Experiential Learning Essay

I chose to do my volunteer work at Agape Hospice Care for my human services class in the spring of 2016 because I wanted to do some sort of office volunteer work. I wanted this because ultimately, I wanted to work in an office again. I thought it would be a good idea to have current work experience as well. I had no idea what to expect, as I had never volunteered before. I was so thankful the volunteer coordinator was a wonderful and kind person. She could see my potential from my first day there. I only worked 20 volunteer hours total, and six of them were for an orientation. After the orientation, I created a phone list in Microsoft Excel in table form so it could be easily organized in different ways. I helped file medical records, and I helped contribute to a facility list in Microsoft Excel as well.

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​Everyone at the work site was kind to me and appreciated my work. At the time of service, I appreciated the opportunity to help an excellent organization like Agape. Now, I have benefited even more by being offered a great job with this same company. I am amazed and grateful for the opportunity and glad I did my best even though it was for unpaid work.

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​I also worked 20 hours a week for the entire spring semester of 2017 at Business Accelerators in Kennesaw. I chose this work site partly because it was an office management internship, and partly because it was close by. Many of the internships available at the time were quite far away, and with one child still in pre-kindergarten, I needed something close.

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My expectations going into the internship were that I would do a great job. I had extensive previous experience as a school secretary. I assumed the internship would be somewhat similar. I was wrong. I learned schools are a different kind of business. Small businesses have fewer employees, scarce resources, and less official rules. I quickly found out there were many unofficial rules at my internship. My manager and I had clashing personalities, but we figured out how to work well with each other after some trial and error.

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I worked 9:30-2:30 Monday through Thursday every week. I maintained the appearance of the work site, created phone lists, did projects for another resident small business, made coffee and set up for networking meetings, and fixed simple IT issues. I also sent and received emails, answered the phones, and directed clients when they had meetings within our facility.

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My internship provided essential training for my current job. Had I not received specialized training in running an office, I would be clueless when it comes to many of the basic requirements of my current job that I was expected to already know. I know I am responsible for keeping the office looking and smelling pleasant. I know I need to write everything down to reference later. I learned how to keep physical and computer files organized. One of the biggest things I learned was clients, customers, and coworkers do not always say what they mean. It is essential to learn what people really mean and to measure it against what they are saying. Sometimes they try and deceive, other times they do not know what they really want or need. This relates directly to my new career when I answer the phones. I must quickly discern who the person on the other side is, what they need, and who they actually need to be directed to.

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I am thankful for my experiential learning experiences. They have led me straight to my new career. These experiences, along with my coursework, have prepared me for success as I move forward and graduate.

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