Looking back on my first blog post I see much of my personality exude through the various worries that I initially had. This summer I really made an effort to step out of my comfort zone and consequently developed skills that will serve me greatly in the years to come.
To start off I want to reference the Google searching acumen I referenced in my initial blog post. Throughout the past 10 weeks I have frequently been whisked away from my desk to attend a meeting that was just beginning with no or limited prior information. This is when the Google skills really came to use. During these meetings I would be simultaneously taking notes, interjecting, and searching for any concepts I didn’t understand, properties I didn’t know of, or people in attendance who I had not met. Honing in on this skill really allowed me to appear much more prepared than I truthfully was (which was more important of an attribute than it might seem).
In terms of getting to know the City better, I am sad to say I did not hit my mark. While I did explore the City quite a bit, I feel as though I didn’t see much of the entire sprawl of the City. I am happy, however, that various work events brought me to locations outside of Midtown and Downtown so I could get a better sense for the City as a whole.
Having now worked for the Mayor I have a better sense as to what policy implementation looks like in the real world. I feel as though this knowledge is invaluable considering my major in Public Policy. Despite the fact that I am still undecided career-wise, I now know that policy work/local government is a very serious contender for my future.
