Read about Bill’s reflection of his year of service:
My first blog in August was titled A True Learning Experience. It examined all I had learned through my first three months as an Energy Corps Member and my hope that the remainder of my time with the Energy Coordinating Agency would continue to be “a true learning experience.” As I am now two weeks away from the conclusion of my eleven months with Energy Corps, I can look back on a crazy year and say I definitely got my wish.
Working with ECA has taught me specific energy conservation and education skills in addition to more general communication and leadership lessons. In my August blog, I recalled being introduced to building science and energy efficiency. Since August, I have taken a number of Building Performance Institute and LEED classes. These courses allowed me to examine residential energy efficiency in greater depth and earn various professional certifications. Additionally, I have had the privilege of working with some great educators at ECA’s Knight Training Center.
Watching ECA’s talented instructors taught me numerous skills ranging from how to balance having fun with learning, to responding to questions you do not know the answer to (you tell a funny story). With the help of various Training Center Employees, I was given the opportunity to teach college level energy efficiency courses by the end of the year.In my August blog, I discussed how my Energy Corps experience was teaching me the importance of communication, organization and foresight. Since then, I have only come to appreciate those attributes more, particularly communication. One of the great challenges and opportunities of this year was working under a number of supervisors. At ECA, I worked in three departments and would joke that at times I felt I reported to half of Philadelphia. However, splitting my time between multiple departments allowed me to view different leadership styles and understand how different individuals respond to the challenges that can arise in a professional setting. Additionally, working with different supervisors underscored the importance of communication as I quickly came to realize that different managers had different expectations. The only way to be sure that I was meeting varying expectations was to constantly communicate and ask questions.
Looking back at the last eleven months, I am so grateful to have had this experience and to have learned as much as I have. I am still unsure what the future holds. However, I know that my time with Energy Corps and ECA has helped prepare me for whatever the upcoming years have in store.
Bill Pedersen, a native of Wellesley, Massachusetts, Bill attended Hamilton College in Clinton, New York graduating in May 2013. As an undergraduate Bill majored in Environmental Studies with a focus in American Studies, and minored in History. Bill has previous internship experiences with the Appalachian Mountain Club and a Boston based solar development company. Outside of work, Bill is an avid outdoors man who enjoys hiking, fishing, biking, and boating. Bill is serving as an energy auditing intern with the Energy Coordinating Agency of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bill is very excited about serving with the Energy Corps and making a difference in Philadelphia communities.
