Amy Nguyen: Business Skills in Government
I have discovered a profound gratitude for workers in government, nonprofit, and community work. Strong and valuable players are well-rounded individuals who have various skills developed from their diverse backgrounds and previous experiences. One skill that I believe is one of the most important in my team and placement is communication. While the staff in the office does not work with each other very often, there are times throughout the day where we socialize and collaborate on team projects. It's important to be able to work individually and as a team. Thus, communication- whether it's about your own work or collaborative work, it's crucial for understanding one another and being able to explain the work.
Within the past couple of months at the County, I've been providing research assistance for the food systems team in the Office of Sustainability and Resilience. Under the guidance of my supervisor, Emily Schwing, I have been able to utilize the skillset from college and use it
for my role. On a daily basis, I would utilize Microsoft Office Suites to document my research and brainstorm ways to synthesize the information into clear and concise formats. During the Fall Quarter, I did some research on food hubs and what it could potentially look like in the county. For most of Winter Quarter, I have been doing research on farmers and producers that the facility could work with and documenting food hubs across the nation. Within my team, I share the responsibility of checking the work which consists mainly of writing summaries and ongoing workplans.
From this experience, I’ve been able to become more confident in the skills I’ve learned through my entire college career. Behind the development of my communication skills, I have been able to socialize with people in the organization and in my office. As someone with social anxiety, my communication skills have strengthened through multiple variations and interactions with people. Additionally, a skill that is extremely important to me from this experience is agency. After some time adapting to my role and environment, I knew that I wanted to challenge my skills and push myself to learn more. Outside of my expected duties, I would ask my supervisor for more challenges and feedback on my work. Taking these initiatives has helped me see the bigger picture and has allowed me to develop deeper connections with my team.