What's your ideal boss?
I have had an incredible boss, who was my direct supervisor during the last year of my coop work experience. A-bout two months after I began working for her, she really let me spread my wings. She encouraged me to work independently, because she said she had come to trust my judgment and commitment. So I was able to move forward on projects without having to check in with her every day. Of course, I made certain that she knew what I had accomplished on a daily and weekly basis because I gave her summary reports, although she didn't specifically ask me to. Without her support and encouragement, I don't think I would have felt confident enough to have written up a proposal suggesting that the department change a process that had been in place for a long time. But she was open to suggestions, so long as employees could back them up with research and facts. When I submitted my suggestion, she reviewed it and told me where she thought it needed more work. She then took my revised proposal to her boss. He was a more conservative type, but she lobbied him to try It for several weeks. He did, and it was so successful that it was instituted as a permanent change. I've also worked for some very difficult bosses in summer and part-time jobs. And while I'd certainly prefer to work for one like I've just described, I'm the kind of person who can get along with just about anyone.