Over the summer, I had the opportunity to work an internship at an NFT/Cryptocurrency company called Vlinder. The job was a good experience and helped me develop a lot of skills that I can use in future workplaces and in college. I got to engage in research and talks with well-known companies/organizations such as Sling TV and CONCACAF. Working on these projects with a large group of people from diverse backgrounds allowed me to really optimize my workflow. Through the experience I’ve gained, here is some advice that I took away.
The company I worked for remotely could be a hassle but allowed us to be more efficient. With many people working from different time zones, it meant that groups could attend meetings while others were asleep and relay that information and the start of their workday. I also got to interact with a diverse group of individuals who were all passionate about the NFT space. I worked on research for the NFT projects. I did a lot of research on college sports, The World Games event, and Eurovision. Through these assignments, I was able to learn about new sports and dive deep into events/companies that I didn’t know existed. Along with that, I was able to learn efficient techniques for research and improve my workflow. Being able to stay focused during the summer months was a huge benefit as I am coming into my freshman year of college.
Time Management
This one is slightly obvious but still an important concept to instill. Managing your time, especially working with a large group is important. Jobs are like production lines; each group does their art and passes it on to another so that they can each add their piece to the final product. Your teammates are counting on you to complete your work in a period of time so they can polish the product to what is expected. In my case, many of my colleagues were from India and went to college. This difference in time zones meant I had to make adjustments in my schedule and prioritized certain pieces over others to keep a smooth workflow within my team.
Asking Questions
It’s not easy to ask questions. We constantly think about factors such as, am I asking silly questions, am I asking too many, or am I not asking enough? Whatever you’re thinking, block it out. My trick was to make a minimum number of questions in each meeting (usually 3-4 questions). For you, it may be different, but whatever you find fit and respectable for your meetings, stick to it. The more questions you ask, the more vital information you will learn and it will also communicate to your employer that you are very passionate and care about improving. It will also give you more confidence to assert your own ideas in the discussion. By knowing more about your job, you can make your output more specific and vital to the company.
Communicating with Your Team
Communication is of the essence to any good workflow. It is important to keep your colleagues and your boss in the loop of what you’re working on, with whom, and when it will be finished. If you’re struggling with something or need someone to review your work, send an email. It will show that you are proactive and care about giving the company your best work. In my case, I made it a point to email at least once every 2 days at the end of every work day, to let my team know where I was at with a certain project. This helped me and the team to stay on track each week.
Those are three of my big takeaways from the experience. I hope this helps you in your job.
