From Schoolroom to Workroom

My internship is with Dr. McDaniel.  I am creating a user guide for a program called Scalar, which is used by authors to publish their writing.  With this program, authors can easily combine media from multiple sources with their own writing. My internship is pretty informal because it is not with an actual organization, so there was not really a list of qualifications that I had to meet.  However, I would consider being a student in the Technical and Professional Writing program a pretty important qualification.  By taking all of the classes in this emphasis, I learned the necessary writing skills that I used in my internship.  I also learned how to create a meaningful learning experience, which is very important considering that I am creating a user guide for students.

For my internship, I did not have to learn any new writing styles or abilities. However, I did have to learn how to use a new program called Scalar.  Before my internship, I had never heard of this program, so at first it was intimidating trying to learn this new program.  But, because I had to learn how to use it, I will be able to create a better user guide because I know what was challenging for me.  During my internship, I also used my ability to create a meaningful learning experience.  I knew that I needed to incorporate aspects that will keep users interested.  I am also applying the skills that I learned to write and format the user guide correctly. 

Going into this internship I didn’t really have any expectations as to what skills I would learn.  If I had stuck with my original internship with the Humane Society, I would have become more proficient in grant writing.  With my new internship, there have not been any skills that I have not learned or practiced yet that I thought I would have.

Since my internship is with Dr. McDaniel and not with a professional organization, the writing is not different.  The project that I am working on is for the Technical and Professional Writing emphasis at Pittsburg State University, so I do not have to change anything that I learned in class to fit meet the requirements of my internship.  As Linda Driskill states in her article, “Understanding the Writing Contexts in Organizations,” “Culture is a powerful determinant of the definition of situation and of rituals and procedures” (64).  I did not have to learn a new culture or change my writing style because I am completing my internship with my own university and with a professor with which I took a multiple classes.

My internship is pretty informal.  I meet with Dr. McDaniel every week to discuss the work that I have done and need to complete.  The hierarchy is very simple because there is just the two of us meeting to talk about this project.  There really is not a work environment because I do all of the work on my on time, usually at my house or the library.  When Dr. McDaniel and I meet, we meet in his office.  The writing context is no different than what I did in my classes. 

Overall, this internship is helpful because I am learning how to use a program that I had never even heard of before.  Even though I did not have to learn a new writing context and culture, I am still developing my skills as a writer.