Journal Keeping

Monday, December 12 - DUE DATE for Journal and Summary

Keeping Your Internship Journal

There are three purposes for keeping your journal: 1) documenting your hours, 2) noting information for your journal summary, 3) assisting in personal growth and career exploration.

Write down what you do each day. Document your hours by writing in the hours worked each day. Add them up periodically, and write in the total at the end of the journal entries. You are expected to work 140 hours at your site for 3 credits and 280 for 6 credits.
Your journal summary at the end of the semester asks for information on the organization, the career path in your profession, your internship goals, activities at the site, and the like (as described on a separate handout). Keeping track of your activities and this other information in the journal will assist you in writing up your summary, as you will otherwise forget much of what you did. I will be reading the journal to get an idea of your daily activities, so write or type neatly.
Keeping a journal on a particular topic or activity, or about your life in general has been shown to have definite psychological and physical health benefits, helping people understand and assimilate the happenings of daily life. While it is not our major purpose here, that is a nice side effect to enjoy.

An internship falls under the rubric of "experiential education," and is not merely "work experience." To get full benefit from the work, you need to reflect on the site and yourself, which can lead to clarification of career goals and insight into work style (yours and others). You must be active in the learning process: you determine what you want to learn and how to do so. The following paragraphs can give you some idea about what to observe and write about (besides your daily activities), and help you make the most of your internship.

In addition to your daily activities, you must make REFLECTIVE ENTIRIES about at least 5 (7 for 6 credit students) of the following topics during the course of the semester:

A. Appearance -- How do the people dress at work? Do they appear professional? Does your current wardrobe fit in to this site? How does the office look: chaotic, shabby, posh, or super-organized? Do you have sufficient space to work? Are the files well-organized and easy to use? Do they have the equipment you need to get the job done? How do you feel about working in a place like this?

B. Attitudes -- How seriously do people take their work here? Are they friendly and helpful? Does there seem to be a lot of politics and infighting going on? Who are the leaders here? Do people seem to resent your intern status and access to information and meetings they may covet? Is this a high pressure place or laid back? Does there seem to be any discrimination against people because of sex, race, handicap, etc., or inklings of sexual harassment? How do you like working with these people in this kind of atmosphere?

C. Rules -- Are there a lot of rules governing work procedures? Are the rules clear and in written form? Is it easy to get the information and resources you need to do your work? Did you receive any kind of orientation? Is the authority structure clear as to who has control over activities and events and your work?

D. Training -- What training do you need to enter this organization and to progress in a career? What sort of training do the people already here have? What sort of personal qualities are useful here? Do you see any changes occurring soon in this organization or in the whole industry that may influence careers?

E. Learning -- How easy is it to ask questions? Are assignments clear? Are you getting the feedback you need? Do people seem too busy to teach you things? Are you getting to do what you wanted to do? How do people, including yourself, respond to suggestions or criticism? Are you being stuck with too much "go-fer" work rather than learning new skills? Look at your Learning Agreement every week and review it with your supervisor when necessary. How will you know when you have learned what you wanted? You need to be assertive sometimes to get what you want from your internship. Let people know what you have to offer.

F. Scheduling -- Is everything here done at the last minute in a rush? Is there a good sense of priorities? Do people come and go randomly; are they prompt with appointments and meetings? Are they flexible with your hours? Do they want overtime? Are you able to meet your deadlines? How are you juggling home, school, internship, and job?

G. Supervision -- Are you receiving the supervision you want and why or why not? What motivates your supervisor and what is their leadership style? Is it compatible with yours?

H. Ethics -- How does the mission of this organization fit your personal goals and values? Is there any conflict over what they do here and your view of how the world should work?

I. Effectiveness -- How effective is this organization in making money, serving its clients, etc.? How efficient is it? What changes would make a difference?

J. Satisfaction -- Would the daily functions of this career satisfy you? Is the atmosphere collaborative or competitive? What are the relationships between customers and staff, co-workers, clients/staff, and supervisors/staff? What variety is in the work? Opportunity for advancement? What personal satisfaction would you find in this work?

K. Critical incidents -- Did something happen that changed your ideas or attitude toward this work or career? Do you feel more or less committed to the field after the internship? Can you identify a particular problem or issue that keeps reoccurring? Describe and analyze this in terms of its impact on you.

Format for the Journal Summary

Keep a journal during the semester documenting hours and activities, then write up a summary following these guidelines (approximately three pages) at the end of the semester.

1. PLACEMENT INFORMATION
Outline the structure, goals, and history of the organization in which you are interning. Who does the organization serve and how? How is it funded? Include an organizational diagram and indicate where you are located.
What is the usual career path for the job you desire (i.e., from busboy to waiter to maitre d'hotel)? What is the salary range for these jobs (ask people at the site or look up)? Were you paid as an intern and how much? What is the job market like for this career? Are you continuing at this site as a volunteer or worker? Did you receive an offer for this or another job and did you accept it?

2. ACTIVITIES
What specific projects were you involved in? What were your duties and responsibilities? What were your goals and objectives? How did these activities relate to your learning objectives?
Did you learn what you had planned during your internship? What new knowledge and skills did you acquire? What do you know now that you didn't know before this Internship? How did you grow personally and professionally as a result of this experience? Have you changed your career plans?

3. SUPERVISION
Who was your supervisor at work? What were her/his duties and responsibilities? Did you receive sufficient feedback and evaluation from your supervisor?

4. EVALUATION AND CREDIT ARRANGEMENTS
Describe your paper or project and whether it seemed to enhance your internship experience.

5. JOURNAL ENTRIES
Summarize your required reflective journal entries here and note which topics you covered (A., B., etc.). Add any other comments you wish to make.