What NOT to Wear in the Office

My Last Blog Ever

We have had some fun this summer folks. I have shared a few stories, laughs, insights, and useless facts; but there is more to Brendan Cherry then just that stuff. I am also an incredible dancer, which unfortunately I can not share with you via blog. Believe me I would like to, but to express how I express myself through expressive movements would just be too hard to express in words. In all actuality though I do not take myself very seriously and I like it that way. Taking yourself or anything too seriously sets you up for stress and bad relationships with people. Think about it, don’t you like being around people who are down to earth and pleasant. The key is to not take your self seriously but take others seriously. Make people feel important and wanted, that is after all what most people are looking for. You can become more successful by praising people for their successes. People remember people who make them feel good. Try finding creative ways to compliment people that are not awkward. For example if someone does something pretty uniqe you be better served by saying, “Whoa, you're really creative. How did you come up with this?” rather then saying, “That’s pretty good, reminds me of the time I yada yada yada.” The key here is people like to feel important and here about themselves so give it to them and you will get the same in return. A conversation flows much better when its you talking about them and them talking about you rather than you talking about you and them talking about them. Those conversations are always very forced and flat and usually leave both parties feeling like they didn’t really click. Its like my favorite comedian Brian Regan says when there is a dinner party there is always the me monster, you know the type that’s like, “And then me, and I, myself, this one time I, and me me me ME ME!!” Don’t be that guy/gal!

Other then that stuff this is the last post you will be able to read from me. My stretch in Boston has been footloose and fancy free. I have loved it and will cherish the memories. Turning 21 on the day the Celtics became champs, interning for experience, bus boying at cheers, going to media premiers of movies, seeing Batman a whole buch of times, and a whole lot of other things I wish I could write. Ultimately it has been a great experience and one I would recommend for people in similar shoes as me. If you can intern in a city it is a great time. You have the chance to make some great connections and network as well as meet new people and hear new stories. Ciao Folks!



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Profezza Chezza

Top 5 Advice

I absolutely love the movie High Fidelity, starring John Cusack, not only for its satire of music snobs but also for its top 5 lists. I'm a sucker for rating things: movies, music, snack foods, catch phrases. I also have way too many mental countdowns: 9 days until the Olympics!; 5 weeks until school!; 3 hours until Project Runway! Today I'm giving you a taste of both rating and counting down. Since I only have three more days left in the office, it's time for some Top 5s.

I've been thinking about the top gems of advice I've learned this summer about internships and work. While each piece of information I've gathered this summer sparkles, I've outlined the top five - they come from my experience, from interviews with other interns, and from other people in the office. Here they are:

5. Be persistent. This applies to all areas of internships - finding one, having one, leaving one. When you're in the middle of an internship search, it's easy to get discouraged. But try not to. Use a lot of different resources to keep the search fresh: your career center, eRecruiting through Experience (ask your career center about it!), even internet booleans. Once you've secured your internship, being persistent (but not annoying) towards your superiors shows that you're motivated and eager to learn. Once your internship ends, being persistent and staying in contact can lead to a formal job offer down the road.

4. Establish contacts. Even if you don't think you want to pursue the field you interned in, chances are that people in your company know other people in other companies, or have worked in other companies, or have a passion for the field you want to go into...the possibilities are endless. For example, when we went to interview intern Erin Welch at Nokia Mobile Advertising last week, I discovered that they have an office in Paris...where I want to live in the future. So chat it up during your lunch break - you'll be surprised what you can glean.

3. Internships aren't just resume builders. Besides the obvious boost of "having experience in the field" that internships give you, which you can then play up on your resume, the real heart of an internship lies in what you learn. You're doing your internship to TRY OUT something you think you could love, and maybe over the course of the internship you become infatuated with the work or you come to dread it. Either way, internships are like the walkway leading up to a house - looking forward, you assess the house and see if the architecture is your style. By the time you get inside, you'll have a better idea if it's a place you could see yourself living.

2. Employers WANT to hire you! This is eRecruiting's stand (the software powered by Experience.com that your career center uses to connect you with targeted jobs and employers), and I am happy to relay this information. Entry-level jobs do not have to be dreaded, because employers want to add us young folk, with all the new skills, to their mix! Also, jobs right out of college, thanks to these employers who seek us out, are the first steps to a great career.

1. You CAN love your job! Experience's slogan is "Extraordinary Careers Start Here," and I fully believe that with a little preparation we can find jobs we love. We just have to have faith in our employers, try out internships, be persistent, and most of all, believe in the validity of our dreams.

In High Fidelity, Rob (Cusack) writes down his Top 5 jobs, if money and time period don't matter. I suggest doing the same, just to get your ambition juices going. If you know what you'd love to do, it's easier to make it a reality. Idealism and optimism are my faithful sidekicks, so I hope they've become yours too, after reading our blog and watching our videos. Pessimism gets you nowhere, so don't be afraid to DREAM, like Rob. You can make your dream happen.

Early to Bed, Early to Work!

I've been going to sleep at 10 PM every night. I feel a little lame admitting this, but I just get so tired! When I'm in the office all day, undoubtedly working hard, when I get home I can't even will myself to call some friends to hang out. I am, however, a bit reassured when I hear that my friends, and fellow interns, are also falling asleep in front of the TV at 9:30. This brings me to the question: how do we integrate our social lives into our work lives? The two always seem dichotomous - "all work and no play"; "oh no, college is over, now I have to say goodbye to fun" - but this summer I'm finding that my job IS when I get to socialize. We pass around CDs we've discovered, talk about funny blogs, and discuss the weekend, just like we did in high school!

We don't realize how social our work environment is. Though my mom is right when she says, "there will always be people you can't stand, and people you never agree with," for the most part we pass our days surrounded by fun individuals! It's no coincidence that we end up becoming friends with the people we work with because we have similar interests, and more importantly, similar career goals and skills. Also, it makes sense that many people start dating other people in the office...What I'm getting at is a notion that we shouldn't overlook the fun potential at a job, taking it SOO seriously that we stay glued to our desks with our headphones on. Our days should be enjoyable, if not for the work itself, for the people.

That said, I'm going to miss the people in this office. This summer has been an exciting learning experience, and a great preview of my future to come. I've learned - and poked fun at in our videos - a lot about office professionalism, finding an internship, and having a job overall. Experience is a young company with entrepreneurial ideals that I believe in, and I shall take those beliefs with me back to school, and on to my professional life. Check out the homepage of Experience.com to take a look at what Experience can do for your professional life.

Winding Down

I bought a delicious breakfast this morning as I approached work. A chicken and bacon melt with southwestern chipotle sauce on a whole wheat bagel with a splash of melted cheese and a vine ripened tomato to top it all off. The drawback- it cost 8 beans and I didn’t bring my toothbrush or gum to work. My speech is going to smell like a weird combination of chipotle and wheat bread all day. I’m not happy about it. I suppose every decision comes with its pros and cons. I have come to the decision that I am going home for the month of August. The first week in August is my last week as an intern and why pay 600 a month when I can be a bus boy and live for free in good old Leicester MA. I am happy to be going home but less thrilled to be leaving Boston. It has been fun in the city. Always something to do no matter what night and if nothing else the police blotter is a bit more interesting in the city then back home. What can I say though; I miss my family, friends, woods, and free food. Then of course it will not be too long until I move back to Amherst to finish college!

It is weird to think that I am just a year shy of being done with college. What a great three years it has been. I would really like to think that the rest of my days will be just as exciting as college. Most people will tell you college is the time of your life and in more or less words will hint at the fact that life’s excitement sort of tapers off with each year separating the year you graduate to now in whatever year this is. I do not believe that has to be the case at all. Life is full of excitement; you just may have to look in different places. Having said that it still feels weird knowing that this awesome chapter of my life is in its twilight stages. I remember junior prom like it was yesterday! As for what I want to do after graduation I am not sure just yet. I know the direction I want to go and I know I want to get PAID for doing whatever it is I do. Some people say money is not important, but it is if you want nice things and early retirement; money is paramount. I would say that is my number 1 goal is to retire early and walk away from whatever I do with enough money to do some great living. Again how am I going to achieve this? That’s a good question. I have thought of making a banana jelly, Jungle Juice Packs, and starting various websites that would be funded through advertisements and I could tell you what they are but then you would steal them! Anyway the point is I have ideas and with a little action they could equal cash money. Like I said previously, don’t neglect your creative side!

Also if anyone reading this blog is well versed with the economy and knows about the American economy I would like to know your take on the federal income tax. I saw this very crazy political conspiracy video called Zeitgeist which claims the federal income tax is unconstitutional. I would like to know the validity of that statement. As far as conspiracy movies go I find them fascinating and many of the issues mentioned worth exploring, but like I said in previous posts I never more then half commit to beliefs. Anyways if you have free time it’s probably worth watching and if nothing else is an entertaining story.

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See-Hezzy

My Thoughts

Well we are coming down to the wire folks, the swan song for this internship is not too far from being sung. That being said, Kate and I have been given a tremendous opportunity to create a commercial for Experience’s champion software and a little do-hickey that I owe so much thanks to, e-Recruiting. Of course receiving an opportunity is no different than receiving a burden. We now carry the burden of coming up with something original, tasteful, and eye catching to give to career centers to give to you all. You may be thinking to yourself, how do I deal with this burden and any burden that may come in life? Well you could do any number of things. Some people stress out and their manic work sense takes over and sees to it that they complete what ever it is they are working on. Some people become paralyzed by fear and can not bring themselves to even start their project or finish it. The thought of rejection and poor work takes them out of the game immediately. I have a completely different approach. I just sort of do things and let the results handle themselves. I look at it this way, if it comes out well and everyone likes it then great! I can play the hero shake hands and have something out there that’s done and done well. That is a great feeling. I also know there is a chance things can go wrong and people will not like what I have done. That’s fine with me too. In those instances you walk away feeling sort of down and incapable of doing things well, but at least you have a good story. Then you also have to look at it like this, what ever you did wrong or not up par is done and over with thus making it unchangeable history and not worth worrying about and maybe it was not meant to work out the first time. Maybe you are meant to struggle with your project until you get it perfect or maybe you were cut out for something else all together. I don’t know, all I do know is I never worry about results. Anyways hopefully this commercial will come out well and we get like a $10,000 dollar bonus and a new car.

In other work related news we have an interview with a nokia person in about an hour. It should be fun to go to the nokia building and I want to subtly ask the managers what kind of big plans and new technology they have coming out in the year to come. I bet they know of something that will blow my mind. My mind is blown by cell phones as it is heck the fact that I can even write this and you can read it blows my mind.

Speaking of mind blowing I have been researching the whole 12-21-2012 thing. Not because I believe in conspiracies, but they are fun stories just as fiction. If the whole 12-21-2012 conspiracy were a fictional movie I would watch it, but the fact that there are thousands of people who believe make it a little more fascinating. I am not saying I believe it or not, I will say some of the best advice I have ever read was by a guy named Fontenelle who said he never over commits to any of his beliefs. He half commits to everything so if proven to be wrong his world view is not so shattered. Anyways to those who are unaware as to what the 12-21-2012 thing is it has to do with the Mayan long count calendar. Through astrological findings and studies of the universe they created a calendar that was 5,125 years long. When converted to the Gregorian calendar we use their calendar ends on December 21, 2012. Some people see this as the end of the world and others see it as a potential shift in consciousness. Now there are two facts about this that makes the Mayan prediction some what credible. One is that day is winter solstice and two that day marks the day the sun and the center of the galaxy will be aligned for the first time in thousands and thousands of years. You can read more about it from people who study it on this website. http://www.adishakti.org/mayan_end_times_prophecy_12-21-2012.htm

It is an interesting story if nothing else. That is all for today though, I am going to NY this weekend on the Fung-Wah bus so wish me luck for those who get the reference.

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Chez-sta from Les-ta

The Effect of Pop Culture on Happiness

Students and recent college grads have a lot to think about, even without figuring out how to turn our interests into a career. Our brains spend all day in a state of hyper-activity - desires, cravings, longings, and random thoughts flood our consciousness. Not to mention that we're bombarded by outside stimuli like advertising, music, and conversation. No wonder we're all so scatter-brained. With all this intermixing of others' thoughts on top of our own, it's easy to feel a bit lost and misguided. What particularly bombards and overwhelms me is the multitude of messages targeted at young people ages 18-25, and what we "should" be thinking about. If you tune into MTV (which I do way too often), it won't take you long to realize that their programming tells you to seek popularity, beauty, and relationships, disregarding such values as intelligence, curiosity, and creativity. So my question is, where do our minds spend the most time at our age, and is it worth it? I'd say I spend about 35% of my day daydreaming about social stuff - friendships, dating, the hidden meanings in conversations past, and the other 65% about practical stuff - food, money, my job. Scarce are the deeper thoughts - happiness, life philosophies, and long-term dreams. I feel as if the entertainment that I surround myself with is dictating how I should act, and what I should think about.

Is MTV correct when they put forward the idea that 18-25 year-olds are inherently social beings, legitimate in our preoccupations with the networks of people around us? Are all the pop songs about love and the movies about high school so popular because they speak the truth about this 7-year period? Or is pop culture indeed selling young people short, stressing the superficial stuff and disregarding what's essential, like where we're going with our lives?

I guess that happiness, one of those terms I've just used to describe "the essential parts of life," is a combination of our social and financial and intellectual desires. We have to gauge each part of our life, and what we want out of it, and figure out a harmonious integration of the three. Gosh, that's so cheesy, but that's my temporary conclusion.