Intern to Employee: Making the Transition
Hello readers, my name is Christian Romer.
I am an International employee of AgencyNet from Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas. As I finish my first year of employment at AgencyNet, I find myself reflecting on the personal and professional transformation I have experienced: the transition from intern (previously a student of The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale) to an employee. My transformation has required me to go through a sort of “professional metamorphosis”.
Looking back at my first unsure and timid stroll through the doors of AgencyNet, I’ve realized that there we’re certain key lessons that I had to grasp before I could consider myself a true AgencyNetter.
Organization
My first point of reflection is probably one of the most important: organization. An agency is like a well oiled machine, it requires a certain level of structure and care to operate smoothly.
Everything you do, every document you pass on will at some point end up in the hands of a coworker, whether the same day, or months from creation. That person will need to be able to understand your thought process, the steps you took, and what the next steps are. How quickly and accurately they can accomplish that is key for any project’s success. As such, how you structure your work will influence the work pace of the entire office. To be frank, this was one of my personal downfalls but as time passed I’ve begun to implement a more standardized approach to how I organize myself. But, as with most things, there is always room for improvement.
Take Initiative
An employee that thinks ahead is considered extremely valuable and is much desired by any employer. Taking any extra measure to ensure a task is completed efficiently, effectively, and professionally can help your work process to run smoother and also help your colleagues to transition and translate your work to the other necessary phases with ease. I have observed many of my colleagues practice this and as a result they sometimes even stumble upon new skill sets, and avoid having to execute other time-consuming steps towards completing a successful project. Strive beyond what is expected of you and you might reveal positive, unexpected results.
Listen, Absorb, Observe
This mode of thinking can make or break you. As a newbie you must become a “human sponge”.
Listen to every piece of constructive advice that comes your way. The advice is usually offered from experience and will help you to avoid making critical mistakes without learning the hard way.
Absorb all that you experience, see, and do on a daily basis. Every day, even the really bad days will yield experience in some form, whether directly, or indirectly. Take notes of critical experiences often and analyze them when the time becomes available (personal time).
Observe all interactions, situations, and techniques that your peers display on a daily basis. You WILL find these observations will help you to improve your effectiveness, skill set, and the rate at which you develop your talents. Over all, shut-up and listen!
Fail?
Yes, I know….fail? Yes fail. It is the only way you truly learn just about anything. The greatest developers, designers, directors, and others can all testify to the effectiveness of constructive, incremental failure. Every mistake you make big or small is an opportunity for you to analyze the wrong steps you took, and it allows you to construct alternate, more efficient methods of completing a particular task. Failure only becomes truly negative when you do not gain knowledge as a result of failure.
Be Resilient
You will have bad days. Days when you want to send your PC or Mac on a “maiden test flight off of the third floor…” In the web/multimedia industry, the competition is becoming more and more intense on a daily basis. Only the strong will survive. Every time that you are knocked down you must get back up immediately and continue producing consistent quality work. Do not become discouraged often. It will prove to be detrimental to your drive and success rate.
Challenge yourself daily
Often we find ourselves clinging to our comfort zones. This will inevitably stunt your professional development in the long run. Without pushing your limits your work will become both repetitive and stale. Be motivated to attack tasks and situations from alternate perspectives. You may reveal unknown skills and talents that you never knew you possessed as a result.
Evaluate
Everyone, no matter your position within any given company/agency, should take time to evaluate their own progress or lack thereof, before someone else does. Constructive criticism is useless unless you have the ability to realize and accept your flaws within yourself. When you achieve this state of “self realization” you become a “self running improvement machine”.
I find myself at the edge of the most amazing year of my life. Thankful to be given the opportunity to work in an environment that has a plethora of creativity, comradery, experience, and genuine happiness. I realize that no matter how far I take my skills I must always strive towards growth and change both for myself and my company.
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Rachel…
Awesome post Christian! I loved sharing my experiences of intern turned career and you summed up so many other aspects I hadn’t thought to include. You did, however, forget to express how much you like sitting next to me
Look forward to seeing more posts from you in the future!
Gillian…
I love the advice you give in this post. I will definitely take initiative and try to follow in your footsteps to become as great a web designer as you. ^_^
Garett…
Great job Christian. I loved reading your post and thought it was heart-felt, genuine and great advice to anyone just starting out not only in our industry but agency life in general. I noticed you did not include the four page chapter entitled “Amazing Creative Directors I have worked with at AgencyNet”. Other than that small item, I think your inaugural article was outstanding.
Your enthusiasm for the craft, willingness to continually learn from those around you and confidence to express your ideas is a breath of fresh air. Your initiative on this post is but a small testament to your desire to always take it to the next level. Thank You.
Adam…
Nice! So inspirational and dead on. Great post!
Josh Guffey…
Hey Christian, right on! As a fellow peer at AiFL, and now at AgencyNet, I have to say you’ve never ceased to surprise me.
On big difference between any normal student and a future good employee is drive. What do you do on the weekends and between classes? If you’re in the library reading WebDesigner magazine, or studying a new design technique or programming language, you’ve probably got the ambition required to work for a world class agency like AgencyNet.
In this industry, we’re always working to become better at what we do.
Nice Post!
Alvin…
Great info Christian, spot on. Thanks!
Tracy…
Christian, So glad you wrote a post. Watching your skills grow over the past year, understanding constructive feedback is for the positive and not the negative & your enthusiasm to take it to the next level has been inspiring and makes you a great team member to work with. That goes for you too Guffey!
Christian Romer…
Thank you all for you comments. Your words of encouragement means the world to me. ( Shout out to the 3rd floor possie, especially my mentors Garett, Josh C, Augi, & Larissa
Christian Romer…
Rachel rocks also!
jeff…
Christian –
You are wise beyond your year! Great insights here. In our ecosystem of collaboration and iteration organization is essential – What good is a killer idea you developed a few months ago if you can’t find it today, when you need it. See the below post on Document Management: – http://pm2pm.blogspot.com/2009/02/document-management-where-is-latest.html
I would add another piece of advice surrounding building relationships. You mention mentors in one of your comments. There are many good souls in agencies who are nourished by working with young talent. Others would also benefit from taking advantage of this type of symbiotic business relationship. True that you should listen, observe and absorb, but don’t underestimate the value that you bring to the table. If you’re on the team, you have a responsibility to be supportive and provide your expertise. Below is a post, related to junior PM’s, that goes into a bit more detail – http://pm2pm.blogspot.com/2009/01/pound-for-pound-best-project-managers.html
Keep it up.
xethorn…
Being thrilled by an internship is everyone’s dream. However the reality includes two other factors: your manager and the company’s philosophy.
By doing 4 different traineeship, it clearly appears those two factors which cannot be controlled are way more important than your profesional attitude and your positiveness.
Otherwise: your article is great! It shows that evolution is in the middle of a career and you have to make progress on a daily basis. The facts you’re pointing to are also related to any job you will have in your career: it’s a lot to learn and a lot to adjust yourself.
That’s why life is exciting