A NEW WAY OF WORKING

A week before going back to school, there was news of an outbreak of a deadly virus which is now known throughout the world as one of the worst pandemics we have faced, COVID-19. A virus that made human contact a threat, and being a Gen Z, any situation that forces me to stay locked up at home all day was just unwanted. I was unable to go outside and I also needed to continue learning without placing myself in harm’s way. My best option was to gain those relevant skills I needed “online”.  I could have stuck to online courses but solving real-world problems need real-world experiences. A close friend advised that I applied for an internship at a remote company. I got this opportunity with AMS Digital Solutions, an agency that thrives online with services that ranges across Website development, Social Media Marketing, Bulk SMS, amongst other web-based services. Being a graphic design student this opportunity was right up my alley. After a Zoom interview, I was part of the team and I hit the ground running. My first task was to design a solution using an application I had on the bucket list of things to learn but kept making up excuses not to. Challenge accepted! Having access to all my new remote co-workers, their assistance helped me overcome my first real-life work challenge. It has been 4 months since I started and I have gone ahead to learn more than I have ever done on my own. We communicate, assign tasks, share files and have weekly meetings, all without leaving our homes. This saves money and my parents’ health from stressing over my safety. We have periodical hangouts that bring us together and strengthen our bond as a team where we discuss the way forward and of course, the food is usually one of the best parts (if not the best, I didn’t say that). The challenge with working online is being able to actually do the work. But open communication and transparency helped me hit my targets. The struggle to be productive is real. I knew that laziness and procrastination would be my downfall in a society where so much information is accessible. After reading several Medium articles and watching Youtube videos on how to increase productivity, I affirm that time management is the key to success. Also, I have realised that having an accountability partner to help you stay on track in your working environment goes a long way in making the work-life journey efficient and effective. On this note, a big cheers to my accountability partner and buddy (whom I was introduced to during my orientation) for being a good work-friend in the past 4months. In hindsight, I can confidently say that working for AMS Digital Solutions and on myself in this new virtual office environment has been a genuine and empowering experience. My progress in these four months can be attributed to workplace mentorship and proactivity. Now I can fully take part in the new normal; an online world where everything is available. I know with a bit more push, I can achieve anything. Cosmos – 2020 Intern