A Farewell to Arms Bag

Well, it's the final countdown. It seems like only yesterday that I wandered into the Student Multimedia Design Center, excited and nervous to begin what I now know as the definitive impact of my non-academic career at UD. When I came to training that rainy Monday morning, I was not sure what to expect and knew no one (except he who shall not be named). But as soon as we went through the equipment, the microform birthday newspaper challenge, and of course the Scavenger Hunt, I soon learned that the Center really IS a learning environment and the job becomes so much easier when you really start to interact with it. The first couple of shifts were challenging, and I was not sure if I'd ever complete the checklist! But with the help of the Staff and some veteran students (so weird to think about all the student assistants throughout the years) I was able to feel comfortable here and I truly think that is why I've enjoyed the Center so much. So as my time here unfortunately ends, I just wanted to lend some friendly advice:

You don't need to be a guru
I took Graphic Design in high school and spent a lot of time with audacity recording the next Abbey Road on my guitar. I was by no means "gifted" in the programs but felt a genuine interest in them. So as I began working here, I was afraid that not being an expert would result in poor customer service. But when I would help someone, I would gradually see patterns in common mistakes and learn shortcuts to problems that seemed much scarier than they were. It really is all about repetition and thoughtfulness when assisting someone. If you are interested in solving the problem, you will more likely remember it the next time it comes up!

Write about it in the blog
Shocking, right? No, I am not being forced to say this. I've used the blog countless times to look up a problem and its solution. It's just convenient to have a hub where common questions can be answered at only a click away. Plus, it will count for your monthly post. Just pass on the lizards, as Dillon already suggested. In my day, it was iPhones that were off limits (see post supra)... glad to see 'lizards' is the direction we're heading.

Learn due dates
This one's minor but still helpful. Once you get in the groove of the semester, it's easy to to associate 3-day loan return days with the day you're working. Ex. it's a Monday and someone takes out a camera. Instantly, (and assuming no holidays or breaks) the phrase "this will be due back Thursday night at 11:29pm" enters my brain. Of course, still read the number date on the WMS receipt and hand it to them, but a lot of people like days of the week as well. Whoever knows the number date anyway?

Know how to erase everything!
This one speaks to plain empathy towards your fellow student assistants. If you learn how to erase/format every piece of equipment (every type of camera, the hard drives, iPads etc.,) so that when someone else is checking it out again, you save them the extra step of clearing it, and you save the user time waiting at the desk. Your fellow workers will be eternally grateful!

Take night and day shifts
Finally, this one might be the most important. As you know, the staff have fixed schedules and during them, have desk shifts in which they supervise the students. Because of this, there are really two sets of staff you can work with. The day staff and the night/weekend staff. Take shifts during both so that you can get to know ALL the staff. I say this not only because everyone is so helpful and nice, but each staff member has something unique to offer and you can truly learn so much from them.

Thanks for sticking with me through this post, if you got this far you'll be excited to learn that I've awarded myself Treat of the Week!! Just kidding, but seriously, I will miss everyone here and wherever I end up I will continue to practice the Center's workplace code: attentive customer service, dependable proficiency, and of course contributing to the blog at least once a month!!

It's been my pleasure, have a great summer everyone!