Rain rain go away?

When you hear the phrase “rainy day”, a slow dread can creep over your body. For most people the only thing that a rainy day brings is boredom, and although you might think that rain is just an evil mastermind plotting to ruin your summer, a rainy day here and there might be exactly what you need. Why would you need something that traps you indoors and takes away your sunny days? All I need to say is one word…productivity. Rainy days, at least for me, are the perfect way to get some much needed work done, and whether that be actual work from my internship, or general things I need to get done, a rainy day is often the thing that helps me get it all done. Most of the time rainy days postpone plans and most people want to stay indoors anyways. So, if like me, you instantly begin to melt at the sight of that falling water here is some things you can do so that you don’t waste this watery opportunity.

Clean you room

God who am I your mother? I know this might be the last thing a college student wants to hear, but seriously this is the perfect time to clean up that mess of a room. Pick up some dirty clothes, dismantle that pile of old Exponents, and maybe even throw out that paper plate that may or may not be growing its own mini ecosystem on it. Trust me, nothing is more entertaining than realizing that you actually have a carpet underneath that battlefield of objects on the floor.

Get ahead in your work

Since the weather does not want to correspond with your tanning schedule why don’t you take a look at what work you need to do in the next couple of weeks. From school work to actual work, using this time indoors to get ahead start will not only leave you feeling better prepared for whatever projects you have ahead, but when our glorious golden friend comes to visit again you will have extra free time for more important things, like breaking the record for longest nap by the pool.

Laundry time

As much as I wish this were true there is no such thing as the laundry fairy to come clean your clothes, and if you’re anything like me your dirty clothes are days away from planning a coup. If this is you then a rainy day may be exactly what you need to tame the beast in your laundry hamper. Take a couple hours to sort and clean your clothes. You’ll not only have clean clothes a the end of it, but you can save yourself from doing the embarrassing “sniff test” on that t-shirt you wanted to wear out tonight.

Of course there are a million other things you can do on this rainy day: wash your dishes, clean your apartment, give yourself a haircut (not really recommended, but hey it will grow back). Hopefully you can look at your own “to do” list and figure out a better way to spend the day then by sitting around and staring out the window at the inclement weather. 

What to do when you get sick

It’s a beautiful sunny day. The birds are chirping, and there’s not a cloud in the sky. Yet, as you wake up you realize something crucial. You’re sick! Now getting sick is going to happen to you one day or another, but there’s nothing worse then it being on a summer day. Especially if you needed to work that day too! Now before you let your world come crumbling down, here are a few simple things I do to not only alleviate my symptoms, but also to help smooth any worry I might have about missing work.

Assess the situation

First and foremost try to figure out how bad you’re really feeling. Are you in desperate need of medical attention, or can a few Dayquil get you through the day. Assessing the situation truthfully will help you weigh the pros and cons of missing work or school that day. Taking a day for yourself when your sick is fine, but you don’t want to waste all your sick days before you really need them!

Communicate with everyone

If you have decided that you need the day, make sure you communicate with everyone and anyone you had plans with that day. Especially if you are missing work! You want to make sure and go through all the appropriate channels and protocols so that a headache isn’t awaiting you when you return. Plus it is just plain rude not to let everyone know the situation you are in, from your boss to the friend you had lunch plans with, not communicating can cause more friction than you may want later. For the most part people should understand and they will appreciate knowing what is going on.

Rest and medicate

I don’t know how many times I used to stay home from school when I was younger and I didn’t actually rest! By not allowing myself to actually sleep I would usually still feel crummy the next day, thus forcing me to still feel bad when I had to go back to school. The same idea applies to your work, if you have taken the day to get better, then make sure that is what your doing. Go and buy the necessary medicine you need, and sleep. You wouldn’t believe how great you feel after actually taking a nap instead of spending hours watching daytime TV!

By following these few tips, you will not only feel better faster, but there also wont be trouble waiting for you when you make it back to work or school.

Halfway done

By: Brian Rivera

With the heat starting to get ridiculous and the end of June coming faster than we like summer break is almost halfway gone. That being said all of us are busy at our summer jobs and internships, and if you’re like me, finishing up a major project you have been working on for a while. Now that you’re finished you might be thinking that you’ve reached the end, and the call of the pool and grill outs is stronger than ever. However, this is not the time to slack off and lose focus. These are some things I do to help myself get back in the groove at the halfway mark of anything that I am working on.

Do something fun

You just finished something major at work; I think that it is ok to take a night off. This can be a slippery slope though, and you have to be careful you don’t get too comfortable and lose focus.

Revaluate your goals

Now that you have something accomplished look back at the goals you set earlier in the month and see if anything has changed or is accomplished. Then readjust them as needed and set new goals for the rest of the summer.

Look ahead

Start thinking about what you need to be doing next and try to organize yourself. If need be do things like set a timeline, or start collecting materials you might need for future projects. If you’re an overachiever start working ahead!

These are just a few things to help you get over the midway hump and still be as focused and productive as you can be at work.

The beauty of working in groups

By: Brian Rivera

Plenty of us have had to work in a group environment, especially in classes or jobs where big projects are present, but whenever anyone even mentions “group work” we all moan and groan. Although I too have had my share of unruly group members, coasters, and “lost work” overall I feel that a group dynamic cannot only enhance the project on hand, but it can also help you learn useful skills for the future. What can you learn you say? Well here are just a few things you can gain when working in a group.

Task assignment:

One thing you will learn very quickly is which tasks to assign to each other. Most groups usually go into the project with thoughts of everyone doing the same amount of work in everything, but this ideal is a little naïve. Instead group work should be assigned by a combination of interests as well as skills. For example if someone knows there way around a certain computer program, assign them the work that corresponds to that, while you let someone else edit the work they produce. Learning to know where you and others fit into the group will not only let the work go faster, but it will also better the project.

Communication:

Obviously there will be moments where not everyone can meet, or you need to get in contact with the entire group at once. Learning the importance of communicating ideas and work via email and so on will help the group accomplish work, even if not all schedules can coincide. This also brushes you up on proper email and phone etiquette, which is something we should keep in mind, since the majority of us will use these skills when pursuing our careers in the future. Teaching yourself to always communicate with your group on your progress is also very helpful, because it keeps confusion to minimum, which leads to a faster, smoother completion of your work.

Problem Resolution:

More likely than not, groups of people will find conflict in something when working together. Whether it’s someone like not communicating or unsatisfactory work being presented, to someone not completing there part of the work there will come a time where two or more people will butt heads. So what now? This is the perfect time to practice problem resolution with your fellow group members. Proposing a compromise or even reprimanding someone when work is not being done is good practice for when problems like this arise later.  The better you get at resolving issues, the faster your work is completed.

Although these are just a few of the things you can learn from working with people, it is important to remember that regardless of what we do we will most likely end up working with groups of different people, and the faster you learn to glean the positive things from those experiences, the better your work will be.

Starting my first Internship

By: Brian Rivera

After four summers of part-time jobs landscaping people’s yards, and folding clothes at the mall, I am finally starting my first real internship and I am excited and nervous at the same time. I am excited, because I feel like I am finally beginning to take the final steps towards adulthood, and the first steps towards my future. I know that the experiences I get from working at the LACD are invaluable, and are going to be a great foundation for the path that my life will take me on. I am also excited about the team that I will be working with this summer, and the projects we will be working on, especially being a project manager for the Professional Pathways newsletter!

These new experiences can also very nerve-racking! The thought of the success or failure of a project, because of the decisions I make can be stressful, and I am also nervous because this will also be a sort of “test” of how my abilities are transferred from class to my work. Since I just picked up Professional Writing as a major a year ago, I feel the extra pressure to test my limits and see what I truly like and what I am good at. Although I am nervous, the excitement I feel is balancing it out. I guess that the nerves I am feeling right now are just the same as the anticipation you get when you are going up a rollercoaster. When you get to the top you feel your stomach ball up, and for a split second all your “worst-case” scenarios race through your mind, but when you are heading down all that stress lets go and it makes the fall that much sweeter.

Right now I am at the top of the roller coaster and looking out at what my summer will be like, and although I know that I will be working hard and pushing myself, the knowledge and experiences I will get from this internship are going to be worth the “fall”.

Getting to work on time

By: Brian Rivera

As the summer continues to unfold many students have begun their internships, and for those of us with unpaid internships a second summer job as well. Unfortunately juggling two work schedules can be hectic, and when you throw in traffic, construction detours, and unexpected surprises at work, you might be finding yourself racing from one place to another to get there on time. Being late to anything reflects poorly on you, but being late to work is definitely something you don’t want to do. I found that by following these tips I not only make it to work on time, but I better prepare myself for anything life throws at me.

Plan ahead:

I know this sounds simple but I think that a lot of people don’t truly take this advice to heart. Lay out your clothes for work the night before. Make sure that they are clean, ironed or pressed, and all together. Nothing is worse than trying to change quickly, and having to waste precise minutes trying to find your tie! This goes for your shoes as well. If you don’t have time to eat lunch make it the night before so that it is ready to eat on the go. Basically if you can get it done the day before just save yourself some time and get it done then.

Be prepared for anything:

Make sure you have an arsenal of things ready to combat any surprises that might lurk around the corner throughout the day. Carry a tide to go pen so you can clean up any stains you may have picked up from lunch. Keep a charger in your car in case your phone didn’t charge properly the night before. Have a small sewing kit at hand to sew back any loose buttons on your shirt. Though these are just a few examples, there are plenty of things you can have at hand to help keep life’s “surprises” at bay.

Communicate:

Scenario: You have just finished at your last job and are about to head home to prepare for your next one when your boss says they need help with a crisis right now. You don’t want to simply be rude and say you have to leave, so make sure your employers know your schedule as soon as possible. That way they can try to find someone else to help them, and you can leave on time. They might also be flexible and help you change your hours so that you have plenty of time to get your things done on time. Most employers are extremely terrific to work with and will want to help you succeed.

Following these few tips may not help you in every scenario, but they will definitely help you time manage and hopefully get you where you need to go on time.