Rotation Reflections: View From 6 Months In

Today defined the difference between IMLP and any other job you might get right out of college. After working for six months at a job, just beginning to get the hang of it, and finally figuring out where to go to get stuff done – I’m starting completely over. I walked in to a different building, got relegated to a table until my desk is ready, and have returned to not knowing much about what I’m doing.

But I’m not quite the same person who started my first rotation. Several of my expectations, skills, and perspectives have changed over the past six months.

I came into IMLP thinking it might be like an extended internship – not too much responsibility, probably a lot of spreadsheets. As mentioned in my previous blog post, I’ve found it to be quite the opposite! I was given full responsibility on multiple projects, and expected to perform like any other employee. This has been challenging, but incredibly rewarding, and definitely better than what I expected.

The obvious (and probably the biggest) change has been in skills. I have learned A LOT. From the technical side, I have been exposed to all sorts of different software and hardware, and nearly learned a new language with all the terminology I picked up. I also grew my leadership and management skills, from both experience and observing those on my team whom I looked up to.

Perhaps my biggest take-away from this rotation, though, would be how my perspective has changed on myself and where I might like to end up. I came in with nearly a blank slate, with the goal of learning more about myself through the IMLP experience. After just six months, I have found some things I hated and some things I loved. I have discovered some things I’m good at, and some that…could use work. And I’ve begun to see (if still a little vaguely), a picture of what I might “like to be when I grow up.”