NPR’s Women in Technology and Why We Shouldn’t “Dumb Down” Tech Jobs

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NPR WIT posterOn March 7 I was invited to participate in a Twitter chat about Women in technology as part of a series by NPR’s Tell Me More radio news program. NPR asked Carletta Hurt, an Oglethorpe alumna who works in the field of education to share her day on Twitter in order to give young women a glimpse of what it’s like to be a woman working in the field of technology. She then chose several other women with similar backgrounds to have a one hour Twitter chat about their experiences, and that’s where I fit in. It was my first Twitter chat and I was super excited about the opportunity. The conversation went very well and I am happy I was able to share my opinions and experiences to help inspire young women to enter the STEM field in their future careers.

View the story “NPR’s Women in Technology Twitter Chat” on Storify

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The Employer’s Guide to Internships, Part Two

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This is the second half of a two-part series about what you, as the employer, can do to ensure a positive experience when hosting an intern in your workplace. This article will focus on tips for managing  your intern and dealing with the inevitable bumps in the road. See part one to find out what you can do to prepare for your intern before they even start working, and to read more about my credentials in this subject area.  I will provide tips for employers and illustrate each one with a personal example of how I’ve applied my own advice to my work managing Pegasus Creative at Oglethorpe University.

Once your intern starts working:

#5: Give and receive feedbackPegasus midterm questionnaire

Providing opportunities throughout the semester to provide structured feedback and asking your intern to reciprocate can be a very beneficial exercise for both parties. It allows for you to assess what the student is doing right, and where they could improve. Many samples of intern evaluations can be found online, and usually offer a point system for rating students in areas such as teachability, reliability and initiative. Asking the student to answer several questions about their experience thus far gives them the opportunity to voice any concerns they might have. Be as honest as possible and encourage your intern to do the same. Halfway through the semester is the perfect time to re-evaluate and make adjustments to the position or assignments so no one becomes disgruntled. Completing an end-of-term evaluation also provides closure for you and the student. Continue reading →

The Employer’s Guide to Internships, Part One

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This is the first installment of a two-part series about how you as the employer can ensure a positive experience when hosting an intern in your workplace. This article will focus on what you need to do to prepare for your intern before they even start working (steps 1-4). Next week I’ll follow up with the second half, which will focus on tips for managing  your intern and dealing with the inevitable bumps in the road.

Why should the employer have to prepare?

There has been a lot of talk lately about benefits of hosting an internship in your office, and the ethics surrounding such an undertaking. More and more pressure is being put on the employers to offer beneficial experiences for the intern, and not simply use them as a personal assistant. Here are a few quick reasons to put in the little bit of extra effort to provide a positive experience for your intern: Continue reading →

Commuting Comforts

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I have a long commute to work – 41.3 miles, to be exact. Several years ago my husband and I decided that we wanted to live in the country, away from the long lines of traffic lights, where it might take 20 minutes to drive 2 miles. So we moved away from the cookie-cutter neighborhoods of suburbia to the rural countryside just north of Cumming, Georgia. That was while I was still in school. Just before I graduated I was offered a job at my Alma Mater, Oglethorpe University in Atlanta. My first two thoughts upon the job offer were: 1. Yeah! I’ve got a job! and 2. Damn, that commute is gonna suck. And it does. It really, really sucks. Atlanta has some of the worst traffic in the nation, and I get to enjoy it 5 days a week. On a good day with no traffic (like a weekend) the drive takes 50 minutes. Most days it takes me and hour and 15 minutes, one way. My record for longest commute is 3 1/2 hours round trip on one particularly bad day. So, yeah, I spend a lot of time in the car.

Like most things in my life, I try to look on the bright side and I’ve found that there are some hidden benefits to a long commute:

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My Existential Magazine Crisis

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A sample of magazines in my house. It took me 2 minutes to pull these together. Some brand new issues, some from years ago that I’m saving.

I’m a magazine junkie. I love the feel of a fresh issue, and determine the caliber of each by the number of pages I dog-ear. Once I pick one up, it’s hard for me to set it down. I love they way they flow (good magazines, anyway) with short articles mixed with features, lists and maybe a photo essay. I prefer reading print magazines to online articles simply for the presentation. In the same way that music artists craft their albums with one song purposely transitioning to the next, magazines need to have a rhythm. And my heart loves the rhythm of magazines. Continue reading →

The Tree Tradition: Preserving Childhood One Ornament at a Time

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Today my kids and I took down our Christmas tree. Removing and boxing up all the ornaments is a lot less fun than putting them on the tree, but it gives me the chance to reminisce about the memories they hold. When I was a kid my parents bought me an ornament every year so that when I left the house as an adult, I wouldn’t have an empty Christmas tree. I’ve continued the tradition with my kids and my husband and as a result, our tree’s limbs are always heavy with ornaments, each with its own story to tell.

My kids love putting their collection on the tree each year. They’ve outgrown the toys and movies and TV shows that many of their ornaments represent, but it reminds them of what was important to them at that time in their lives. It puts things into perspective as they realize that with each year they change just a little, and the things that their world revolves around now will be only be a memory in a few years. But they’ll have a little reminder  – a Christmas tree full of them, in fact. Continue reading →