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A Glimpse into My First Week as a Student Technology Assistant at LAITS

February 1, 2024 By Diya Nair

A Glimpse into My First Week as a Student Technology Assistant at LAITS

 

My first week at LAITS was fantastic! Spending time in the Development Studio reinforced a clear understanding: systems are the core of a successful team. I appreciate how we seamlessly integrate various applications, ensuring maximum productivity in my role as a Student Technology Assistant (STA).

A typical STA day involves logging into essential applications like Slack for communication, BaseCamp for task assignments, and Harvest for time tracking and progress monitoring. Crafting an intentional plan for each shift, even in shorter two-hour periods, significantly boosts my productivity. Juggling school and work can be challenging, but this simple practice of answering three questions before each shift equips me with the tools to smoothly switch from school to work:

A) What did you do yesterday?
B) What are your tasks for today?
C) Are there any impediments preventing you from completing your work? If not, indicate no impediments.

This reflective exercise empowers me to execute our daily plan efficiently.

A significant aspect of being an STA involves adapting to the organization’s project management tools. These applications, such as Slack for communication, BaseCamp for task assignments, and Harvest for time tracking and progress monitoring, play a crucial role in our daily workflow. Becoming proficient in navigating these platforms efficiently was a key focus during my first week in this role. Following that I started on my training modules, which I will talk about in my next post.

 

Images of the three applications we use as STA's. From left to right, Slack, Harvest, and Basecamp The complete suite of applications every Design STA is familiar with

 

 

 

Filed Under: Fall 2023 - Spring 2024, We are STAs

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