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City of Vero Beach

GIS Intern

June - August 2022 • Vero Beach, FL

What I liked

What I love about the internship is the diversity of projects. You never do the same work and all of them are impactful, meaningful, and fun to work on. Jim Kirkpatrick, the manager of the GIS Division, is a patient and spectacular mentor and he helped me learn valuable GIS skills and techniques classes cant cover. I also enjoyed working with the other half of the team, Ms. Stephens. She mentored me on software I was not familiar with and I was able to pick it up quickly thanks to her mentoring.

What I wish was different

Everything was perfect, flexible work hours, and a friendly work environment.

Advice

The best advice I can share is honesty, and enthusiasm. Jim appreciates honesty and if your skills fall short in some areas while working on projects. Don't be afraid to speak up and ask questions for clarification or for some guidance. Be committed to show up and have a journal or notebook in hand because there is a lot of information and skills to learn while working on various projects. Be prepared to learn and enjoy the internship!
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GIS Intern

February - July 2020 • Vero Beach, FL

What I liked

I came into the internship with little to no experience with GIS. I had only taken one class and I did not feel comfortable with GIS but I was very interested in it. Jim was able to teach me so much in a such a short period of time. He really has the natural ability of teaching and he is so patient. I truly enjoyed my experience and working with the other half of the GIS team, Ms. Stephens. During the slight lockdowns, Jim was able to have me continue working and I truly appreciate that. he is a genuinely good person and he enjoys teaching people all about GIS. I would 100% recommend. I can not stress enough how helpful the whole experience was.

What I wish was different

In hindsight my expectations were all met and exceeded. I am grateful for the experience and the friendships made.

Advice

Do not be afraid to say "I do not understand" . Jim is very helpful and always says it is better to say you do not know and get help than waste everyone's time doing the wrong thing. Enjoy your time and be prepared to learn a lot!
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GIS Intern

April 2016 - May 2018 • Vero Beach, FL

What I liked

If I had to choose only one thing I liked the most, it would be the family environment in this workplace. But there are many things I loved in my 2 years of working for this organization. Jim Kirkpatrick, the manager of the GIS Division, served more as mentor to me. I cannot think of a better mentor who not only taught me about GIS, but so many valuable lessons about life and the real world. His teachings played a huge role on where I am today and I am sure they will take me further ahead. The flexibility offered in this workplace is great. The people working here are an understandable bunch who recognizes the importance of work-life balance. This organization gave me a whole lot of real world experience, which prepared me for the next challenge in life. One of the perks of working for the City of Vero Beach is the location itself, with beautiful beaches and neighborhoods. A personal perk I got was that I worked with a very close friend of mine for most of the time. We got hired for the position together and we had an absolute blast working together. I have cherished each and every moment I spent in this organization. In similar circumstances, if I had to do it all over again, I would do it in a heartbeat. If you are fortunate to get the opportunity to work with Jim, I strongly recommend you utilize that opportunity of a lifetime!

What I wish was different

Honestly, I got so much more than my expectations, so I don't really have something I wish had been different. Maybe I wish I spent more time there! Even though I worked there for 2 years and then I had to move for the next venture in life, there was still a part of me that wanted to stay and I still miss that place.

Advice

This might seem like the most obvious and vague piece of advice, but my best piece of advice would be to be yourself! Jim is an original person who appreciates other people's originality. When I got hired for this position, I had no idea about GIS work. But I was very eager to learn. And that's what Jim liked about me. Ask questions. If you don't know the answer, acknowledge that you don't know the answer but then be eager to learn and find out the answer. In whatever project you work on, put an effort and try your best. As I mentioned before, the people working there an understandable bunch and they are always willing to help, so believe in teamwork. Treat everyone with respect and always carry values of ethics and personal integrity. And finally, make sure you have a lot of fun! Cherish the moments.
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