!!!

1:15pm....epiphany...

I LOVE LEARNING.

Now I know for a fact this sounds crazy. Don't get me wrong, I had an amazing time receiving a priceless education at CMU. I had top-of-the-line professors, amazing classes, grueling case studies and research which all helped me wind up where I am today, at such a great internship.

But, while sitting in a foodservice hands-on session doing inventory, ordering, and procurement, I had this epiphany. In undergrad - all of high school, middle school, and elementary for that matter - I've been judged and graded on every single project and assignment I've ever had. Now that I'm in this internship? No grades, no judging. Just evaluating. HUGE difference. I'm being evaluated on my performance and my attitude towards the profession. And it's not just an evaluation, it's constructive feedback. Such as undergrad, I might receive a grade on a paper and the only feedback I receive might be highlighted areas where I made mistakes or failed to mention something...

And again, I'm no baby. I can take harsh criticism very well and learn from it. But, the feeling I get from preceptors, faculty, staff, and even the foodservice workers make me love learning. It makes me that more excited to go in the next day, even if it is at 5:30am. 

And it's not just those who are above us. It's the people I'm around all day: other interns. In undergrad, it's almost as if I had to compete with my classmates for the best grades and to be the best candidate for an amazing reference letter from a professor or supervisor. I had to be to class the earliest and stay the latest to make sure I obtained everything I could. I had to be involved in this, that, and everything. 

Here? All the other interns and I are on the same level. We've all worked just as hard as the other to be where we are. The only thing we have to get used to each other? Knowing we can trust each other. In undergrad in group projects, you know there would always be a leader, some good workers, and some slackers. As a natural leader, I'd always end up taking on more than I could handle, seeing as how many times if I didn't, none of the work would get done. It's tough, but nice and reassuring to know that when we do a project as a group, we're all leaders; when we are assigned something, it will get done by that person. 





Well, that was fun...

Today was another day in purchasing and procurement. We did a quick daily inventory, which would normally take our preceptor about an hour to do the entire food service program, but it took two other interns and I about 2 hours to do about 3 stock rooms. Ha! Basically it all boils down to knowing your organization. I'm sure that with more practice, other interns and I would be able to whip through inventory like its our job. Our preceptor taught us many things today, some of which include...

• Knowing your organization and inventory 
• Knowing what items are popular and move off shelves quickly, and vice versa
• Being aware of production schedules and holidays
• Seeking out competitive prices and bargaining with suppliers

This lady's been at her job for more than 30 years. She's a pro. After finishing inventory, we then went into CBORD and entered her order in and then loaded it into the supplier's website. From there, items are double checked and flagged if they seem like odd amounts (40 cases of celery). The program asks you like 1,304,239 times if you're sure you want to submit the order (duh, it's about a $20,000 bill), and that's it! But, it has many more steps than it seems, I'm just cutting it down for time, and for my Grandma's boredom tolerance (I know you're reading this Grandma Z)!! :)


Overall a great day though, just exhausted, as usual...