Learning new things

Monday morning

2006-05-14T22:51:00.000-07:00

I have realize that Monday mornings are very interesting if you are in the work place, because you know that you will be working on something that should be finished by Friday, unlike at school where everything stays the same. You know that you will be attending lectures and tuts all most everyday. That is good but if continue doing that for next three years it becomes boring.

For a change I'm doing something different and that is enjoyable

Last meeting

2006-05-09T23:13:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I attended a meeting where I met with people that I usually spoke to over the phone or e-mails. It was nice to meet them in person. In the process I got an exposure of what I will be working on in the next few months.

I do not have an experience in Public Relations, but I find it very interesting to me .I would not mind to continue and study it further, as this would add on my current experience.

I must say it is exciting to work for De Beers

Learning experiences

2006-04-10T23:20:00.000-07:00

I have been a student for the last five years and I enjoyed being a student. At the time I have worked in different places during this period. I worked for Wits libraries and departments, and tourism company. I worked in all these places, because I needed extra income. I'm happy that I did. Now I have skills in administration, research, libraries and people’s skills.

What I’m trying to argue is that don't ever take for granted the work that you do as a student, because you will gain something out of it.

I know that all these skills would be useful in the work place. This will make different from my colleagues.

Time management

2006-04-10T22:51:00.000-07:00

Last year I learned two things, such as managing my time and to prioritize work. I was studying full time at the same time I had a job that that required me to travel from where I live in Katllehong to Soweto and from Soweto to Woodmead.This was very challenging to me, because I was using a public transport.

At the same time I had my school work to do every day. But I'm glad that I made it. I was able to pass my honours. I also gained skills such as multi-tasking and flexibility.

This prepared me for the work environment where I will be expected to be able to work on different projects and be able to prioritize work.

Community development

2006-04-07T03:59:00.000-07:00

In the townships there are number of community projects that taking place. Some are funded by government and some are funded community.

It is very inspiring to see people working very hard to bring about their own development. Previously in the township we used to have people who were complaining all the time about unemployment, poverty and crime.

Now they are using their available resources to develop themselves. According to Ghadija Valie, every community has resource that they can use to create employment opportunities.

The UNHCR in Africa

2006-04-07T00:10:00.000-07:00

I think UNHCR, is an important organisation to have in the world. Since I am a South African I did not know much about refugees. I’m saying this organisation is important, because it has helped number of refugees that flee their countries for different reasons, such as war, religion and cultural reasons. This makes me to be proud of being a South African. Although we experienced apartheid before 1994, South African political leaders managed to bring peace and democracy without going to war.

In this session I have learned that in most African countries, ordinary citizens are the one who are mostly affected by political change. Where there is no protection for human rights. It is sad when these people are treated with disrespect in the countries where they seek a place to live or to hide.

We need more organisations such as UNHRC in Africa.

Presentation skills

2006-03-28T22:28:00.000-08:00

Presentation is an essential skill that I must have, as someone who is preparing for the world of work. Where I will be selling my ideas in a form of writing. I always thought I was good in presentation, but in this workshop I realized that I still have a lot to learn. For instance as I was pretending to be presenting I forgot everything that I was suppose to say. However, I finally got it right, because Des and Rob were so kind to me. They understood what I was going through at that moment. They also advised me to always practice what I'm going to present before the actual presentation. Well this workshop has helped to become aware of my shortcoming in presentation, now I know that I have to put more effort in improving my presentation skills.

good business ideas

2006-03-27T05:10:00.000-08:00

I think we all have good business ideas, but it is always difficult to put them into action. For instance I have a good business idea, but I do not have enough time to concentrate on it since I'm still a student, secondly I do not have capital. I know there are financial institutions where I could get capital,but I do not have assets that I can put up as a surety.To have an experience I believe is also important when someone wants to open up a business and this is something I do not have right now. Well I think it wil best for me to join the corporate world first, before I can take an initiative of opening up my own business. I know that one day I will make good business women, because I have a strong drive and motivation. I guess these are some of the challenges that were also faced by business men and women before they became their own bosses.

Customer Service

2006-03-25T03:00:00.000-08:00

Aki's workshop was very interesting, because it persuaded me to think about own behavior as a customer. I know I'm a demanding customer and at the same time I'm a very reasonable and understanding. I also acknowledge good service by thanking the service provider. This session again educated me on how to deal customers as a client, to create new customers and to maintain the existing clients. All businesses are profit driven, so it is important to have customer service skills in order to attract more customers. I’m happy that I got an opportunity to be part of this session.

Now I know what I want

2006-03-25T02:09:00.000-08:00

When Gordon asked us why we wanted to be part of internship Programme, most of us said we wanted work experience. That is true we all want work experience, but after Gordon's presentation I realized that there are many things that I want as an Intern. Now I know what I'm looking for. I want experience, to add value to a company and to be given a chance to put my theoretical knowledge into action. At the same time to learn from my colleagues.

A killer disease

2006-03-25T01:03:00.000-08:00

I must say, everyone knows something about HIV/AIDS, or about someone who's got HIV/AIDS. That makes us all affected by this disease.However its amazing that you still find people who are not protecting themselves against it ,because some believe that HIV/AIDS its just a disease. This means that it is just like cancer or TB. To tell you the truth HIV/AIDS is a different disease, because it cannot be cured. As long as we still have nice or soft ways of conveying the massage to the public people would continue to be ignorant when I come to HIV/AIDS. For instance, some of the TV adverts about HIV/AIDS are not made in a way that can be easily understood by different communities. HIV/AIDS is a killer disease lets find new ways of addressing this issue. The government must also put more effort in fighting this deseas.

Christine Randall,presentation was very educational,because it made me to think more about HIV/AIDS and want to know more about it.

Stress Management

2006-03-20T02:47:00.000-08:00

This session was educational and motivating, Stress is a physical and emotional feeling that is often experienced in the workplace,especially when people underpressure to meet deadlines. Shameen Naidoo taught me new ways of managing my stress levels,such as coping with challenging work enviroment and lso to manage stressing personal relationships.This session was vey exciting for me.

Exciting week

2006-03-19T21:39:00.000-08:00

I must say, last week was exciting for me. I have learned a lot in one week. The workshop on creativity made me to be aware of my own creativity. I think that the World of Work workshops should be part of the University curriculum. Just think about those people who did not have an opportunity to part of the Programme, how are they coping with the demanding and challenging work environment? I think it must be very difficult to cope. To be part of this programe is an opportunity that we all have to use wisely.

Competition,collaboration and cooperation

2006-03-18T03:27:00.000-08:00

The workshop was okay. I enjoyed it, although in the beginning I could not understand what Josie was talking about. Her presentation focused mostly on economic issues. As someone from humanities background I was lost. However the group activities helped me to understand what she was presenting. I learned a lot from the Limpopo delegates and they knew everything. I also got a better understanding of clusters and how they work. The presentation was very exciting and educational.

Blog and creativity

2006-03-18T02:35:00.000-08:00

Roy's presentation was very exciting. I learned a lot about blogging and creativity. The creativity session helped to measure my own creativity. I also learned how to become creative. The second session was about blogging.I also enjoyed it, although I was confused about what Roy said about using our blogs as a marketing tool. He said we can say everything that need to be said about us in a blog, since I will be using a blog as my marketing tool. I believe that I should say things that would be of interest to those who would be reading my blog especially my potential employers, because if I say things that are not of interest to them. I might be putting myself in a difficult position of not getting a job. However I have learned a very important skill, such as blogging and creativity.

Resilience

2006-03-18T02:09:00.000-08:00

This is my first workshop in the World of Work Programme. Tina introduced me to new concept that I was not aware of. Resilience is a concept that identifies most of the personal qualities I have, such as having an ability not to give up. I also believe that almost every one of us have these qualities, sometimes we are not even aware of them. This workshop helped me to understand myself better and to put more effort on what I want to achieve. Tina and her assistant presentation was very educational and motivational.

Emotions

2006-03-18T01:33:00.000-08:00

I liked the workshop on Emotional Intelligent .It made me to be aware of my own emotions and behaviour especially when I find myself in a situation that I cannot control like the workplace. It is true that conflict is inevitable in the workplace so it is important for us to learn now how to deal with such problems. I also found out that Emotional Intelligent can also help us to build good relationships with our family, friends and colleagues as it creates more self-awareness.I was happy with Shameens presentation.

Tourism as a course

2006-03-14T03:02:00.000-08:00

Last year when I decided to do honours in Tourism I did not know what to expect. Well it turned out to be a very exciting course; because I learned that tourism is not only about visiting different places and to have fun.Tourism in the host countries, especially in developing countries like South Africa, it can assist in alleviating poverty by contributing to the economic development of the host community. So next time when going to a holiday do not only think about the good time that you going to have, but also know that you will be contributing to development of the host community.

My learning experience

2006-02-25T14:05:00.000-08:00

I recently completed my honours degree in Tourism and I'm very happy that my schooling days are over. Now I'm looking forward to more demanding and exciting world of work. I hope it will be exciting as I think, because I will have to prove to my employers that I’m capable and competitive as my experienced colleagues. Lucky enough I'm one of the Internship holders on the World of Work Programmes. Where I have already learned how to dress formally, present my work and to take into consideration some of the things that I used to take for granted.

I also believe that there are lots of things that I still have to learn about the workplace. Things such as interacting with clients, colleagues, taking part in office meetings and presenting my work to others. I still have to prove to myself and to others that I deserve to be an internship holder. For me to be an internship holder I think would raise expectations from my employers and colleagues to produce good work at all times. That will put me under pressure to peform and will also encourage me to learn and listen to other people’s advice, so that I can produce work of a good quality.

At the same time I hope they will understand that I'm still new in the world of work and I still need to learn new things that were not part of my curriculum at school and I also need to adapt to this change, but I'm happy that I will be given an opportunity to put into practice what I have learned at school. Although I have fears about what I have learned at school that it might be different when it is put into practice. However I will learn even more about the workplace through the training component of the World of Work Programmes. I believe this will ensure that I am ready to make my contribution to any potential employer and I also believe that my strong drive and motivation to learn new things would help me to adapt to this change.