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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