The saying ‘take the good with the bad’ is very appropriate for my last two weeks at the RRR Network. Although there have been wonderful experiences, the excitement and experiences are not always positive, just like in the real work force.
Working in a government run organisation means all tasks must be done a certain way. Tasks must also be sent up the ‘pipeline’ which means when you complete something, someone higher up must sign off on it before implementing the change. The procedure is quite tedious at times and can often slow the process down and result in communication problems. For example, I had just finished the September Network E-news, my boss Katrina had signed off on it and it was ready to be uploaded by someone higher than us. However that particular person was away on holiday and left the task to someone else. As a consequence, a non-finished incorrectly formatted e-newsletter was put up on the website which is a MASSIVE NO NO. After days of trying to get the document down from the web, it was eventually removed and correctly formatted, unfortunately 12 days after it was meant to be released. There still are a few problems, but we decided to put it up less than perfect so at least it was up! Have a look at http://www.rrr.wa.gov.au/newsletter_current.asp
At the same time we have just started with a new designer for our quarterly Network News Magazine spring edition. I got to proof the document 5 times! It is a long process picking up on the smallest of mistakes to make the final product perfect. I don’t think I will ever be able to read a document again without looking to see if the formatting is correct and consistent, or whether the colours match and font size is appropriate. With all the problems surrounding the e-newsletter and magazine, my project the family organiser is unbelievably behind schedule.
It wasn’t just my week that wasn’t very successful or fun. Katrina my boss had an even worse week and twice as much stress. Oh well, things can only get better!
1 comment:
Hey Sarah,
I completely understand what you mean with what you have spoken about here. I am also performing my placement under a government run department, Rottnest Island Authority and throughout my time there these past few months, i have wondered this same insight the whole way through.
I have found several peices of work i have written are edited maybe 4 or 5 times, simply because each and every person has their own view on what they believe should/shouldnt be included, and by the time it goes forward for higher approval, so much time has been wasted!
Dont worry about it all though, my advice is to just take each task as it comes and try and make the right decisions through learning from past experiences.
Good luck for it all!
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