2008-2009 City of Avondale Internship

10 Tips for Surviving Grad School

2009-05-03T08:36:00.000-07:00

Since this is my last post. I would like to make it fun and offer some advice derived from my personal experiences. The following is just my opinion and you are free to take it or leave it.

1) Find and establish friendships with some of your classmates. I'm thankful I did as these friends have become a great source of support.

2) Take time to talk to your professors. Get to know them and let them get know you. When it comes time for a job or school reference you'll be glad you spent the time building those relationships.

3) Register for as many intensive classes as you can. They are compact but you get the class done in two weekends. If you have a family like I do its totally worth it because its one less evening you have to spend away from them for the course of 16 weeks.

4) Attend as many conferences as you can. Take advantage of the student rates and the funding opportunities. Best of all, travel to other places where you get a glimpse into the professional world and/or other universities.

5) Network, network, network. Start building your network. I can't say enough about this. Talk to your classmates, professors, university staff, etc. You never know when you'll need to call on them or they'll call on you.

6) Have Monday night dinner with your school friends after class. You would be amazed what a little food, some beverages, and good company will do to alleviate your stress levels brought on by school work.

7) Host study parties at your house where you provide brainpower (i.e. snacks) and your guest provide the answers. LOL! It's much nicer when you can brainstorm with others about what you are learning and how to organize it into a paper/project/study guide for test, etc.

8) Apply for internships, fellowships, scholarships, awards, etc. Don't hold back! If there is something you see that you find interesting take the time to fill out the application and submit. The worst they can say is no. Make sure you reach out to others for assistance with the application process. There are many professors, students, and staff that are more than willing to help. Their feedback could make all the difference.

9) Join professional and student organizations. This is part of building your network and its a great resume builder. They provide support and help you decide if that's the field you would like to pursue.

10) Most importantly, make the most out of your education. Push yourself to learn everything you can. Challenge yourself even if it means going out of your comfort zone. You'll be amazed with the results.

Good Luck!

Grad Student with Kids

2009-05-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

I am living proof that you can go back to school with a family. It's not easy by any means but it can be done. I have three beautiful children ages 10, 3, and 2. Yes, my last two are 16 months apart and they are a handful. But, my oldest has been wonderful as she willingly helps me with her baby sister and brother.

The question always asked is "how do you do it?" I always laughingly respond "I haven't slept since I started school!"

The truth is my children are my motivation. They make me want to be a better person all the time. That includes improving myself and my life so that I can be the best mother to them. Most importantly, I want them to know that their world is their oyster. That they can have dreams and make them come true through hard work, effort, and discipline. All you have to do is make that goal, say it out loud, and then commit to make it a reality.

The sacrifice, the struggle it was all worth it. And, my children and I will be better off!

City of Phoenix Management Intern Interview

2009-04-28T07:06:00.000-07:00

One day, I opened my email and found a notice from the City of Phoenix. It read, "congratulations, you've been selected to interview". I couldn't believe my eyes. I had made it to the interview process. First thing I did was call the people who helped me with my cover letter and resume. Then, I made plans to revisit with three of the previous management interns for advice. I wanted to give a 100% to this interview so that I would have the best chance of being offered the position.

The interview process would be conducted over 2 days. The first day would be an all-day event where we got to meet various directors, the City Manager, the assistant City Manager, some Deputy City Managers; tour of the Phoenix Civic Plaza; a writing exercise; a reception; and a dinner. The second day would include a 20 minute interview with a panel of five.

I had my work cut out for me. One of my mentors gave me information on what to expect and do on the first day. The other shared information on how to prepare for the interview. The third, gave me pointers on the exercise. I was even coached on my appearance and how I dressed. I prepared for every aspect and every detail of this process. It was exhausting but in the end it paid off because I will begin as a City of Phoenix Management Intern on June 29, 2009.

City of Phoenix Management Intern Application

2009-04-28T06:46:00.000-07:00

During my Christmas break, I decided to visit my cousin who lives in Texas. I packed up my kids and we drove 16 hours straight. During that time, I decided I would apply for the City of Phoenix Management Internship. I had 2 weeks to get this done. In the day time, I played with my children and at night I sat at the kitchen table drafting my response to the questions on the application. I had to write on paper because the week before my laptop broke. The questions were so simple but it was so hard for me to answer because I had to pick just the right things to say.

The application consisted of a cover letter and a resume. You had 4 questions that needed to be addressed in your cover letter. You were limited to 4 pages and you could distribute the use of these pages as you wished. I used 2 pages for my cover letter and 2 for my resume. I put my first draft together and sent it off to some of my co-workers for editing. New Year's passed and I did not hear back from one single person. I started to panic. Then, the holiday passed and everyone went back to work and I got my feedback. I had 4 people edit my responses and my resume. It took at least 5 drafts before I felt comfortable with my cover letter and resume. Needless to say, I submitted my application on the last day at the last hour and prayed that it was received on the other end.

The Storage Room

2009-04-28T06:31:00.001-07:00

Right before Christmas, my supervisor gave me the task of cleaning out our storage room so that I can covert it into a library. Jokingly, I thought to myself "am I being punished?" However, I knew that this was part of the deal of being an intern. Sometimes, you're going to get glamorous high-profile projects and sometimes you're going to get not-so glamorous high-profile projects. Whatever the case may be, I approach each project big or small with the expectation of learning something.

In this case, I learned that nobody had cleaned out the storage since 2003. There was so much paperwork that needed to be purged that I spent most of my time shredding. The good thing about this was that I had previously worked on the record retention schedule for the City Clerk's office so I knew what I could and couldn't get rid of.

After a week, you could walk into the room and not hurt yourself.

Finally, it came time to set up our library. I submitted a request to have our Facilities staff construct dividers for our shelves so that they could be used as bookshelves without having to purchase the actual thing. As I organize the information, I am learning about our wells, water quality reports, operating and maintenance manuals, consultant designs, booster stations, Water Reclamation Plant expansion, just to name a few. It has also given me a chance to work with the Water Planning Coordinator, Water Quality Specialist, and Capital Improvement Plan Manager as they provide incite on what we should keep and where it should go for more efficient use of the material.

No matter how tedious this task has been, I'll know that it will be utilized frequently by the department.

Water Resources Planning Movie

2009-04-28T06:18:00.000-07:00

Every month our department has a meeting that includes all of our staff. It takes place around lunch time so we can eat together and hang out. At these meetings, a division or staff member is chosen to provide a presentation on their functions. I volunteered to help the Water Resources Planning division with their upcoming presentation.

We thought about having a game that would allow interaction with the audience. It was suggested that we play "Scene It". This is a game that shows pieces of movie clips and you have to guess the title and/or actor. We thought we'd take video of each function within this division and show 1 minute clips to our audience and have them guess what they were doing.

We took video of our Water Conservation Specialist, our Water Quality Specialist, our Wetland's folks, our Water Planning Coordinator, and our Water Planning Manager. We got such great footage that we decided to skip the game and turn it into a movie.

I had heard that one of our Planners in Development Services had created a movie for their department. So, I thought I'd ask him if he was interested in helping put ours together. He agreed and we created a pretty entertaining but educational movie.

My goal was to set the bar high for the next month. Ever since our movie, every presenter after us has not disappointed our efforts.

Expedited Conversion of Meters

2009-04-28T06:01:00.000-07:00

In order to defray operational cost for the department, the director proposed that we expedite the conversion to radio read meters within the next 18 months versus the next 5 years. My job was to assemble the research for the cost and savings of this conversion. It took about 4 weeks to retrieve exact numbers from the supervisors budget and finance.

In the end, we figured that the department could save over $300,000 in personnel and operating cost. With the assistance of my assistant director, we put together a proposal that was presented to the City Manager. I was included in this meeting and very excited to share my information. I couldn't believe that my work was helping the City Manager's Office make a decision.

And then, I felt awful when I realized that the numbers calculated would result in the justification for laying off 4 workers the following week. I know that it was the right thing to do for the department and the city but it didn't make me feel any better. You could say that this was my hardest experience within my internship. However, it let me see the other side of being a City Manager. Its not always going to be easy and in difficult times you have to be able to make and carry out those tough decisions.

Definitely, a learning experience I will carry with me for the rest of my life!

Water Meters

2009-04-28T05:40:00.000-07:00

The department has been moving towards updating the technology for their water meters. Approximately 23,000 exist in the City of Avondale. About half have already been converted to radio read which allows the worker to read meters through the installation of an antenna placed outside the vehicle that picks up a signal as it drives through the city's meter routes. This approach cuts down on the amount of time a person has to physically go out and read meters. It also addresses the issue of safety.

There are some places in Avondale where the meters are difficult to access. Some of these meters are in alleyways, in drainage canals with overgrown weeds, or they have been covered up by the resident so you have to locate and dig them out. At other times, wild/stray dogs may be present that do not allow the worker to get close to the home. On occasion, the worker will run into an irate resident that does not want the worker near their property. On any given day, our workers may run into anyone or all of these obstacles just to get a meter reading.

PCL Luncheon

2009-04-28T05:21:00.000-07:00

As an intern, my job encompasses a variety of tasks. However, any task passed down to me from my director always take priority. In this case, he delegated a very fun one. In order to build a good working relationship with our contractors out at the Water Reclamation Facility, our department hosted a thank you luncheon for all the workers involved with the expansion of our plant.

I always enjoy planning events so this was easy for me. I had to get tables, chairs, tents, food, drinks, plates, cups, utensils, napkins, etc. I priced everything out and realized that it would be expensive to have a third party take care of the tables, chairs, and tents. I wasn't given much of a budget so I had to get creative. I contacted our Parks & Recreation department to find out if they had tables, chairs, and tents. They did and I was able to borrow those things for the day. In addition, I submitted a request for our Facilities department to help set-up and break down the event. Luckily, I was able to save our department money.

Anytime, we host an event that entails food we like to keep it local and use Avondale businesses for catering. My director was thinking BBQ. So, my job was to find a place in Avondale that had good BBQ. I contacted economic development to get a list of restaurants in the area and found that we had a BBQ place that specialized in Kansas City style BBQ. I then invited my director and the assistant to have lunch at the restaurant. I figured if they approved we could place our order. The food turned out to be very good and the owner was very pleasant to work with on the day of the event. We got a really good deal and those that attended the luncheon enjoyed the food.

All around it was a win-win situation because PCL (contractor) appreciated our gesture, we pulled off an event with minimal cost, and we gave Appetite's BBQ & Catering exposure.

5 Year Strategic Plan

2009-04-28T05:04:00.001-07:00

My first project for the Water Resources Department was to create a strategic plan for the next five years. In addition, I received a small budget to contract a third party to help facilitate the plan. The project entailed an all day work session with all of the staff members. I was in charge of getting all the divisions together in one room at the same time to discuss amongst themselves and the entire group about what their priorities would be for the next five years. This was a good exercise because it gave everyone in the department a chance to hear what each division was working on and where they lacked resources.

There were about 55 people in the room that were grouped into their division. Each division was then asked to develop a mission statement for their division with supporting goals that matched our City Council goals. For the most part, everyone participated. However, it was interesting to see how the dynamics of the group played out. There were some people who took it serious and shared their ideas and then there were others who remained quiet or just complained about the whole process.

In the end, we were able to get enough information to draft our strategic plan. It took a couple of months to complete the plan. Overall, the project gave me a chance to interact with all the supervisors and staff to make sure we had the information that would help them carry out a successful plan.

Weekly Reports

2009-04-26T00:18:00.000-07:00

My first task for the department was to develop the weekly report and forward it to our Assistant City Manager. The instruction I received from my supervisor was to make sure that at least one highlight would be included for each function. Other than that, I was free to format it as I pleased.

When I was with the City Manager's Office, I remembered receiving a monthly report highlighting all of the city departments' accomplishments. Therefore, I contacted the Executive Assistant for the City Manager and requested a copy of the report that was sent out to the Mayor and Council Members. I used that as a reference for creating my template. I figured they would change it to that format once they received my report every week. I thought I would stay one step ahead of them.

I do remember my director saying he wanted me to keep it to one page but I had the following functions to cover: Water Conservation Activity; Water Quality; Wetlands; Planning; Policy; Production; Distribution; Collections; Water Reclamation Expansion; GIS; and IT. Just the first five took up a page. So, I promised to keep it under two pages.

Some weeks I have a lot to write about and others not so much. I try to incorporate as much information regarding customer service provided to residents and any interactions where our staff assist other departments within the city. This is the kind of stuff that reaches the Council Members and my job is to make sure they hear about all the great things our staff is doing to keep their constituents happy. Plus, on several occasions more than half of my weekly report has been included in the monthly report. That lets the department know that we are acknowledged for our hard work.

I have established a routine and for the most part I receive a lot of cooperation from my fellow staff members. Sometimes, I have to remind staff more than once to forward their information by a certain time so that I can be on time with my delivery. However, this doesn't happen to often as my fellow co-workers are on top of their game when it comes to getting me their information for my weekly report.

Tour of the Water Reclamation Facility

2009-04-26T00:03:00.000-07:00

I had never been to a waste water plant before I got to Avondale. Let's just say it wouldn't be my choice destination in the middle of the summer. But, I wanted to visit all the operations of the department within the first month of employment. So, I joined the City Manager and some of the Council Members and braved the smell. Actually, it wasn't too bad.

A couple of year's ago, Avondale's Council approved an expansion of their plant. What I got to see was the older infrastructure at the entrance of the facility which is where most of the smell was coming from but that would be eliminated after the newer buildings were completed.

We walked around the project site while the contractor pointed out where the new buildings would be located. At that point, there was just a lot of graded areas, big ditches with installation of piping, steel framework for pouring of concrete, etc. Basically, they were in the beginning stages of construction with a lot of prepping going on.

However, my favorite part of the tour dealt with the discovery of bacteria utilized to clean the water. I never knew that that is what we used to get rid of the poop (for lack of a better word). I hate to admit it but I always wondered where it went after flushing the toilet and now I know.

Moving To The Water Resources Department

2009-04-25T23:49:00.000-07:00

I started with the Water Resources Department in June of 2008. Up to that point, I really had no idea where water came from or where it went after I used it. Therefore, I spent the first month shadowing each division.

The department is made up of the following divisions: Administration, Water Resources Planning, Wetlands, Water Production, Water Distribution, Wastewater Collections, Water Reclamation Facility, GIS, and Information Technology.

It really made a difference to go out in the field and see for myself how each division operates. Plus, I got to know most of the staff members. I figured this would help build rapport and establish a relationship with each division.

Police Ride Along

2009-04-24T04:08:00.000-07:00

At a training session, I happened to be sitting in front of an Avondale detective from our police department. We started talking about work schedules for some reason. I told him I really enjoyed working at night. He said he had a perfect job for me and invited me down to the station for a police ride along. He said I would be able to work all the night hours I wanted as a police officer.

I'd never thought about going into public safety but I wasn't going to pass up this opportunity. Even in an economic downturn it seems like everybody is still hiring police officers. If anything, I could just check it out. So, I took him up on his offer and signed up for a ride along. I requested a female police officer because I wanted to get their perspective. If I was going to consider this field, I needed some honest feedback.

I went on my ride along on a late Wednesday afternoon. First perk of the ride along, I was in a police car in the front seat (not the back). I'd never been in one up to that point. I felt like a little kid checking out all the gadgets. Secondly, I'd never been that close to a police officer before but I kind of liked the way the uniform espoused authority. People saw us coming and they steered away from us; cars slowed down; business owners were extra nice and respectful.

The afternoon was pretty uneventful which was fine by me. I wasn't looking to be involved in a high speed chase or anything like that. In fact, the first thing I said to the officer was that she didn't have to feel like she had to make this exciting because I wanted to conclude the ride along alive and in one piece. We talked for most of the 4 hours. She showed me the area she covered. I asked her alot of questions and she was very good about providing personal experiences.

In the end, I was glad that I went on the ride along. I'm not looking to become a police officer anytime soon but it may be something I might consider later on. However, I definitely need to get in shape if I want to pursue this career.

National Search for City Engineer

2009-04-24T03:36:00.000-07:00

I was invited to speak about my experience as an intern at a Human Resource (HR) luncheon. I sat next to Dr. Cayer and the Avondale HR director who was filling in for my supervisor. What a stroke of luck to have had that opportunity! Whatever I said that day really must have moved my HR director because she invited me to assist with the recruitment of our City Engineer. (Thanks Dr. Vanacour for choosing me to participate in that event!)

Next day, I'm sitting with the HR Analyst who had me writing up the job description, posting it to our web page and advertising it on engineering association/organization web sites. The position was held open for a couple of weeks and then it closed with 80 applications. I was then allowed to review the applications to make sure the candidates met the qualifications. You wouldn't believe some of the applicants. Let's just say some people really do just apply for anything. Going through the applications was very entertaining. After reviewing them, I had to input all the data for the second review. I would say the number of applicants dropped to less than half of the initial 80.

I believe we invited about 7 candidates to interview. However, only 3 accepted. It takes a lot of work to prepare for these interviews. You have to get staff for the panel interview and PowerPoint presentations and coordinate schedules. In addition, our Assistant City Manager wanted a tour to be provided and lunch with the candidates and engineering staff. Then, for the candidates we had to book flights and make hotel/vehicle reservations. Then, we had to make a binder for every staff member with all the information for each candidate. We had to make sure that the schedule for the day had correct times for where the candidates needed to be. It was crazy.

It was all worth it when I got to sit in on the interviews and presentations. Its much nicer when you are on the other side of the table. However, the highlight of that day was when I was asked by the City Manager what I thought about the final two candidates and who would I choose. I gave him an honest response. Needless to say, they offered the position to the person I had selected. I'm glad I voiced my opinion in that meeting.

County Island Annexation

2009-04-24T03:10:00.000-07:00

My most memorable project will always be the cost-benefit analysis I conducted for possible annexation of Wigwam Creek South. This a county island that sits at the northwest border of Avondale. Apparently, some of the residents in that neighborhood wanted to be annexed into the city in order for us to provide fire and police service. So, I was tasked with finding out how much it would cost the city to incorporate this neighborhood.

I had to work very closely with Finance, Planning, Engineering, Police, Fire, Economic Development, Water Resources, Sanitation, Streets, and the Clerk's office to retrieve all my information. At first, I couldn't get anyone to respond to my emails or phone calls. What can you expect? I had just started, nobody knew me, and they were busy with their own projects. I had to change my tactics. I began to visit each department and seek out the best person that could help and was willing to do so. This method helped me find those key people right away. Once I understood how each person could help me, I began to do as much of the research as I could on my own to help the process along. Most of the people I worked with appreciated this because I saved them from having to do it themselves. I liked it because I was learning about the annexation process, the operations that would need to be taken over, costs, maintenance, potential revenues, and anticipated expenditures.

In the end, what I discovered and recommended to the city manager was that it would not be beneficial for Avondale to annex this county island. Based on the cost to convert water and sewer over to the city would never be recouped because the development has already taken place. The city loses out on those development impact fees that would normally off-set this cost. Furthermore, the water and sewer service is held by a private company. This would mean that the city would have to purchase these accounts from the private company. That can get very expensive.

Unfortunately, the cost definitely outweighed the benefits!

My First Council Presentation

2009-04-24T02:41:00.000-07:00

If you ever get the chance to present in front of council, do it! I did and it was the most horrifying and exciting experience...I was excited to interact with our city council but at the same time it was scary to think that I was going to be on public record in front of an audience where council members could rip me to shreds with questions.

My presentation was an update of our Centennial Planning Committee. I prepared a powerpoint slide presentation and council report. You can't believe how many times I changed the slides and the report. It was exhausting. Then, I had my supervisor and another director editing my report. That was interesting because they had opposite writing styles. For the same word or the same paragraph one would say, "that sounds good" and the other would say, "oh no, change that to read like this". I finally made an executive decision to do it my way. Suggestion for the next time, only ask one person to edit anything.

Once I finished my powerpoint and report, I got a chance to practice in front of City Management. I really like this practice session because those that attend act like the council by raising questions that you should anticipate answering. They also let you know how your powerpoint looks and whether your presentation is too long or too short.

So, the day comes when I have to stand in front of council. I'm dressed up in a suit and heels. I'm nervous, my hands are sweating, and when it comes to my turn I begin to have hot flashes as I walk to the podium. To make me comfortable, my supervisor got up and introduced me as a student intern giving her first presentation ever. That made me feel a little better because now they knew I was pretty inexperienced so maybe they wouldn't grill me with too many questions. I informed the council of our potential legacy projects and requested direction from them. Let me tell you, my presentation lasted about 10 minutes but I felt like it was an eternity.

When I was done, I breathed a sigh of relief but then my heart started racing as I heard one of the council members request permission from the Mayor to speak. Aaaahhh! I quickly composed myself and listened intently for the question. I relaxed when the council member praised my presentation and then I tensed up because he moved right into his question which had to do with funding and financing these projects. Of course, you have to respond a certain way and it felt like forever before I addressed the Mayor, the council member, and then answered the question. I went through this process 6 more times until all council members and the Mayor had their chance to speak. Then, it was over and I was very proud of myself for putting myself out there like that.

Avondale's Centennial Planning Committee and Legacy Projects

2009-04-24T02:19:00.000-07:00

Besides interning for the city, I took it upon myself to staff one of their committees. I was invited by my supervisor to attend the Centennial Planning Committee meeting. This committee was formed to develop, implement, and execute Legacy Projects for the State of Arizona's centennial celebration in 2012.

At my first meeting, I volunteered to take the minutes. Before I knew it, I was drafting the agenda; scheduling the meetings; interacting with the committee members; and organizing our legacy projects. These consists of constructing a trail up to Monument Hill which is the point of origin for all land surveyed in Arizona dating back to the 1850s (I know this is so cool and its right there in Avondale on top of a hill just east of the Phoenix International Raceway where Avondale Boulevard and Baseline Road meet); uploading Avondale's historical pictures under the AZ Memory Project; and preserving Pioneer Cemetery where many Avondale residents were buried that worked for Goodyear Farms back when it was all just farming land.

Its an evening meeting which makes for a long day but I really enjoy being a part of this committee because it gives me a chance to work with our residents. It also gives me a sense of fulfillment as I am a part of something that will come to fruition within the next couple of years.

How I got to intern for the City of Avondale?

2009-04-24T01:44:00.000-07:00

When I started the Public Administration program, I was awarded the Marvin Andrews Fellowship. Besides coming back to school, I have to admit this was one of the best things that could have happened to me. The fellowship provided a paid internship with a city so that I could learn first-hand what city management entailed. Before this, I had no idea what a city manager was or did and I didn't know that all these different departments existed to help run a city. I was pretty clueless back in 2007.

I started off in the City Manager's Office for the first year. There, I was encouraged by my supervisor to visit each department, get to know the director/staff, and become familiar with their functions. So, I did. I found out right away that I was interested in Planning, Engineering, Economic Development, Grants Administration, Intergovernmental Affairs, Human Resources, Finance, Social Services, Code Enforcement, Youth Services, Parks and Recreation, Courts, and City Clerk's office. Therefore, I made sure to volunteer for any project that came up in those areas. It payed off because I got to work on such things as ordinances, business recruitment, grants, pamphlet for one of our Congressmen, national search for our City Engineer, cost-benefit analysis for annexing a county island, intergovernmental agreement with a school district, update our record retention schedule just to name a few.

Being in the City Manager's Office allowed me to participate in their weekly meeting with the City Manager. This was great exposure for me because it gave me the opportunity to get to know all the department directors. I had access to them and their issues which I used to turn into projects for myself. This worked out great because they got to know me on a professional and personal level.

Mid-year I realized that Avondale would be unable to extend my internship past May of 2008. Fortunately for me, all the networking and volunteering I had done paid off because the Water Resources Department had requested an intern and wanted me to transfer over to their department. All I can say is "thank God for enterprise fund"! I did not know then how lucky I was to be going to a department that has money.

Coming On Board: Better Late Than Never

2009-04-24T01:25:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! My name is Edith Baltierrez and I am three weeks away from finishing up my Masters in Public Administration. Woo-hoo! In the meantime, I will provide as much content on my experiences regarding my internship with the City of Avondale.

Currently, I work for the Water Resources Department as a part-time Management Assistant/Intern. I have been with the department since June of 2008. I work anywhere from 20-28 hours per week. But, I feel like I'm cramming 40 hours worth of work during those hours. However, I'm not complaining as many of the projects I have been allowed to work on have been very meaningful and exciting. The department is actually letting me do more than just busy work which makes the time go by so much faster and I always enjoy coming to work because I just never know what's waiting for me.

I work directly with the Director and Assistant Director of the department. Wayne (my director) and Marilyn (the assistant) are some of the best bosses I have ever worked for. They have really allowed me to make the most out of my internship experience. I get to work on the department's budget, personnel issues, be a part of high-profile projects and meetings. Basically, wherever I can assist they let me run with it. Plus, I love their management style. They are both pretty hands-off. When they give me a project, they say "this is what I'd like you to do but I'm not sure how you'll go about doing it but you're a smart person so I know you'll figure it out." And then, I go off and figure it out and get the job done. This works for me because I'm pretty self-motivated and I like the independence.