Well, my internship is coming into its final weeks. I've been off all this week with the new baby here. The timing all worked out so well. I was able to be a part of the budget study sessions, and the overall preparation of the budget. I was lucky that the baby was only two weeks early so I could be a part of all those things and have that learning experience.
Unfortunately, my wife is still trying to close out her semester (she's in an early childhood education masters right now). So for her the baby coming early was a physical relief, but has left her a lot to do in a short period of time. With my internship coming to a close I've been able to spend my time on "kid duty", taking care of the older two kids while my wife can finish her school stuff and helping out the new guy.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Fitting In
One thing that has been great about my internship... people. When I started with Peoria I didn't exactly know what to expect. Early on I was moving around the city and while experiencing different departments was cool, I was also physically moving my stuff often.
Once I settled into budget everything fit. The people I work with are awesome. They've worked together for a while and have a comfort level that lets the workplace be enjoyable. At the same time I've learned so much. Being in the budget office is the best way to learn about other departments, other than maybe working in those departments. The budget office just knows everything going on in the city and works with all areas of the city that I know it was a perfect place to learn the basics of all the departments of the city, and really understand how things run.
My experience has definitely shown me that finding a place you fit in is one of, if not the most important aspect of a job so I feel I've been very lucky this last year.
Once I settled into budget everything fit. The people I work with are awesome. They've worked together for a while and have a comfort level that lets the workplace be enjoyable. At the same time I've learned so much. Being in the budget office is the best way to learn about other departments, other than maybe working in those departments. The budget office just knows everything going on in the city and works with all areas of the city that I know it was a perfect place to learn the basics of all the departments of the city, and really understand how things run.
My experience has definitely shown me that finding a place you fit in is one of, if not the most important aspect of a job so I feel I've been very lucky this last year.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sprawl
I've always been a big fan of music. I wore Metallica t-shirts in elementary. In high school I drove to D.C. for a concert... and by the way, I went to high school in Michigan. My point in bring all this up? The Arcade Fire. This is band that based on my typical musical tastes, and recommendations of friends of similar tastes by all accounts I should love. That is not the case.
I've listened to their stuff and they have songs I like, but mostly it's just meh. Anyways, the latest album is called "The Suburbs" and it's been out for a while. Even though I've had access to it, I haven't really listened to it until this song came up as a random play on the music player on my computer.
I'm not trying to make a statement about sprawl or make this a debate on urban planning, I just like the song and it got me to listen the rest of the album. It was better than expected. And if you listen to the song and think about the Phoenix metro area (which I've actually enjoyed living in for the most part)... well, I guess I can understand the point of the song.
I've listened to their stuff and they have songs I like, but mostly it's just meh. Anyways, the latest album is called "The Suburbs" and it's been out for a while. Even though I've had access to it, I haven't really listened to it until this song came up as a random play on the music player on my computer.
I'm not trying to make a statement about sprawl or make this a debate on urban planning, I just like the song and it got me to listen the rest of the album. It was better than expected. And if you listen to the song and think about the Phoenix metro area (which I've actually enjoyed living in for the most part)... well, I guess I can understand the point of the song.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Baby update
Well, as fate would have it the day after I post about a baby coming soon the baby came. This was a few weeks early, so a little bit of a surprise. I was right in the middle of a training in downtown PHX, and so I had to drive back out to Peoria (technically Glendale) where our hospital is.
Unlike with the first baby where we planned everything well in advance, we had many things to still take care of. I spent a good portion of the day yesterday running errands and getting the kids to friend's houses so I could get to the hospital to be with my wife.
But, all's well that ends well... and the baby came at 5:45 yesterday afternoon. Mother and baby are well, and that means so am I too.
Unlike with the first baby where we planned everything well in advance, we had many things to still take care of. I spent a good portion of the day yesterday running errands and getting the kids to friend's houses so I could get to the hospital to be with my wife.
But, all's well that ends well... and the baby came at 5:45 yesterday afternoon. Mother and baby are well, and that means so am I too.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
And baby makes three*... wait what do you mean three*?
*What I mean by the title is this baby will be the third baby. That's right, for those of you not familiar with the Adams Family we have two kids and a third one is due any time. Surprise! What an interesting time the last (almost) two years have been. I quit my full-time career like job, moved my family of four across multiple states, started full-time school, interned, got a job (more coming on this soon), and to finish my Phoenix/grad school experience... baby time.
Kids are great, especially when they like to tell jokes and do funny stuff. I'll just share one quick story to give you a glimpse of a day in the life. This morning I had to be downtown by 8:30, but this is no big deal since the kids usually wake up between 6 & 6:30am anyway. So we were all up and I was ready to head out the door, but was keeping an eye on the kids while my wife was doing some stuff around the house. My kids have recently gotten into Wii Sports. My son (who just turned 3) loves the bowling, and even bowled an unassisted, not helped in any way, completely on his own 199 the other day. So anyway, he's also into potty training right now and so I set him up to do a little morning (around 7am) bowling and it was awesome. He also tends to jump, swing his arms, and giggle while he's bowling and this morning was no different... except wasn't wearing pants, just his big boy undies and pj shirt. I guess you had to be there, but it was pretty funny. Like I always tell my wife, that's just life in the fast lane.
Kids are great, especially when they like to tell jokes and do funny stuff. I'll just share one quick story to give you a glimpse of a day in the life. This morning I had to be downtown by 8:30, but this is no big deal since the kids usually wake up between 6 & 6:30am anyway. So we were all up and I was ready to head out the door, but was keeping an eye on the kids while my wife was doing some stuff around the house. My kids have recently gotten into Wii Sports. My son (who just turned 3) loves the bowling, and even bowled an unassisted, not helped in any way, completely on his own 199 the other day. So anyway, he's also into potty training right now and so I set him up to do a little morning (around 7am) bowling and it was awesome. He also tends to jump, swing his arms, and giggle while he's bowling and this morning was no different... except wasn't wearing pants, just his big boy undies and pj shirt. I guess you had to be there, but it was pretty funny. Like I always tell my wife, that's just life in the fast lane.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Interviews and getting a job
To work on building my career I decided to talk to various people within the organization and pick-up some ideas on how to get the job. I find that many people will give you the common sense pointers to things like interviews. Be on time, be prepared, try not to say stupid things, take a shower before the interview, yadda yadda. The advice is plentiful, but typically not helpful.
So, what have I learned? Well I'm no expert but here are somethings you might not know that might help. First, if the organization you're applying is of any size or sophistication then the HR department will be the first people to look over your app/resume. These people may, or may not have a good idea about how qualified you are for any position. They are there to screen out the obvious knuckleheads. Make sure your stuff is in good shape to get past this initial review. This means tying your cover letter and resume to job descriptions is important. If the job has minimum requirements if you're close don't be afraid to show how you meet the requirements. Good advice I've received is to let a person tell you that you're not qualified, but don't be shut out by a machine... meaning most HR people will run your stuff through a program to sort "the keepers" from the rest.
Next, practice interviewing with someone who can be honest with you and has some knowledge/practice as a manager. This is the key to preparing. Having another person can help you think through, and critique your answers. After all screwing up with someone you trust is better than screwing up with your interviewer. As you practice anticipate questions and plan responses based on experiences you've had. I like to speak to and organize my thoughts in "bullet points" and stick to about three so you make things clear without overkill.
Also, I think of my answers as being "like a carousel. You put the quarter in, you get on the horse, it goes up and down, and around. Circular, circle. Feel it. Go with the flow." (can you name the movie) But in seriousness circular answers are usual the best for me. What this means is to address a question with what you think, follow this up with an example from your past that applies, talk about how this experience helped you/what you learned/etc..., and finally tie that back to how you started your answer. This is why having experiences prepared in your mind is essential, and practicing these answers with others can be really helpful because frankly this is not always easy to do in a nervous situation (like an interview).
Finally be yourself. This is the part I have to work on most. I often tend to error on the side of formality in a situation and this is not always a good idea. Use the interview to show your true self, and you can really find out if you'd fit the organization by whether or not you get the job. Sounds simple, and has taken me a long time to learn... but a job is too big a part of your life to always be worrying about things you do and say, so act natural and have fun.
Hope something in there helps someone. Good luck job seekers everywhere.
So, what have I learned? Well I'm no expert but here are somethings you might not know that might help. First, if the organization you're applying is of any size or sophistication then the HR department will be the first people to look over your app/resume. These people may, or may not have a good idea about how qualified you are for any position. They are there to screen out the obvious knuckleheads. Make sure your stuff is in good shape to get past this initial review. This means tying your cover letter and resume to job descriptions is important. If the job has minimum requirements if you're close don't be afraid to show how you meet the requirements. Good advice I've received is to let a person tell you that you're not qualified, but don't be shut out by a machine... meaning most HR people will run your stuff through a program to sort "the keepers" from the rest.
Next, practice interviewing with someone who can be honest with you and has some knowledge/practice as a manager. This is the key to preparing. Having another person can help you think through, and critique your answers. After all screwing up with someone you trust is better than screwing up with your interviewer. As you practice anticipate questions and plan responses based on experiences you've had. I like to speak to and organize my thoughts in "bullet points" and stick to about three so you make things clear without overkill.
Also, I think of my answers as being "like a carousel. You put the quarter in, you get on the horse, it goes up and down, and around. Circular, circle. Feel it. Go with the flow." (can you name the movie) But in seriousness circular answers are usual the best for me. What this means is to address a question with what you think, follow this up with an example from your past that applies, talk about how this experience helped you/what you learned/etc..., and finally tie that back to how you started your answer. This is why having experiences prepared in your mind is essential, and practicing these answers with others can be really helpful because frankly this is not always easy to do in a nervous situation (like an interview).
Finally be yourself. This is the part I have to work on most. I often tend to error on the side of formality in a situation and this is not always a good idea. Use the interview to show your true self, and you can really find out if you'd fit the organization by whether or not you get the job. Sounds simple, and has taken me a long time to learn... but a job is too big a part of your life to always be worrying about things you do and say, so act natural and have fun.
Hope something in there helps someone. Good luck job seekers everywhere.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Budget Study Session Wrap Up
Well, the budget study sessions were scheduled to be three meetings with a forth scheduled if necessary. In the end it took five meetings, and the final two were both over six hours. All the sessions have taught me a lot, and it seems fitting that my internship nears its end with these meetings. I will keep my comments brief, and as this is a public forum will also keep them relatively general. I doubt many of you follow Peoria politics, so this may seem random... but if anyone does know the city's politics you'll probably not have trouble reading between the lines of what I say. Also, some of the things I learned may same pretty basic but I think seeing things in action is so much more important than thinking about or reading something.
First, if you don't have something worth saying it might be a good time to keep quiet. This is something several council members should keep in mind, and one in particular. When this person would speak I couldn't help but think of a scene from Anchorman...
If you don't remember, or haven't seen the movie Champ tells Ron how much he misses him and goes a little to far until it just becomes creepy. I'm not saying a council member in Peoria is that creepy, but they should know when it's time to sit out a few plays.
Next, the first rule of politics... count the votes. The council has really shifted in recent months, and things have definitely changed. Certain things staff thought would skate through and be happy parts turned into real trouble. My point of this is that in a volatile environment you can't take anything for granted.
Third, prepare as much as possible and be ready to admit when you don't know something. I think this is self-explanatory.
Finally, patience. So many times in school I heard about political savvy. Knowing what to say and when to say it. I heard about following the council, even when you knew a better way. I heard about being the best manager you can in difficult situations and working in times of low morale. These things are so much more real than they have ever been. I'll just say the last few weeks has been a great time to be an intern and learn in Peoria.
On another note, I've almost posted all my internship related posts so look for a few more personal posts coming in the next few days, one more career post, and just a couple more internship posts to wrap up this semester.
First, if you don't have something worth saying it might be a good time to keep quiet. This is something several council members should keep in mind, and one in particular. When this person would speak I couldn't help but think of a scene from Anchorman...
If you don't remember, or haven't seen the movie Champ tells Ron how much he misses him and goes a little to far until it just becomes creepy. I'm not saying a council member in Peoria is that creepy, but they should know when it's time to sit out a few plays.
Next, the first rule of politics... count the votes. The council has really shifted in recent months, and things have definitely changed. Certain things staff thought would skate through and be happy parts turned into real trouble. My point of this is that in a volatile environment you can't take anything for granted.
Third, prepare as much as possible and be ready to admit when you don't know something. I think this is self-explanatory.
Finally, patience. So many times in school I heard about political savvy. Knowing what to say and when to say it. I heard about following the council, even when you knew a better way. I heard about being the best manager you can in difficult situations and working in times of low morale. These things are so much more real than they have ever been. I'll just say the last few weeks has been a great time to be an intern and learn in Peoria.
On another note, I've almost posted all my internship related posts so look for a few more personal posts coming in the next few days, one more career post, and just a couple more internship posts to wrap up this semester.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Budget Study Session 2
Last night Peoria had the second budget study session. This year has certainly been different than previous years. Going into the meeting (which went from 5-8pm), budget staff had planned on getting through five or maybe even six departments. Things didn't quiet go that way...
After some intense scrutiny two departments were able to present last night.
The council is asking lots of questions, obviously, and many of them are good questions but the quantity is just so high. Both departments (Police and Public Works if you were curious) last night did a nice job and took care of council concerns. Historically, the city completes the sessions in three nights and a forth is scheduled just in case. This year, who knows? So I guess I'll just say two down and a long ways to go.
After some intense scrutiny two departments were able to present last night.
The council is asking lots of questions, obviously, and many of them are good questions but the quantity is just so high. Both departments (Police and Public Works if you were curious) last night did a nice job and took care of council concerns. Historically, the city completes the sessions in three nights and a forth is scheduled just in case. This year, who knows? So I guess I'll just say two down and a long ways to go.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Budget Study Session 1
Tonight was the first of Peoria's budget study sessions. FYI, if you're not into local government format, a study session is a public meeting where council discusses issues but does not move or vote on the issues. The actual vote for budget approval will take place in a couple of months. A study session represents an opportunity for council members to discuss and become more informed on an issue, in this case the budget, before it is moved upon in a regular council meeting.
This is an annual process, but this year is expected to be somewhat different with all the pressure of the lousy economy. Like most cities, Peoria has cut for several years in a row now and that makes each round of cuts more difficult. The easy decisions have been made, and that leaves the tough choices ahead.
As a budget staff, it was anticipated that a proposed utility (read water/wastewater) rate increase would be a difficult topic covered tonight. This turned out not to be the case. Our budget director, CFO, a consultant who flew out from North Carolina, and the staff did an awesome job in the presentation. My hats are off to them all, they really rocked tonight. Staff was especially worried about a particular member of council said he heard and got exactly what he needed tonight to get behind the proposed rates. After postponing the increases for the last few years, the story was there to be told. The city needs the adjustment, and luckily the increase will be moderate... keeping Peoria as one of the least expensive utility providers in the valley (especially on a monthly bill of water, wastewater, and solid waste).
I also would like to commend council member Joan Evans for a comment she made about leadership. She essentially stated that leadership was about making the decision that was best for the community, and putting aside small individual desires and complaints in favor of something that is largely positive. I don't mean to make that sound cryptic or put it out there without context... I just don't want to go into the background of the statement in the interest of time, and the fact that this is a public blog that I'd rather not editorialize too much on. I'll just say that her comment was much appreciated, and I think highly of her for saying what she did.
This is an annual process, but this year is expected to be somewhat different with all the pressure of the lousy economy. Like most cities, Peoria has cut for several years in a row now and that makes each round of cuts more difficult. The easy decisions have been made, and that leaves the tough choices ahead.
As a budget staff, it was anticipated that a proposed utility (read water/wastewater) rate increase would be a difficult topic covered tonight. This turned out not to be the case. Our budget director, CFO, a consultant who flew out from North Carolina, and the staff did an awesome job in the presentation. My hats are off to them all, they really rocked tonight. Staff was especially worried about a particular member of council said he heard and got exactly what he needed tonight to get behind the proposed rates. After postponing the increases for the last few years, the story was there to be told. The city needs the adjustment, and luckily the increase will be moderate... keeping Peoria as one of the least expensive utility providers in the valley (especially on a monthly bill of water, wastewater, and solid waste).
I also would like to commend council member Joan Evans for a comment she made about leadership. She essentially stated that leadership was about making the decision that was best for the community, and putting aside small individual desires and complaints in favor of something that is largely positive. I don't mean to make that sound cryptic or put it out there without context... I just don't want to go into the background of the statement in the interest of time, and the fact that this is a public blog that I'd rather not editorialize too much on. I'll just say that her comment was much appreciated, and I think highly of her for saying what she did.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
PAF 509
Last weekend was the second weekend of my PAF 509 intensive class. The weekend went well, and now the class is over. Besides the internship credits I am earning through this blog, I am now done with my MPA. It is a good feeling to have all the coursework done. I have to say that I am looking forward to the start of something new.
As I near graduation I've thought a lot about the last two years and the things I've learned in that time. I've learned about the roles of management, characteristics of leadership, the roles and functions of municipal governments, and many other things. Many of the things I've learned have been through my internship, and working in the City of Peoria. That's a big part of the reason I'm looking forward to my next challenge and opportunity to continue learning and building my skills.
As I near graduation I've thought a lot about the last two years and the things I've learned in that time. I've learned about the roles of management, characteristics of leadership, the roles and functions of municipal governments, and many other things. Many of the things I've learned have been through my internship, and working in the City of Peoria. That's a big part of the reason I'm looking forward to my next challenge and opportunity to continue learning and building my skills.
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