The End of All Things

It's finally here! The end of graduate school as I know it. I finished writing my final paper Tuesday night and submitted it and returned the mountains of books I checked out from the library. Hip, hip, hooray! :o) My first thought upon completing my paper was, "Now what do I do? I get to sleep? Really?" hahaha :o) This last and final paper (forever and ever!) was for my external cognate class and it was pretty tough to do because I had a rather tough semester with the whole course--dealing with a totally different department culture, a decidedly different academic focus (as opposed to my comfortable and usual practical project focus at SI), and surprise at getting a content focus that I wasn't expecting (definitely history and not necessarily practical film terminology).

I've also wrapped up my archive internship and gave them a great deliverable. I have to say, I think this was one of my very favorite classes here at SI (the Archive Practicum). It started out a little rough because I had to change my internship half-way through the semester, but my second and final internship was exactly what I needed and wanted. I'm really proud that I've been able to find an innovative solution for the Bentley Library's online exhibit for the History of Computing collections. The speakers during the semester were really interesting and I learned a lot about best practices in a variety of different types of archives, archival settings, and archive uses.

My usability evaluation group (for the class Evaluations of Systems and Services) also delivered our project to our client and class. It was a huge success! You can see our reports published online here: http://www.lib.umich.edu/usability/projects/MBooks.html. We were all really proud of the work we did in this project and talk about learning a lot! I used our reports as examples from my portfolio when I interviewed for my upcoming job with the Disney Internet Group and I definitely plan to use some of the evaluation techniques to determine which archival solutions are best for the company.

On Friday this week my parents are arriving from out-of-town and we will be going to the SI graduation ceremony and reception. I'm really looking forward to this so that my mom and dad can meet the incredible staff here at school and see some of my friends and their families too. I got my cap and gown for pictures (of course!) but I don't actually need this for Friday. Instead, it's really meant for the Saturday commencement when we'll all go hear President Clinton give the commencement address. Technically speaking, Saturday's commencement is for the undergrads, but who can pass up a chance to hear a huge speaker like this? It should be very interesting and I'm looking forward to it. Afterwards, my family and I are going to enjoy some fabulous sushi at my favorite Japanese restaurant in town. :o)

Other than all of this madness, I have been getting early cost estimates and apartment availability notices to make my Big Move to Los Angeles. My start date looks to be May 29 and I'm starting to get very excited about all of it! I'm really looking forward to living in a place where there is lots of sunshine and palm trees. I'm a tropical girl at heart, not to mention a big city and concrete lover, so this is definitely the perfect destination. :o) I will be going to LA in about a week and a half to visit my top 3-5 apartments and then will sign a lease. I am extremely happy with my salary/benefits package and my signing bonus will be more than enough to cover moving costs. It's really cool to be able to see all of my hard work pay off in the end! When I moved into my apartment in August 2005, I vowed that when I graduated I would get a fantastic job that would pay for someone else to haul all of my boxes for me. :o) Apparently wishes do come true! It still hasn't fully sunk in yet that I have, in fact, landed my dream job right out of grad school. I don't think it will really seem real until I get there and start to get settled into my new office.

I'm also busy filling out forms ("exit interviews") for my student loans. I'll have to start paying those in 6-9 months depending on the type of loan. But I'm not worried about that in the least because I'll be able to afford it now--that's why I went to grad school, after all. It's definitely given me a step up in the world. There is also the SI alumni information that I've been browsing through. I just updated some information today online and checked the nifty box that puts me in the student-alumni network at SI. I have received invaluable help from some alumni in the couple of years that I've been here, so now I figure that it's my turn to pass it on. :o) I even received some help with some alumni who are listed in LA--they just gave me some great housing advice last week. It's pretty cool that even though I didn't go to school at the same time as these folks, that they are totally willing to help me out simply because we went through the same program. It's kind of like an extended family, which is really comforting.

So, with hindsight now, my words of advice are this: If you know you want something, then just go for it. Having an idea of what you want is the best thing to help guide you through grad school. Even if you don't know what you want, exactly, the act of simply taking charge of your own path will make you a lot more motivated, successful, and content when all is said and done. And with that, I will sign off here. I'll be posting another blog or two before I leave Ann Arbor and will be winding down my job here with SI Admissions as well. So, feel free to send me any emails but pretty soon I'll be forwarding messages on to some current folks at SI. I will definitely not be answering emails for SI Admissions after May 20 which will be so sad! But I wish everyone the best of luck!

And now without further ado, I must sign off! Today is my last day at the Knowledge Navigation Center so it's a busy day. Until next time...
-maw :o)

Posted by maryaw on April 25, 2007 at 12:31 PM | Comments (0)

YouTube = good winter-time entertainment

I have so much going on right now! Holy wow... I will update you on that shortly, but first! A fun blog entry! :o) These YouTube videos were passed around at SI this week and they are super funny!

This one has been inspired by the documentary "March of the Penguins" and was posted by an SI alum. It's from the American Libraries Association Midwinter conference that I also attended in Seattle, Washington in January.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td922l0NoDQ&NR

And this second one is about the "Medieval Helpdesk." Apparently books, in this scenario, were just as difficult a new technology as many of the electronic versions that are being developed today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRjVeRbhtRU

And this last one is really fantastic. It's about the changing face of digital everything and Web 2.0. Just watch it and be amazed! (Note the Creative Commons copyright at the end--pretty cool, eh?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

Hope you find this as entertaining as I did! We are having a lovely winter storm at the moment (I say 'lovely' with the utmost sarcasm :o) so I am at home tonight getting a whole TON of things done and hopefully I can update you in a few days on the latest news in my crazy life! It involves some really cool projects and a whole lot of interviews. Exciting times... :o)

Posted by maryaw on February 13, 2007 at 07:46 PM | Comments (0)

Gobble, gobble!

Howdy, fearless readers!
This is a short week, being a holiday week -- so, I thought I would tell you about my life as a student at this time of year. Due to Thanksgiving, we only have half a week because our annual turkey day falls on a Thursday every year so we get a four day weekend. Normally I would go visit my parents (they live just over an hour away from Ann Arbor) but they are currently living and traveling overseas. I've had no less than five invitations to join people for Thanksgiving turkey dinners. However, this year I've chosen a different route.

As you've probably read in previous entries, it is officially 'crunch time' here -- 'tis the season and the point in the semester when all major class projects come due! Given the fact that my family is all far away (my sister also happens to live many states away), and even my boyfriend lives a few hours away, I decided to use the long weekend as a great excuse to get a ton of work done. Now, before your dubious panic ensues, dear grasshoppers, know that this is an atypical year for me. If you're not from the States and are not familiar with the American tradition of Thanksgiving, it's basically an eating holiday. Not that I'm complaining though... I have my own kitchen roaring to go with a roast chicken and baked apples wrapped in pastry. :o)

So, what do I plan to work on this weekend? Well, here's my list:
-Library cataloguing final project
-Library reference research project
-Intellectual property law class final paper (research it)
-Prepare for my intellectual property law class presentation/mini-lecture (I have to give this on Tuesday next week)
-Continue plugging away at my complex websites course final project
-Catch up on a whole ton of reading

and, for personal work:
-finish getting my portfolio up online
-design and create the template for my sister's new business website
-oh, yeah, and the rest of my life :o)

Yes, I have enough on my plate, for sure! And I'm not just talking turkey... There's only 4 weeks left, though, which means that I'll be able to enjoy some downtime soon.

In other news, I enrolled for Winter 2007 semester classes yesterday afternoon. I'll be taking my outside cognate in the film department which I'm really looking forward to taking. For now, I'm officially enrolled for 4 courses (12 credits) but might cut that down to 3 courses (9 credits) for a couple of reasons. One of the courses is quite technical, but I think I might not need that. I also am still working on figuring out how much time I will need to set aside for things like job hunting. However, I just interviewed in the first round with a really awesome career opportunity at the end of last week. I'll be finding out if I made the second round after turkey day.

Ok, fearless grasshoppers, time to jet! I'll keep you updated on all the projects I do as they come to completion and maybe I can share some with you too. If you're of the turkey type, I hope you have a great holiday weekend!

Posted by maryaw on November 21, 2006 at 10:41 AM | Comments (0)

Technology: can't live with it, can't live without it

Oh, boy... this week has been dominated by technology woes. My laptop's powercord/AC adapter has been suffering a slow death and it finally died on Monday during lecture for library cataloguing. Luckily, I was able to procure just enough electric juice to pull out a few urgent files and back them up on my flash drive. Thankfully SI has its own computer lab (dual PC/MAC at each station) with printing so I pretty much lived there all week. Inconvenient for me, yes. But back-up plan in the lab worked out fine. Just thought I'd share that lovely story with you this week. :o) I'm very tired though... 'tis the season. And tech woes didn't help much, but at least the weekend is here (short as it will be by the time it flies by). The next Connect with SI event is coming up next weekend--I'll be summing up both of the open houses when the second one is finished. Hope you all have a good weekend!

Posted by maryaw on November 02, 2006 at 10:22 PM | Comments (0)

A Week in the Life

Welcome to another week, fearless readers! Today I will give you some insight into the craziness that is my work/school life balance.

So, as you might have read in my previous entry, I work three part-time jobs totaling about 20 hours per week and I also take 12 credits. "Well, that's just a heck of a lot of work," you say? Why yes, yes it is. However, it IS doable and manageable and today I will tell you how I do it all.

Yes, we grad students need money to survive. Ergo, we work. However, the one rule I always keep in mind is from the wise words of Xiao-wen (rockin' staff advisor that she is, here at SI): Classes first, work second, play third. Now that you know my priorities, it will make sense how I structure my time.

First, let's talk about classes. 12 graduate credits is a lot of work, no bones about it. Being tailored means that I get to choose my own curriculum; so for me every class I take is an extremely conscious choice. I also have a very clear purpose in what I choose to take, therefore I usually enjoy my classes and keep a clear goal in mind for what I want to get out of each class. Perhaps my end goal is the final project--something to build up my portfolio. Sometimes my goal is to learn, or at least become familiar with, a particular skill set. Regardless, if I don't structure my time properly, all is lost because I'll never finish my work and then I won't accomplish my goals.

Hmm... "time management"... Whatever could that buzzword be? Well, my little grasshopper, time management is the ultimate tool that will bring success to you in graduate school! Just as it is totally possible to over-extend yourself with commitments, so too is it true to under-extend yourself (i.e. boredom). You, and only you, can figure out what works best for you. People who know me well, know me as the human pinball (trust me, it's even worse when I actually drink coffee, which is why I usually stick to green tea). I know that I thrive on being busy from the time I get up to the time I go to bed.
(Well, here's a disclaimer: I'm renown for my all-nighters. Before you panic grasshopper, just know that all-nighters are not typical at SI. I just happen to be a crazy night owl and when I get on a work-roll, I stay up 'till the work is done. But hey, that's my personal style. I know that I can get absolutely minimal sleep for days at a time and still be functional because this is something I have discovered about myself. However, I have good friends here at SI who crash and burn if they try to do the same--so they don't.)

Yes, I can sense your apprehension hearing about all-nighters and minimal sleep. However, let's discuss how we can avoid these situations because although I can stay up for days, surviving on Cheetos and caffeine, I am actually known in my own family for being the ultimate sack-rat. I LOVE my sleep! So, in order to preserve this lovely sleep time in my busy day, I plan everything out. And I mean everything! Some people at SI, being tech wizards that they are, use electronic calendar systems. I like those because they look pretty, but I'm old-school when it comes to calendars. I love the Filofax dayplanner that my sister gave me for my birthday a few years ago--let's just say, we both have an odd obsession with office supplies. :o) For me, I keep things separated on good, old fashioned paper products:

1. a large wall calendar. (2006 is palm tree year! Ah, sandy beaches, no snow... I'm sure you'll hear about Michigan winter weather from me soon enough!) I map out all of my homework, assignments, and project steps on this calendar. When I've completed something, I cross it off. I also build in deadline cushions--remember when I was sick for my last blog entry? Didn't miss a deadline. :o)

2. my Filofax day planner with all of my daily schedule stuff in it. This includes personal appointments, classes, things I want to go to, etc. My planner also has other features like monthly views and notes sections, an address book, etc. This is small enough that I can tote it around in any bag or purse.

3. my week-at-glace planner for the work I do at SI. In this planer I keep track of all the things that need to be done for the Admissions office and also for Career Services. (I'll talk about my jobs in a minute...)

Lastly, I'm a huge fan of to-do lists. I make sure to keep on track with my coursework by planning for the next day or two the night before. For example, tonight before I enjoy a blissful date with my flanel sheets, down comforter, and cat sleeping on my feet (did I mention that fall weather arrived this week?) I will map out tommorrow's list of things to do. Some days (like yesterday) were nuts (as in crazy, not yummy like the Pecan variety). In cases like that I might take time to actually map out what I have to do in terms of time frame, not in a numbered list. Yes. I am Type A.

Let's talk a little bit about boredom, shall we? So, what if you need to work but don't want to work as many as 20 hours per week? Well, that is fine too, but I find that if I have structured my time well (work, activities, whatever floats your boat) then I am more structured with my homework time. I've seen people burn out from boredom--sometimes not having enouogh to do can be just as bad as having too much to do. The last thing you want is to start feeing depressed and/or apathetic about being at a really awesome graduate program. It's only two years--you want to enjoy it and make the most of it.

Speaking of making the most of things, let's talk about jobs. So, I have three. Yes, count 'em, three! Aside from helping out around SI and building all sorts of professional skills, I also have a work-study position at the Knowledge Navigation Center in UM Hatcher Graduate Library. "Why all the work?" Well, little grasshopper, I chose these for very particular reasons.
1. Schedule flexibility
2. I don't work nights and weekends (something I identified as very important to me)
3. Skill development!
For example, at the KNC I am learning more computer applications on both Windows and Mac as well as gaining experience doing library reference and instruction in a media center. For SI Career Services I review resumes, announce visiting employers, and help with internship searches--when I look for good job announcements for SI students I also get to hunt for jobs myself! And here for SI Admissions I get experience with communications and outreach. Nifty, eh? :o)

Time for shameless publicity! Check out the websites to learn more about the places where I work:
SI Admissions: http://www.si.umich.edu/applying/default.htm
SI Career Services: http://www.si.umich.edu/careers/default.htm
Knowledge Navigation Center: http://www.lib.umich.edu/knc/

Ok, let's finish this work discussion with a final note: I know a lot of people (in fact, most of them) who only work one part-time job. One person I know works 20-25 hours per week while another only works 8 hours per week. Needless to say every person has discovered what they can handle and what they want. And sometimes you learn by trial and error, it happens.

Finally! We get to talk about play time! Call me guilty as charged--I find plenty of reasons to do things that aren't 'school' which often causes me to overextend myself. However, I have learned one valuable thing over the years: I take one thing I'm super passionate about and I make sure to do it at least once per week. Keeps me sane, you know? Last year I was on the Ballroom Dance Team--I took lessons, practiced every night, and competed at least once per month. It was a whole heck of a lot of playing. And it was good for a year. But this year I'm not dancing with them, I'm just serving on the executive board as the External PR chair--I do all of their marketing and advertising campaigns. Hey! Whaddya know? Another skill for my resume! You can bet your bottom dollar that was a conscious decision. :o) "Why no dancing this year?" The answer is in balance, dear grasshopper. I have my eye on the finish line this year (think: graduation and securing a fantastic job) so I fill the dance void with the occasional drop-in ballet class and my newly resurected sewing hobby. It was a hard decision I had to make in August but well worth it!

So that is school-work-play for my life as a student at SI. I make plenty of time on weekends for my family, my boyfriend, and hanging out with friends. Trust me, school at SI will keep you busy but you can handle it. It's also probably one of the most fascinating two years I've had so far.

You might have heard me mention the word 'portfolio' in this entry. Stay tuned for my next blog entry and we will demystify the world that is Portfolios. Don't worry! It's not some strange alien planet. Actually, it's a really cool tool that anyone and, in my opinion, everyone can and should use when in school at SI. I'll use this as a lead-in to tell you about some of my job-hunting experiences. I've been playing the early bird this week and doing some networking, so you can see how my activities at SI have helped me out with that. Until then...
-maw :o)

Posted by maryaw on October 05, 2006 at 12:18 PM | Comments (0)