A beginning not an end.

I have come to the conclusion of my internship experience as well as the conclusion of my last Public Relations unit (I still have Business Capstone ahead of me so this won't be the last time Curtin University assesses me on my commerce skills) and I have felt it necessary and appropriate that my last blog entry be a reflection of my thoughts and feelings.

To be honest, I was initially disheartened by the harsh reality of a career in public relations. Though I was not expecting it to be the most glamorous job in the world, some part of me thought I would be applying the techniques that I learnt more. For the most part the tasks I had to to do within my internship were things that could've easily been learnt 'on-the-job' provided you had at least an average IQ and a slight ability to write but I had been assured by my supervisor and mentors in the company that this was typical within the first few years of graduate work and eventually it would get more challenging and I would be writing larger-scale documents of more importance.

That being said, on the job I have learned invaluable skills being thrown into the deep-end such as InDesign which I feel is an excellent desktop publishing program that Curtin should consider incorporating into their curriculum- it's fast becoming an industry standard! I have never edited more proof work in my life it seems, I have cold-called clients, corresponded with various stakeholders via e-mail for serious issues, been in business meetings, planned successful events and learned the in and outs of social media among other things. Overall it has been an unforgettable experience.

I definitely can say after all this, my heart is still in public relations and I look forward to a career in the field. My internship has taught me the reality of the field which can be at times rewarding and cruel and when I weigh the pros and cons, the pros are far more numerous. Though my internship is coming to a close and so is this unit, I feel it is not an ending but rather a beginning for myself as an imminent true professional.

Blogging for the Global Good; Social Media and Conclusion.

Hi everyone,

My placement experience at the Global Good Foundation has now officially come to an end, and I'd like to take the time here to recap and reflect on what I've achieved over the last three months.

Throughout my work experience I undertook all kinds of work. The traditional writing based projects of media releases, backgrounders and fact sheets, as well as researching potential partners and sponsorship deals.

Towards the end of my placement I began working on a new project using something we've all heard alot about over the last few years; Social Media.

I began inviting friends to join our Global Good Foundation page on facebook, as well as add the cause application where you can hear about current activities, and even donate money to support GGF. So far I have only recruited 4 people to the cause, but I will keep trying! I am aiming to recruit atleast 10 people, and hopefully they will recruit 10 people, and so on. That's the great thing about social media and facebook in particular. All your good work starts snowballing and others catch on.

It's great because even if people don't join they are seeing "Caitlin likes The Global Good Foundation" or "Caitlin joined The Global Good Foundation's Cause" in the news feed. I have over 300 people on my friends list, so this alone assists in getting our name out there.

It's been fun to start using the 'new technology' that is social media, and start spreading the word about GGF in a modern way. A great way to conclude my placement.

Overall my work experience placement with the Global Good Foundation has been very positive, and I have learnt alot. I will be staying on to work with GGF as a volunteer and am looking forward to hitting that 1o recruits mark :)

So for the last time, thanks for supporting me through my placement journey and the best of luck to everyone with your last days and final reports.

Caitlin Harris for the Global Good.