Today I am especially grateful for the forgiving and flexible schedule of a social media manager. My 12 year old dog, Izzy, recently had a stroke. She isn’t doing well, and if she does not begin to eat in a few days, we will have to put her down. Due to the fact that most of my work can be done remotely, I was able to go home and visit her today. In fact, she is sitting next to me as I type this. She’s shaky and can’t walk in much of a straight line, she is hard of hearing and legally blind, but I am happy to just be in her presence.
Why am I sharing this with you? Internships (and college in general) are a time of exploration. I can say this with confidence as someone who has spent my 4 years of undergrad across 4 cities, 2 universities, 2 gap-years (not consecutively), 2+ majors, and is now working towards a career completely unrelated to my field of study. My past experiences tend to leave me with a better understanding of what I do not like, rather than what I do, but it is helpful all the same. My time at Elliott Bay Brewing Company has taught me that I would like my future career to be a 9-5 (never thought I’d say that…) or to be completely flexible, as this internship is. I have two jobs in the evenings and weekends to pay the bills that my unpaid internship doesn’t, and it’s a drag. But, this schedule has helped me realize that I want my evenings and weekends free to go out, see friends, and practice self-care. This is an exciting revelation, that takes me one step closer to being a “real-adult!”
Speaking of my future choices: this week I spent a lot of time organizing and it was AWESOME. Organizing thousands of photos to share, edit, and post was time consuming and knit-picky, but I enjoyed every minute. (I only wished I’d had more photos so that it would have taken longer!) My mom has been telling me since I was a kid, that I should find a job that utilizes my organization skills. I have always resisted because it sounded boring, but I’m starting to think she may have been on to something. Last spring I was an intern at the Thurston County Food Bank, and some my favorite tasks were administrative as well. I think it is time to stop denying and start to listen to myself and others…
- Very briefly checking out West Seattle’s Harvest Fest. (EBBC entered the chili cook-off.)
- Sharing James’ employee spotlight. (I really liked how his photo came out.)
- Taking photos of the food and drinks at Brother Barrel that I’m really excited about!! (They aren’t up on socials yet, but they will be soon! My photography skills are definitely improving, which was one of my goals from week 1 so I am excited about that.)
- Getting creative with photo edits and marketing for Brother Barrel’s Barrel Aged Invitational which is happening on Nov. 10. (The photos can be found here.)
Next week my goal is to edit all of the photos that I have taken thus far (it’s a daunting task) and begin to analyze social report data (FINALLY), and travel to the different pubs to take photos of the November specials!