...and that's a wrap

This semester I was placed at the Maricopa Country Treasurer's office. My main duty this semester was to update the departments record management system. My initial expectation was this was going to be your typical internship that was going to be heavily micromanaged with little responsibility or contributions to the overall department. However, I found that I was pleasantly surprised because this wasn't the case at all. I found that I was given a great deal of autonomy, flexibility, and responsibility to complete my task and provide lasting contributions to the county. I also learned a lot about management in the way of 1) initiative 2) communication and 3) resourcefulness.

1) When I first started at the Treasurer's department, I had very little knowledge about the records management at the state level. I had experience with  records management at the federal level so I had to learn a new system of record keeping. So I had to take the initiative to research all the state and county statutes, laws, guidelines, policies and procedures pertaining to records management. This was a daunting task because I really had no guidance in this area, but little by little I was able to build upon the preexisting information to build a plan to complete my project

2) In order to complete my project I had to communicate with various stakeholders to build relationships and gain the knowledge I needed to understand the records system of the county. This required talking to records managers, State and Federal Archivist, department managers, and employees. As a self-proclaimed introvert, I had would rather sit behind my desk than interact with anyone in the office. So this internship really pushed me out of my shell to converse with everyone in order to create a comprehensive and inclusive records management program.

3) Since we work in the public sector, resources are slim and departments must make due with what they have. One of the major projects of the department need major funding to get it off the ground. So I was resourceful and found a grant to fund the project. Right now, I am writing a grant to help the department with this endeavor which will provide lasting impact to the county.

Overall, my tenure at the Treasurer's Department will very productive and had provided me with the additional skills I needed to succeed in the public sector.