This internship has been a great learning experience so far. I have only been working for two weeks, but in that time, I have had many great experiences. I am working in Dublin, so it is a much different work culture than the States. This difference has caused some problems for me, and I am navigating through them as they arise. The main issue I have had is that in Dublin’s work culture, they don’t give direct instructions. Instead, my bosses will assign a task and I have to figure it out. This has been a problem that I have been figuring out.

I am working in an IT department, so tasks can be anything, and they can come to you quickly.  However, my main project for this internship is to fix the IT website. On day one they brought me in, gave me a computer, and helped me set up my UCD account.  They were handling me with kid gloves, and I assumed that would continue for the next week. However, after about an hour or 2 of helping me, they sent me off. I was told to look at the website and see what problems were wrong with it and keep notes. I had no clue what to look for on the website since I barely have ever worked on creating them. This hands-off approach was something I was not used to, but I was not going to let it stop me. 

The next couple of days I spent keeping notes since my account wasn’t set up to edit the website yet. This was not too hard of a job, but I still didn’t know what they wanted me to look for. Then, when my account was ready, I expected to be trained for a day or two on how to use the website, but that was not the truth. My bosses taught me how to use the website in about an hour and gave me basic information. After they gave me that information, I was told to fix the website. They also gave me access to a document that was a guide on what the website should look like. This is much different than America in which you can be in training for a week or a month. Then even after you are done training you are given specific tasks and micromanaged. Here, I work on my own and create my tasks. Even with this difference, I am going to finish the task they want me to.

To clear up my confusion on how to work the website, I spent the next day or so playing with the website. I started to learn how the website works and got an understanding of what I needed to do. The next problem I had was that I didn’t know how to code in HTML. To fix the website I didn’t need to code in HTML I could make changes easier, but if I wanted a precise change I would need to code in the source code. So this fix this lack of knowledge I spent a day learning basic HTML, and when something comes up I don’t get I can search it up and learn. Now that I’ve learned the basics of the site and picked up HTML, I’m ready to begin implementing changes. I’ve drafted a prioritized list of fixes from broken links to layout adjustments. I anticipate asking for occasional feedback, but I’m determined to tackle the tasks proactively.

This hands-off approach by the company caught me off guard, but it has been a learning experience. I am not saying it is worse or better than the more hands-on approach of American businesses, but it has its pros and cons. The biggest pro of the hands-off approach is that it gives me the opportunity to work how I want to. I get to learn and attack the project in a way that fits me best. I don’t have to follow a strict guide of what to do and what not to do. It also allows me to learn more than I could with a strict guide. The biggest con of this way of learning is that I can spend a lot of time doing nothing and trying to figure things out. It’s not a specific task, so I can spend time on things that I thought would be helpful but end up just wasting time. Overall this way of working has been unique, but I am glad to experience it.