Another semester gone by just like that!

This semester is, hands down, the hardest I’ve ever worked for my job. This semester I basically worked 3 jobs (AT, marketing and standard desk and DMC shifts) at once with a total of 21 hours a week. I feel that I have gone well above the expectations by doing my best to meet the hours set out for me. I have created and edited plenty AT posters and done stock photography not just for the areas needed but also places that might not be seen as much such as the 3rd floor of the library, the science building, IIC and such, to try to round out the photos available. I have worked to ensure that every client in the library feels welcome and that their problems are handled with care. I have worked to ensure that students with different abilities are given the same resources as any other student (i.e. when I helped the blind student around the library by holding his hand and guiding him to the printers), I have helped people edit their papers and stayed up to an hour past work to help a client with a mental impairment edit his English paper. I have tried my best to help my fellow employee by taking shifts for them during emergencies even if it is inconvenient for me (i.e when an employee had a family emergency and I was at home and they needed a shift covered in 20 minutes so I ran to the library to get there on time)

I have had a really tough semester both personally and in school so I think I did a pretty good job 🙂

Here’s to another great semester!

These few months that I’ve worked at The Commons have been absolutely amazing and I mean every word of what I’m saying. I’ve learned so much more here than anywhere else and it’s an absolute privilege to be working here. I love the community of people, everyone is so warm and willing to help me learn. I have not met one coworker who was not eager to show me the ropes, help me out if need be and engage with me as if I’ve been working with them for years. I love this job and I am so grateful to have it.

I’ve mainly been working at the Computing Support Desk and I love to interact with clients, problem solving and quick thinking have become part of my daily duties and I love it. I’ve found myself treating the library like I’m always working there. If I’m studying with a friend and they need to print something, all of a sudden I turn into this tech wizard who can show them the way. Working here is a fun and enjoyable environment that leaves me wanting to work more hours just purely so I can keep learning fascinating programs (or working on challenges)!

I’ve learned how to use so many different programs from Bitrix, to Backstage to Adobe Photoshop! All the programs that I’ve learned have helped me in my daily life as well (I got a summer job working as an apprentice at a hospital mostly on the basis of my experience working with computers).

Starting out at the desk leaves one in a lot of nerves, you’re basically thrown into the tank but I found that, personally, I learned much faster when I had people asking me questions and asking my coworkers questions. The pressure to learn has led me to pick up things much faster than I normally would and because of it, I’m almost completely independant at the desk.

I haven’t been working here for a very long time and so because of it, the ways I’ve gone above and beyond will be limited this semester (I’ve just been trying to catch up!). That being said, there are a few ways I’ve helped out, outside of my everyday duties. I’ve taken a shift of a coworker who needed their shift covered. I have stayed nights working at the DMC computers, trying to finish CS and DMC Challenges because the hours I work don’t really allow for enough time to finish them in a week. I have never turned a client away and exhaust every resource I have trying to solve a problem. If I was assisting a client and my shift ended, I made sure to finish working with the client before leaving no matter how lengthy their problem is.

I feel that I’ve done a pretty good job considering I only started a month and a half ago. I’ve learned so much and even now as I type this up, I’ve helped 3 clients with various problems without the need to call on a coworker. I can only hope that as I continue working here my job progress will continue to soar and I can become a model employee like all of my coworkers.

It’s been a pretty amazing semester and I wouldn’t change a thing.