate regarding clean-up site regulation. Even when a project has been "completed" that does not signal the end of a project manager's responsibilities to that site. Oftentimes, project's require frequent check-ups to ensure that all treatment systems are still in place or that there are not any new problems springing up out of the blue. It's an ongoing process that could last for 20 years or more. For example, in my home state of Washington there is a major federal clean-up site in Hanford that will be ongoing for the next 30-40 years! A project manager at this site could spend his entire career in Hanford! Despite the magnitude of some of these projects they often go unnoticed. I doubt that many of you even realize how many waste sites are located in AZ-some of them may be in your neighborhood! The silent heroes of the public sector are the ones that should be getting all the media attention, rather then the ones accused of fraud and corruption. I guess that's the unfortunate reality for many public servants.

Post 4.

A second aspect of my internship was assisting the Administrative Assistant. I learned that a lot goes into that position and it requires someone who has a range of technical, professional, and personal skills. It also demands that you are able to creatively problem solve and figure out your own system for doing various tasks (effectively). The woman I was working with had an amazingly efficient system for everything! She was incredibly organized and typically created her own procedures for many of the duties she was in charge of. Most of her systems were developed over time, mostly through trial and error. She continually thought up new and interesting ways to accomplish her daily tasks in the most time-effective ways. I really admired the relationship she held with the manager of my unit. They worked very closely on various projects and she always had great suggestions for how to streamline processes and make the overall experience better.

Not only was she a great Admin Assis. but she was an awesome person as well. My first day, she invited me to lunch and introduced me to several of her co-workers whom I instantly connected with. I was so grateful that she brought me into her lunch circle and made me part of the "group". The relationships you make with the people you work with are so important to the quality of your work and the quality of your work life. "Vibing" is critical to producing "best practices" and being able to come up with new ideas. I gained a lot of useful, practical knowledge from my time working with the Admin. Assis. and I am glad that I was afforded that opportunity.