Thursday, June 9, 2011

Summer Internship

This summer I am fortunate enough to have an internship with a jewelry designer located about 40 minutes from my house.  I work about 2 days a week (unpaid) but the experience is priceless.  Today was my first day and I was a little nervous about not doing anything all day but I was seriously proven wrong.

I arrived at about 9am and then at 10am the jewelry designer, three other ladies and I went to see a retail buyer (a very popular and well-known one) to show them some jewelry designs.  It was so interesting sitting in on the meeting because I learned all of this jewelry jargon and how to communicate effectively with people who are buying things from you.  The offices at this retail place are incredible too--very busy and well decorated.

We got back to the office at about 12:45 and then we ordered in lunch.  After lunch I was put to work with two other girls and we finished off gluing chain to different necklaces.  It was tricky at first cutting the exact right length of the chain but then I got the hang of it and it began to be relaxing with the music playing in the background.  And the girls who work there are so welcoming and funny and I was pleasantly surprised by the relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.

I left the studio at about 5pm and was dead tired.  Now I know why working people can be so grumpy!  I came home and took a nice nap and relaxed for the rest of the evening.  While there though I came up with some "rules" or "guidelines" that one should have while being an intern or working:

Kristen's Office Rules:
1. Always wear a watch, no matter what.  It's not professional to keep checking your phone every five minutes and not every room will have a clock.  (learned from The Hills; LC didn't wear watches)

2. Always leave early for work; you never know what traffic / delays you may encounter on the way.  Being early shows people you respect them and enjoy being on time.  There is nothing worse than arriving late somewhere and being yelled at or scolded.

3. Flip flops are not for the office.  This jewelry place that I am working at is veryyyy casual but even though some girls wear flip flops, I feel like those shoes should be saved for the beach.  Opt for sandals, flats, or TOMS.

4. Never say, "Is there anything you want me to do?"  Instead politely say, "Can I help you with something?"  You don't want to feel bothersome.

5. It's okay to talk about your personal life with your coworkers.  However, there are limits to this rule.  You shouldn't talk negatively or gossip about anyone; don't bring personal problems to work; and don't bring up private or inappropriate things about yourself.  Keep it to asking about things going on in their lives or even ask about their childhoods.

I hope everyone enjoyed this little blog and learned something from my guidelines.  I am so lucky to have this internship going into my freshmen year of college because I feel like I'll be one step ahead of everyone getting internships and networking in the future.

Do you have an internship or job?  Comment about it below :)

-km

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

18 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Turned 18

Sunday June 5th was my 18th birthday and I was super duper busy the whole day!  In the morning I ran a 5k with my sister and then I went to 5 graduation parties starting at 2 and coming home at midnight.  I really wanted to record a video or write a blog post but I literally had no time.  Oh and I graduated high school on Saturday!!  So, needless to say, it was a pretty big and busy weekend for me.

I did, however, manage to come up with 18 things I wish I knew before I turned 18:

1. Don't take yourself too seriously -- if you can't laugh at yourself and joke around, then people won't want to be around you.  Who wants to be around a boring serious person?

2. Making mistakes is the only way to figure things out in life -- I was so preoccupied with being perfect and not making mistakes that I never actually lived and had good experiences.  You really do learn from your mistakes and become a better person in the process.

3. Have a passion and stick to it -- I've had so many little hobbies from jewelry making to headband making to writing to sports but I never constantly stuck with any of them.  If you're a girl scout, keep being a girl scout! If you love gardening, find a local gardening club and stick to it! Having a passion and sticking to it not only looks good on college resumes but it also makes you more interesting!

4. Be good at something; it makes you valuable -- similar to the previous number but 100% true.  Having something to bring to the table, especially something unique, makes you stand out so much.  And don't say you're not good at anything. Find something really odd and become a professional at it!

5. You don't know everything, it's okay to ask for help -- young people (especially teens) always think they know everything.  WRONG-O!  Teens have lived on this planet for less than 20 years, so how much do you think you really know?  You haven't even lived!  That's why it's totally okay, in fact it's encouraged, to ask for help when you need it.

6. Don't quit things; give them time -- I've quit, or wanted to quit, a lot of things in my life.  And most of the things I've quit I regretted.

7. Work hard and be nice to people -- pretty self-explanatory.  It pays later in life.

8. Money does not equal happiness -- I still have trouble with this one but it's so true.  There are so many times where I thought some materialistic thing would bring me happiness but it brought the exact opposite.

9. People and relationships are more important than materialistic items -- similar to the previous one, this is something that I definitely wish I realized earlier.  Friendships last forever, money doesn't.

10. You're never too young to do something -- I was always afraid to do things or try things because I thought I was too young and people would judge me. Forget about it.  The younger the better.

11. Don't be afraid to ask for things -- You want to see if you can get a discount somewhere? ASK.  If you don't ask, you'll never know.

12. High school is nothing like the movies -- especially not an all-girls private catholic high school.

13. You can learn something from every experience and every person that you encounter -- self-explanatory.

14. Always tell the truth -- if you lie, it will come back to bite you in the butt.

15. Having a few great friends is better than having a bunch of so-so friends -- I really wish I took the time to get closer to my small circle of friends.  Don't get me wrong, being friends with a lot of people has its benefits but make sure you're able to trust and confine in a small group of people.

16. Don't make promises when you're happy and don't make decisions when you're angry -- you may regret these later...

17. People may forget what you said to them but they'll never forget how you made them feel -- always, always, ALWAYS be kind because you never know what kind of war people have going on behind closed doors.

18. Make the most of everything -- making the most of things is not only an invaluable trait, but people want to be around those who can make the best out of a sucky situation.

-km