Hello! Once again checking in all the way from Sydney! Between my experiences so far in the classroom and especially my internship, I have learned a lot of soft and hard skills that I will be able to use in my future whether it be in the classroom or out in the workplace.
I have developed a lot of my soft skills from my internship, but one of the more important ones I have developed is the ability to communicate in the workplace better than I was when I first started my internship at Volleyball NSW 3 weeks ago. Everyone in the organization works very hard and something is always getting done but the office environment is much different than I was used to based on my experiences in the US. For example, my office space in this internship is a very open space and allows for easy collaboration between teams and levels of the company. What I have noticed is everyone is very friendly and open with each other and will talk and joke about things that are not always work related and I felt when I first started working that I may have been too shelled up and not trying to get to know and bond with the team. Now, I have gone to lunch with the team multiple times and I am much more open and really have enjoyed getting to know everyone in the office. This skill of being able to adapt to different workplace environments is an invaluable skill that will serve me well in my future workplaces.
Along with soft skills, I have also acquired some hard skills that will help me in my future. For instance, through my internship I have learned how to use excel significantly better than when I started working here. Being able to complete tasks quickly and correctly makes me much more valuable than someone who is less efficient than I would be, giving me an advantage in the workplace.
Having a good combination of new soft and hard skills that I have learned and am developing while in Australia will make me an asset to organizations that I will work with in the future. Being able to trust that someone will be able to communicate and integrate smoothly with a team is essential to look for when looking to hire someone. I believe that with my experiences with my classes and especially my internship in Sydney that I will be able to work with any group in an organization. Looking forward to blogging again soon!
