Learnt some new things already!

The third day has come and gone, and I have already learnt how to upload new content via XML. A contractor called Chris sat down with me for a little while and taught me XML whilst using it on a real life project, so I was working and learning at the same time. It really helped me because the coding I was doing I could see contextualised changes in the front end side of the site. I feel that I have learnt more over these past couple of days than a month at uni!…well a bit of an exaggeration but I really connected with what I was learning. And it wasn’t as if I was being shown how to do it, I was working together with my demonstrator problem solving the code. Really useful stuff.

Everyone’s working really hard and it’s longer hours than I expected, due to tight deadlines etc, but even I came in early through choice this morning as I wanted to get some things done. Just listening to conversations around the office and in meetings makes me realise how closely the project managing things I have done in uni relate to the industry. It puts my mind at ease anyway and gets me excited to know that I am in the right place and ready to take on anything that comes my way.

Good Vibes ;)

Well today I started my work experience at Graphico New Media in Newbury, and despite being 70% excited and 30% nervous, I had a brilliant day. I had a general induction with an operations manager called Simon, and he showed me around the two buildings. I can’t for the life of me remember any of the 80+ names I was introduced to today but I definitely got good vibes from absolutely everyone.

There are three other ladies in the office that I was in, Amy, Donna and Stacey and they all seem up for a laugh and genuinely very friendly. I also sat in on a meeting this afternoon, and listened into everyone’s conversations and just got excited about what was about to come over the next few weeks or so.  I had a moment to myself and just thought, my God, I’m actually here, I made it! Yay!

If today is anything to go by then I am going to have a fantastic summer…hopefully possibly more after I graduate, if I can impress them enough 😛

Watch this space… 

Rant about Peer Assessment….because I can and I will.

Right. I’m all for peer assessments being used to shake off the people who are riding along with the success of a group project when they clearly haven’t done a thing, but what about the rest of us? Obviously I have been stung by this, as my efforts in my latest group work this year have blatantly gone unnoticed. In my protest, there is actually nothing I or anyone else for that matter can do about it. So this means, if you have people in your group who detest you on the highest possible level of detestation (is that a word?), and they fail you simply because they hate you, then this is apparently a fine way to mark your work. I suppose on the other side of it, if you are with your best friends and they mark you with 100% and they do similarly to you, then I think then this is the way forward as no one can touch those marks.

If people aren’t going to be honest about giving their peers truthful marks, then I say exploit the system! Don’t let your peers fail their degree; boost their average mark up by giving them 100%, because apparently there is nothing they can do to change it.

Gah, just when I was doing so well.

Rant over.

Last Update

Well hey ho, the end of the 2nd year is approaching already and it has gone by so quickly as per usual. Just a quick update, the essay that I had written didn’t actually go that badly, I got a first for it! So this year, marks wise has been going very well, especially as things have been so hectic.

 In the work placment side of things, I have only applied to one company – which some might say is a very stupid thing to do, but it seems to have paid off. It is the only company I wanted to work for and so I concentrated my efforts on getting in contact with them, and just kept calling them etc until I had luck on my side and managed to get an interview. I’m just waiting for the confirmation letter now and then I’ll be starting on the 29th May. So I’m not quite there just yet, not until I get the letter through the post anyway!