Considering the things I’m doing this summer, I suppose I’d be remiss if I didn’t keep the online world up-to-date through my blog. Since Twitter’s popularity has increased, I’ve used my blog less and less. Interesting how that happens.
I’m currently down in Harrisonburg, where I’ve been working two jobs for SMAD throughout Maymester. Maymester – for those not versed in all-things JMU – is a four-week class session where students may take one or two classes. The workload is much more intense, but it’s a great way to stay in town a bit longer, and earn class credit while you’re here.
My Maymester experience has been a bit different. I’m not taking classes. Rather, I’m working as a student assistant for the SMAD 201 and 202 introductory courses. So, I’m in the labs helping the 201/202 students outside of class hours. They have a great deal of software and concepts to master in four short weeks, so I’m doing my best to be available and answer questions. Adobe Creative Suite is not the easiest thing to pick up so quickly.
I’m also working on converting old sound effects to digital files. This is a project for one professor, who sourced the effects from Hollywood Studios in California. They date back to the 1970s and are on reel-to-reel tape. It’s tedious, and some of the sounds are just un-usable by now, but it’s also been an interesting experience in the realm of conversions. Later this summer, I’m planning on converting some of my dad’s old Betamax tapes (yes, those) to digital files, along with our family’s VHS tapes.
Speaking of heading to mom and dad’s… that’s what I’m doing after Maymester ends. I’ve been hired as an intern for AOL Jobs, which is a division of AOL, who is conveniently based out of Dulles, VA. AOL Jobs is a separate little entity, that helps users not only find a job, but improve their resumé and advance their career with helpful articles and resources. My duties will include web design and editing, copy editing, learning about search engine optimization (SEO) and perhaps some copy writing as well.
AOL seems to have a fantastic internship program and I am excited to get started! There are four other interns at the Dulles office, so I won’t be flying solo all summer. We are all working in different divisions, but I have a feeling we’ll also be collaborating quite a bit as well.
The internship starts on June 14th and lasts through the summer. When I’m not working at AOL – it’s full time and paid, which is awesome! – I’ll be spending the majority of my weekends either working track weekends or racing in autocrosses. There’s also, of course, a list of little projects that I’d like to tackle on the Miata as I have time. Nothing ground-breaking, but it’s all of the fixes and improvements that I’ve put off during the school year. Now that I have some time and tools, it’s a great opportunity to check some boxes.
So, there’s my update. I’m heading to Greenwich, CT with the Davids this weekend for the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance. They have gone multiple times and had a blast, so I’m looking forward to seeing some incredible history in the automobile world in a short two day span.