The Domino Effect
Unfortunately today I walked in and the office was one chair short. Julia and Tsipi got into a blow out and she was fired. I couldn’t say that it was extremely shocking because they usually would bump heads. But I wasn’t expecting the rest of the news, my direct supervisor (Sara) and Amanda gave in their two weeks notice. My internship is dwindling down and so are my friends at my internship. They were upset at the way Tsipi treats them, her tone is too harsh and they are severely under paid.
From this I definitely learned the significance of RESPECT in a work environment. We all require it, but when it is lacking severely it can cause a domino effect of penalization. Tsipi’s team went from four to zero in the matter of two months. Learning to work with others is a primary and beneficial trait in the success of any business or work place environment.
Are We Seeing Eye to Eye ?
I was assigned a project to create an Ad for the gala event. Tsipi asked me to work on that task and a few others with another graphic design intern. I had to communicate with her via email. We would never be in the office on the same days. She is a Graphic Design student from NYIT, her designs were great but there was a problem. She didn’t save her work in the correct folders and she never labeled or deleted and layers.
I had to spend about an hour figuring the correct order of documents, or deleting layers that no longer had to be there. I’m not sure if her school covered the importance of document file prep, or she might not really care.
You’re Never Too Old To Learn Something New
Today was Sara’s last day, she was one of the best supervisors I’ve had. It was bitter sweet, I want her to work somewhere that acknowledges her strength but still I will miss her. She was happy that she hired me because I taught her how to use InDesign and how to combine multiple PDFs. Although I only knew Sara for 2 months, her work ethics were admirable. Even if she was having a bad day, she would never let it spill over into her work environment. The days that Tsipi would yell at her, she never yelled back and kept a positive attitude.
Maintaining a positive personality in the work environment is vital. It can determine the longevity of your career. Addressing any issues in a respectful manner can give you a good reputation.
Learning How To Budget
While interning at CITYarts, I learned how to budget. Senior year, with no jobs and multiple projects to print weekly definitely taught me a lesson. I had to cook my own lunch, that meant waking up at 6 am to cook my lunch. Thankfully my office had a kitchen that included a microwave and a refrigerator. On average food could possibly cost me 30 dollars a day (YIKES). Soho is expensive, and I learned that in no time. But when I cooked twice a week on average I would save 40-60 dollars weekly. Every Wednesday and Thursday I would be up early to cook my lunch, pack a morning snack, fruits and afternoon snacks.
I tried to persuade my co workers to cook their own food but, they weren’t convinced. In the two months that I was there I began to budget, not only on food but shopping. I would force myself to stay inside on the warm days, so I wouldn’t spend my lunch hour charging my Amex. In two short months, I became more of an adult.
The Pros & The Cons
My internship at CITYarts had the most accurate mixture of good and bad. Although there was; tension and drama it gave me the experience of reality. Every work environment will not be perfect, individuals personalities may clash and there will be disagreements. However how you handle yourself in all situations (good or bad) is the primary factor in any workplace issue. Although Tsipi was a tough manager, I spoke respectfully but assertive when explaining my designs.
I took her constructive criticism as a positive. I learned how to listen to others opinions and incorporate them into any designs I worked on. Listening to your client is significant in success. But in the same breath you have to guide them correctly. Overall interning at CITYarts was an experience I did not expect, but it helped me to grow as a young woman.
