Placement Wrap-up

Last Wednesday was the final day of my placement with Pinecrest Queensway's Employment Services, and it was a pretty good day. Everyone there was super-nice and appreciative of the work I did over the three-month period. Some of them even offered to keep an eye out for any jobs that might interest me. I also got a nice thank-you card and cookies before I left!

This placement was my first experience working somewhere for more than one day a week, and I learnt a lot. The biggest experience was obviously the opportunity to research, create, and present a professional workshop.

Even though it would have been great to have been able to present more, the important thing is I did it. I got some excellent feedback, and my skills as a presenter even got me an interview with a local disability organization, who think I'd be a good speaker for an upcoming event (more on this in a later post)!

The second big thing I was tasked with, was maintaining the center's Twitter page. Before this placement, I had only used Twitter once before, a few years ago for a one-month online course and even then I never really used it often. So, I was very surprised by how quickly I took to it.

Before actually posting anything, I had been asked to develop a social media plan in order to update the center's account. I came up with ideas to post things like daily motivational quotes, sayings, and photos, usually related to employment, links to local employment and networking events, tips and lists, and success stories. It wound up being kind of fun, and everyone at the center immediately recognized and praised my efforts!

#SoAmIATwitNow?

 Along with the work itself, I had to participate in bi-weekly peer support meetings. These gave participants the opportunity to share what everyone was doing and engage in workshops about topics like interviews, dealing with stress, and networking. The networking workshop was incredibly useful, and led to both an interview and volunteer opportunities with a local disability organization.

In the abstract sense, the entire placement experience was also a motivator. I don't do well without some kind of routine, and the placement allowed me to get into a pretty good one. Four hours for three days a week, up early, bus there and back (Para Transpo was almost always on time, too!), all for three whole months.

Now that it's done, I'm trying to ride this routine, and the burst of productivity it's given me, for as long as I can!

I don't have any paid work yet, but I do feel I'm a couple steps closer to finding it. At the very least, this placement has helped me to zero in on what I really want to do and go from there.

Overall, it was a really good experience, and I would definitely recommend this type of program to anyone with a disability looking for a job, or even just experience.

Cheers!