Obtaining The Internship I
In the first week, I was applying for various internships/Part-time jobs per day. Considering that nothing was guaranteed, I had to make sure that I applied to as many as possible. There was one side-job that interested me the most which was an opportunity to be an illustrator that creates compliance training comics. The description of the position seemed right up my alley since I am an illustrator and a graphic designer. However, I unfortunately wasn’t able to get the position as even when I applied and spent time building a new portfolio for the website, communication was radio silent.
Despite the difficulty of finding an internship, I was able to get into a non-profit organization with the assistance of my professor. After filing the Company Data and Internship Agreement forms, I was greeted by the founder who was once a City Tech student himself. I officially became a part-time member and was added to a group chat with other employees who welcomed me into the organization. We used the social application known as “Rock” to communicate with one another, and this was a way for my peers to give me design tasks to complete. The main takeaway from this is that no matter how many times you get rejected, you have to always keep pushing because eventually, you will succeed in obtaining the goal you want.
The First Task II
I spent my second week working on the first task that was assigned to me within the hours of my schedule. I had to construct an article newsletter by June 17th. My employer provided me with an article based on the r/anti-work subreddit, where the author was raising awareness of the user’s true issues with the American work ethic and how employees are exploited like slaves. It’s a cliché that the community is just full of employees who despise their jobs, but according to the article I read, the problem is much more serious and genuine than that. It is more about the immoral practices of the working system in terms of how much a person is valued for a particular profession than it is about opposition to the concept of work. I helped the author visually realize his message, and it was a lot of fun to design and engaging to read. See designs on the Home page.
Switching Up The Tools III
I was tasked with making face masks for the organization in the third week. I exercised my program versatility and chose to use Clip Studio Paint instead of Indesign as it was an easier tool to use since I didn’t know how to alter clothing in Indesign. Face masks are typically quite straightforward, so I went in a similar direction. I was given the freedom to choose the style as long as the organization’s logo was on it. It was obvious to use their rebrand colors for the masks because I recalled the first work that they had given to me. I submitted two ideas, each with four masks, with the top and bottom pair showcasing two distinct viewpoints. See designs on the Home page.
New Opportunities IV
After completing the face masks, I was offered the choice to complete a children’s book. The story was about kids learning about inclusivity and freedom of expression outside of the social norms of gender roles. Since not everyone in the organization was an artist, it took a few days for me to communicate with a new staff member and determine how much time we could receive and how many people would be a part of the illustration group.
Making A Decision V
I’m managing two projects this week; the first is to create the cover for the May 2022 newsletter, and the second is to create design mock-ups for hoodies and T-shirts. My experience has been excellent thus far, and everyone associated with the organization has been considerate and understanding of me. Due to the requirements being unattainable in the time allotted to me and the group, I had to make the painful decision to decline an optional assignment. By the end of the week, the assignment was to produce 40 pages for a children’s book. My allocated partner was the one who gave up first, and I had no chance of finishing and polishing this project by myself in less than a week. Being able to think independently, determine what you can and cannot achieve, and come to a choice is one of the most crucial life skills. You’ll wind up making things tougher for yourself if you just say yes to everything without thinking it through first. I was aware of my abilities and limitations; despite being an artist, I wasn’t going to be able to storyboard, sketch, ink, and color a 40-page book all by myself in a single week. It’s just not possible to do that. A team of artists needs a month to complete a project like that; I requested an extension but was told by my organization that they couldn’t. I politely declined and then switched to another task.
Wrapping Up VI
At this point, I had completed all of the tasks assigned to me and met the 120-hour mark. This meant that I completed my hours and had to choose to either stay within the organization or leave. Based on how I’ve planned the rest of my summer out, I had made my decision to respectfully depart. However, this did not come without thanking my employers for giving me a positive and professional working environment.
Reflection VII
One of the most crucial duties I learned throughout my internship was the importance of being able to communicate with my employer about any problems that can arise from any project before the deadline. If there is a problem, always be honest about your development and what you’re having trouble with.
Although I had anticipated a highly stressful experience, I was pleasantly surprised by how laid-back and understanding the organization members were. The assignment deadlines didn’t put too much strain on us, and everyone was quite nice. I was given the duty of planning my daily clock-in and clock-out schedule, which enabled me to complete my assignments on time. However, I think everyone’s professional viewpoint will differ depending on the workplace; experiences can be different.
I do think that this course can give you a taste of the working world, but goes without saying that you must be ready and have your necessities on hand beforehand. This includes your cover letter, résumé, and portfolio. Additionally, it is strongly advised that you tighten up your ePortfolio if you haven’t already as it would be really beneficial to you. Thanks for reading my experience!
