Week 12, Fresh Start!

Week of 3/22-3/26, 2010

Tuesday 8:30-12:30=4 hours

Thursday 9:00-11:45=2.75 hours

Friday 8:30-11:00=3 hours

Hours left for credit 106-9.25=96.75

Today is a fresh start for me, I am done with the Advanced Academics project, and I have not gotten any feedback yet, everything seemed to be fine. It is a fresh start becuase I am getting ready to start on my new project. Office Manager, Chelsea Herring is now in charge of the interns, because Deb is gone on maternity leave. Chelsea started me out on a new project. For this project I am doing some research on Advertising forums. I am looking for any sites where people may go to talk about any advertising at all, especially our competitors. The objective is to find out what people are discussing in the industry, and if there is anything we can learn, from these forums.

I have started this project, with not much luck, I have found some popular websites that show creatives and have people commenting on the creatives. I really need to find something that goes a little more in depth than just comments on pics or videos, to get some insight from other professionals in the industry.

Week 11, Spring Break, Finally!

March 15-19, 2010

Monday 12.30-5.30=5 hours

Tuesday 9-5.30 (30 min lunch)=8 hours

Wednesday 8.30-4,30 (30 min lunch)=7.5 hours

Thursday 12.30-5.30= 5 hours

Friday 8.30-5.00 (30min Lunch)=8 hours

Total for the week =33.5

Hours left for credit=139.5-33.5=106

It's Spring Break this week so I am making up some hours, this week I came in everyday. I finally finished up my Advanced Academics outlines. That was a long project, I would say the worst part about it though, is the document finishing. Formatting is a key part in the final outcome. It took me so long to get the whole document to all have the same formatting. The whole document was 23 pages, but since I made three outlines, one for each county, when I combined them the format was all wrong. On top of that the outlines had tables in them, so when you copy an paste to all different formats, all the tables shifted and it was a mess cleaning everything up. I could have spent days formatting, re-formatting, then re-formatting, the re-format, I kept changing things around, but Allison said just stick to one and run with it, because Janet the Accounts Service Manager will look over it, and may want it all re-formatted totally different anyway. Allison said that in her last project she spent three hours at home, re-formatting her document, and it drove her crazy.

This is another lesson learned about the Accounts Services, I could toil over something trivial and circumstantial, but in the end, somebody above me may want me to re-do all of it anyway. That's the business ladder, I guess thats what they call swimming with the sharks, and climbing the ladder. It's not so much about what you want, it's all bout what somebody else wants. It's just my job to figure that out, and try to meet those needs.

So the latter part of the week Advanced Academics, is sending out some marketing packages to their main customers, its a little portable lunch cooler with some flyers. The thought behind the cooler is that you can take your cooler to outside events, or to the beach, while still attending class at Advanced Academics. Meaning you can be laying on the beach, getting a tan, eating your lunch with the Advanced Academics cooler, and taking your classes online. I helped prepare the packages, just doing some busy work, till the next project comes up.

That's it for this week, I didn't realize how worn out I feel at the end of the day. Since I have been coming in some full days, going at it all day non-stop really drains me. The best part is that it is a good draining. The worst part is that I don't even get to enjoy my last Spring Break weekend, because I have projects that I have to work on for school, due on monday. I'll be back next week!

Week 10, Almost there!

March 8-12, 2010

Tuesday 9.30-1.30=4 hours

Hours left for credit 143.5-4=139.5

So as I said in last week's blog I am working on my other outlines in Alachua County, and in Lee County, Florida. I was having trouble finding the ame info as in the other outline on the census bureau website, but I finally got it figured out. I should be able to knock these outlines out pretty quickly, or at least faster than the Broward County Outline.

I did not come to my internship on Thursday or Friday of this week. Thursday I had an appointment that prevented me from coming up, and Friday I had a midterm. Next week on Spring Break I am going to be coming in more hours to get these outlines finished and to get started on some new work. I am almost done with this task, I can't wait to start a new challenge.

Week 9, Coming Round the Bend

Week of March 1-5, 2010

Tuesday 8.30-1=4.5 hours

Hours left for credit 155-4.5=150.5

So short but sweet, I have a lot going on, I finished up my Broward county outline for Advanced Academics. Allison was thoroughly impressed. She said that she was going to proofread the material to her liking and when i come in on Thursday we will go over it, I will make any changes to her liking, and we will then transfer it to formal, Visual Image, letterhead. After that I will move on to finishing the other two counties, Alachua and Lee.

Thursday 8.30-1=4.5 hours

Friday 8.30-11=2.5 hours

Hours left for credit 150.5-7=143.5

Started on Alachua County for Advanced Academics. It's taking me awhile to find the same information. I went to the census bureau website to find all the demographic information, but I cannot find the same spreadsheets that I found for Broward county which gives me the same information, that I need, to put this outline to keep all of them consistent for presentation. There are so many different types of spreadsheets that it is hard to filter through them and find the same one. This incident is a learning experience for me because I need to make note of what I did to get to the spreadsheet in the first place with the Broward County outline, then i wouldn't have to waste time figuring out the steps I took before to find the information.

Week 8, Cool and collected

Week of Feb 22-26, 2010

Tuesday 9.30-1.30=4 hours

Hours left for credit 166-4=162

Back on today, with finishing up the Advanced Academics outline. Just trying to get it done right, I talked with Allison earlier, and she said that we should meet later to see how everything was going, I don't want to let her down.

Dallas, last Friday was fun, I learned a lot about the advertising world in the big city, it seemed a lot more high paced, maybe it was just the city itself. I do not want to discount what I am doing here at Visual Image, because there are days here that seem just as stressful, it's just that the agencies we visited in Dallas, were much bigger, than VI and maybe that's why there was a different feel in perception.

Thursday 8.30a-12.30p=4 hours

Hours left for credit 162-4=158

This Advanced Academics thing is getting old. I cannot wait till I am finished with this project. Allison wanted for me to have it finished by today, but i do not think that is going to happen. As I have said before, when I give the finished outline to her, I want to make sure that it meets beyond her expectations. So i am just plugging away at the same stuff today, it's getting redundant, but it is productive.

In the other part of my life, school to be more exact, as always the things are hectic as always, but i think they are cooling off in the sense that I have a better grasp on what is needed to get finished with the projects/assignments. It's either that, or I am just getting used to the workload.

What really though is the fact that I work Wednesday nights, at Kamps nightclub, as a bartender. I usually stay at a fellow bartender's house at the end of the night, instead of driving all the way back down to Norman, to alleviate the fact that I have to drive all the way back up just a few hours later. The point I am trying to make is that I get three hours of sleep, and it is starting to grind on me. There is an up-side to it though. The fact that I am sleeping on a couch and not my own bed, helps me get up, in the morning as oppose to continuously pushing the snooze button. Even though I am sleep deprived, what sleeping on my friend's couch and not my own comfortable bed does for me, is get me in here bright and early to tackle the day. On Thursday mornings coffee is a Godsend.

Friday 8.30a-11.30a=3 hours

Hours left for credit 158-3=155

Today is hectic up here, clients are coming in for meetings all day, everybody is running around. I am just staying quiet and doing my work, especially when I am here for only a few hours today. So I started the day off with an email to Allison, letting her know that I did not have the outline finished. She is totally fine with that and re-itterated the fact that it is just ongoing work, but she did meet with me to check on my progress. I showed her all the info I obtained, and she seemed very impressed. I just worked on getting all the info into the finished document. I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel with this project and I am getting eager, I have figured out how to streamline all the relevant information, and properly source the info.

It's really great how everything I am doing in my classes, coincides with all that I am doing here. I feel that it really differentiates me from the other interns, because I come in i know what I am doing, and I feel very confident with my work.

Week 7, Damn its Hot!

Week of Feb 15-19, 2010

Tuesday 8.30a-1p=4.5 hours

Hours left for credit 175-4.5=170.5

So it's still cold in OKC, but i am feeling hot as hell, please excuse the reference, I have so much going on that i am not sure up from down. My reason for feeling so hot is mainly because of school. My Advertising Research class, along with my Account planning class, are equally just as much work, so I feel that i am working double to get through with both. Next Allison, here at VI, just let me know that she wants to wrap up the Advanced Academics project. I am to type up a finished outline of everything i found, and she put a tentative deadline on it, for next Thursday. Here is my problem, I don't know what information she wants, and what she does not want. It's kind of like being in Professor Avery's class when he tells you he wants something done, isn't really specific about what exactly he wants, you turn in the assignment, and then he takes off points for not doing it to specifications he wanted , but did not tell you about. I do not want to let Allison down, nor do I want to extend the deadline. I am trying to keep it all together.

Thursday 8.3oa-1p=4.5 hours

Hours left for credit 170.5-4.5=166

Just working hard on finishing this outline. I don't have much to type about today, other than I am really learning about stress and multi-taking...for real! I am trying to work double time, because i will not be here in the morning, our Account Planning class is going down to Dallas, to visit some Advertising Agencies.

Week 6 Stress!

Week of February 8-12, 2010

Tuesday 8.30a-12.30p=4 hours

Hours left for credit 181.5-4=177.5

So still working on the Advanced Academics project. I have found lots of info, so much that I am having a hard time deciphering what would be relevant info, and what wouldn't. Allison asked me to make an outline of the information that I have found out so for, especially concerning Broward County. On Thursday they have a meeting with Advanced Academics, and are going over the preliminary plans to open the market in Florida. I could feel some tension in the air, everyone was busy pounding out their work, and trying to get their projects put together, to run for advertising spots. When i walk in, and everybody has their heads down, and nobody is talking, I know it's go time to get at it, and start grinding away.

Thursday-missed this day, because I am stressed out with all the work that has to be done in all my classes. My account planning class, and Advertising Research class are stressing me out, I have project after project due. The second we are finished with one thing, something else is already due. In some small way I appreciate the fact that I am staying busy, because this is how it's going to be in the future. The only difference is that I won't have to be juggling a lot of things, work, school, my internship, and homework. Hopefully I will just have my one job, and that will be the only thing i have to focus on.

Friday 8:30a-11a=2.5 hours

Hours left for credit 177.5-2.5=175

Talked to Allison today, and she told me that her meeting went well with Advanced Academics. There was not much talk about what i had been studying, just other facets of the campaign. So I continued to work on research. Today was pretty uneventful, I wrapped up the morning by running an errand for Account Executive, Deana Paulson, I was to pick up some media pics from one of their photographers, and run it to her client for First Fidelity bank, then I headed back to Norman, for class. I am not looking forward to this weekend, I have tests and projects due Monday. My weekend is going to be filled with studying. Maybe next week will be a little bit smoother, and hopefully sunnier.