As we approach the end of the semester and the end of this blogging assignment I think it is useful to reflect on an eventful year. One of my favourite aspects of this masters course has been without doubt the amount of team work and collaboration that has been involved. Throughout the academic year we have had a number of group projects and assignments. Like most assignments or tasks not every group project has run smoothly However, I have found that my classmates have been more than willing to help and offer advice towards projects that do not necessarily require help from peers. This proved both a positive experience from a social point of view but, as recent interviews have shown, peer review and collaboration are vital components in the modern workplace. Before I started this masters program I would not have said teamwork was one of my main strengths as I often opted to work alone. It is encouraging to see an improvement in this area. The merits and advantages of teamwork have also been very evident this week as I have worked closely with Michael to bring together all the components for the Dreamweaver assignment. Given the time frame and scale of this assignment, the thought of tackling it alone is almost unthinkable. Each team member was designated a role and tasks to complete within a certain time frame. This approach ensures there is no confusion and ensures continual progress. We did encounter a number of issues as the project progressed, but as Michael and I have found this week, it is extremely rewarding when your final project comes together and you have a decent end product show for your hard work. Again, another advantage of teamwork.
Turning the tables
I finally got the opportunity to record my interview and overall it was a success. It was a strange experience as I have always been the one being interviewed and it is a daunting experience at times. Thankfully Jack Downey was very friendly and forthcoming about his work and education, he was so personable that I found it difficult to stick to my set questions. The interview, whilst providing a great insight, was almost a chat which I found relaxed both of us. Similarly when I stopped recording Jack and I spoke about various other aspects of the technical industry.
What I found most interesting about the interview was that it really highlighted just how small Ireland is. I had previously gone for an interview in Cork and it turned out that Jack was good friends with my interviewer. This highlights the importance of networking and building relationships, something I may have otherwise neglected.
Jack provided me with some excellent information and it was refreshing that a busy professional was willing to give up free time and help out a student. I hope I get to return to favour at some stage in the future. Jack and I shared emails and as my career progresses we may cross paths again. My attention now fully turns to writing the accompanying report and screen cast while the information is still fresh in my mind. In the beginning I was apprehensive about this project as it was outside my comfort zone but like so many other aspects of this course it is another piece of valuable experience.
Final stretch
Unfortunately my blog has been somewhat neglected lately as I concentrate on the larger assignments and interviews with various companies. I hope to get back on track with the blog in the coming weeks as we approach the final stages of the semester.
Work on assignments has largely been positive. I have finished my E-portfolio assignment and I am happy with how it turned out. Similarly, I have finished my Madcap Flare assignment. This took a lot of work and patience but I seem to have grasped the main concepts involved with the program. I decided to dedicate some extra time to learning how to use Madcap as many companies are heavily dependent on it. In a recent interview I was informed that there is a large shift from other programs such as Framemaker into Madcap Flare. I hope further improve my knowledge of it over the coming months.
That leaves two large assignments to finish, the interview assignment and the Dreamweaver assignment. My interview assignment was very frustrating in th initial stages as I found it difficult to find a suitable interview candidate. Jack Downey has been very helpful and we conduct the interview tomorrow. From there I will concentrate in the report and screen cast.
Finally my input to the Dreamweaver assignment has been affected as I could not attend college due to car troubles. Fortunately I have been able to work from home and plan to meet with Michael in the coming days to link the various pages and content.
This is a vital few weeks in the semester, hopefully my remaining workload progresses smoothly.
Easter break
These last few days have been spent trying to get ahead of the growing workload. With only a month to go, there is light at the end of the tunnel with regards to the workload. We have no assignments due until the end of this month so planning and scheduling my work is going to prove crucial if I want to get everything submitted on time.
I began with my E-portfolio as I felt this is most relevant to my current pursuits. I am searching for jobs and a good portfolio could be difference between getting a call back or being overlooked. I decided to publish my content to Weebly. A site which is similar to WordPress in its usability but offers quicker document uploading and free portfolio templates. I also tailored my CV to suit the technical writing industry. I am happy with how this assignment has progressed and it will be a valuable tool once we finish up the course.
The rest of my attention has turned to the interview assignment. This is a considerable project which I am anxious to make progress on. Encouragingly I have found a professional to interview. Jack Doyle is a freelance technical writer and project manager based in Cork and Limerick. He has kindly offered to help me. He is a former PHD student at the University of Limerick and expressed his delight at being to help a fellow UL student.He has been very helpful to date and I am looking forward to learning more about his work life and background.
A bit of everything
This has been another hectic week and the Easter break is a welcome distraction. It is hard to believe that we have 9 weeks gone in this Semester and heading into April. Reading my classmate Patrick’s blog, he mentioned how fast the seven months have gone by and more importantly he expressed how much he has enjoyed the course so far. I couldn’t agree more, I think the course has been my most productive that I have experienced in college and getting to know my classmates has been an added bonus.
In terms of assignments we have made great progress with the Flash assignment. Michael and Tony have taken much the initiative so far. Michael has documented all of our meetings so everything is easily available on Google Drive and there can be no confusion over team roles. Tony is still having car trouble and unable to attend classes, however this has not been a problem and he has contributed a great deal to the proposal aspect of the Flash assignment. For my own part I hope to contribute majorly in the coming weeks, I have been assigned a designer role and I feel this is where my strengths lie. Michael and I will focus on the overall look of the website, Patrick and Sangeeth will concentrate on content and Tony will help with editing and content. I feel we have all been assigned roles that suit us and I am looking forward to see how this one pans out.
In some other news I have been appointed Dr. Ann Marcus-Quinn as my supervisor for the development project which I am pleased with. I have enjoyed all of Ann’s classes so far and I am looking forward to working with her. My development project requires a lot of work and I hope to assign more time to it over the coming weeks.
Finally, I have received some initial approaches from companies regarding interviews. One company asked me to send them a portfolio of work and another a phone interview. I am excited to dust off my suit and begin the job search.
Unplanned delays
I finally submitted my research proposal today, three days after the initial deadline. Unfortunately I have been sick with tonsillitis and Yvonne was kind enough to give me an extension. This was the first assignment I’ve submitted this semester that I am not entirely happy with how I completed it. It is however an eye opener for how much work I need to do for the development project. But first I need to get on top of the upcoming assignment deadlines.
First up is the Adobe Dreamweaver assignment. This is the same group as the Flash assignment. Overall the group dynamic is positive so again I am hopeful of a good mark in this assignment. We are meeting tomorrow to designate work. I have offered to concentrate on the Adobe Dreamweaver design aspects of the assignment, while offering less input to the actual content. I feel my strengths lie in the web design aspect as I have some previous experience. I will also offer input for the writing stages when needed. This is my sole concentration for the week, with the exception of continuing my search for an interview candidate for the upcoming interview assignment. This is in the back of mind as it is an extensive project.
On a final note, we submitted our virtual team assignment. This was a great project to work with and my team-mate Patrick was very willing to produce a good end product. I think the most important thing to take away from this assignment is that it is an excellent selling point in interviews.
After a week off sick I hope to make some real progress again this week!
Flash update
I finally got my Flash assignment submitted which is a huge relief. Overall I really enjoyed working with Flash but there was a few problems which made the project very frustrating. Linking scenes will be in my nightmares for a few weeks. Below are some screenshots of my finished Kanji for beginners resource:
My full attention now turns to research proposal and the virtual team assignment. Our French colleagues have returned with some clarifications regarding the translation. My classmate Patrick and I are in regular contact with them and so far we have encountered no major issues. I hope to update further on this later in the week.
Stuck on Flash
I signed off my last post stating that I hope I will have no problems finishing off the Flash assignment, I should have known that was a sign of things to come.
As I said before we made a lot of progress on the assignment and only had to link it together and submit it. Sounds simple right? Wrong. After hours of frustration and tweaking of code, the scenes would still not link up. I showed my coding to Ann who said it was correct, so the problems were seemingly unsolvable. I eventually abandoned trying to link scenes and instead put all of my files on the one timeline. I have since made great progress but only after many more hours of frustration. I am finally seeing some progress which is very satisfying. Fingers crossed I will get the assignment submitted early next week so I can concentrate on the many other assignments that are creeping up on me. I will post some screenshots of the finished project on here once I have finished editing.
With St. Patrick’s day next week we will have a short week of classes, my Paddy’s day celebrations will be kept to a minimum. We have the research proposal due the 20th, the final draft of the virtual team assignment needs to be decided on and I need to decide on an interview candidate and interview questions for the substantial interview assignment. On a positive note we have a great variety of assignments this semester which is making the writing process so much easier.
As I may not have another post until after Tuesday, Happy Saint Patrick’s day!
Half way point
We’re just about half way through the final semester of classes and like always it seems to have flown by.
Yvonne met with the class to review some blog posts and make suggestions on where they could be improved upon. Unfortunately I couldn’t make the class but Patrick sent me on some pointers that he got that were very helpful. I’ve found as the number of blog posts I make has increased, my writing has gotten more lazy and there are more grammar and punctuation errors. This is also a problem when I have another assignment due and I rush putting up a blog post, I hope to use this blog as a good resource for proof reading in future. Patrick also said that Yvonne suggested putting in an ‘about‘ page which I did, along with adding a few other widgets to make the page easier to use. I am still trying to strike a fine balance between personal opinion and academic writing, hopefully this will only continue to improve.
Unsurprisingly the Flash assignment has dominated my workload this week. It seems the whole class is under pressure to get it submitted. It is a relief knowing I am not the only one. We plan to meet in the lab tomorrow morning to put the finishing touches on the overall assignment. Unfortunately one of the group members, Tony, had car trouble and may not be able to make it. Just another example of a problem that is out of our hands and a challenge we have to find a solution to. Tony is in contact over email which is a huge help.
On another note, we had an interesting lecture with members from SAP. SAP is a company I would love to work for and the news they have some internships open is promising. They provide a very challenging and rewarding work environment and I will be sure to dedicate more time to learning about what they do.
Fingers crossed my next blog post will explain how we submitted the assignment with no hiccups!
One assignment down
I submitted my XML assignment after making a few final changes, I am hopeful enough that it will be a good mark. It is also good to start making a dent in the long list of assignments that we have due, it’s a small start but positive all the same.
My focus now turns to the Flash assignment. The frustrating thing about this assignment is that we have a lot of work done but their seems to be a never ending list of tasks left to finish. I am finding even small jobs are taking a long time to get right, very frustrating but also very satisfying when I do eventually get it right. We have scheduled a number of meetings next week, the main goal is to add everything together, get the layout right and set up all the buttons. We met for lunch as group last week and the dynamic is positive. This assignment is worth 50% so we are all eager to produce a very good end product. Another advantage is that a good flash assignment would look good in a portfolio for potential employers.
Finally, I have begun applying for jobs and internships. So far progress is mixed, some companies have said I need experience first, others have said to follow up on my application once I finish my studies in May. LinkedIn is proving a useful tool, I have updated my profile, added connections and provided recommendations to my fellow classmates. I am confident this will be very beneficial once I can dedicate all my time to the job hunt!
Technical Writing Student 