The Aloha Connects Innovation (ACI) program is well underway at Bizgenics, and its benefits to businesses and individuals are becoming more and more apparent. As one of the Participants, I’ve finished the second full week of my Digital Marketer internship. And I’m already seeing my skills develop and my confidence grow in this new career field.
Adapting to a Remote Career
The second week of my ACI Digital Marketer internship with Bizgenics did present some challenges. Before COVID-19, I had never worked remotely full-time. Every previous job involved some degree of in-person interaction. Now I’m joining the ever-growing group of people adjusting to a digital work life, and there’s a learning curve.
As I navigate this new way of working, I see that there’s wisdom in creating a balanced routine. Just like any other job, I create a schedule for myself and strive for consistency where I can. It often looks like waking up early, creating a separate work space, and unplugging before I go to bed. There’s no “typical day” in marketing, and things can quickly pivot, so it’s important for me to be flexible and focus on how it all fits together.
Diving into New Projects
I’m balancing a few different tasks, and it’s exciting to see the ways that each of them bring together my interests and skills. I used to see my non-linear career path as an obstacle. But now my confidence is growing, and it’s becoming clear that my past experiences have prepared me for what I’m doing now.
My individual projects mainly include blog strategy and content writing. In addition to creating this series of ACI-related blog posts, I’m also hard at work developing a blog editorial calendar for all of the Bizgenics programs. BizzyB, our online invention and entrepreneurial learning platform, is one of my priorities. The Curriculum Team has some interesting projects in the works–transferring the SEO Literacy Curriculum to BizzyB and building a financial literacy program, to name a few. And my job is to get the word out, engage people in the Bizgenics vision, and get them excited about investing in our programs and becoming a part of our story.
We also have a Marketing Team group project: develop a social media strategy. Last week I had a meeting with Cara and Jillian, the other two other ACI Digital Marketer interns, to start discussing some of our ideas. I enjoy individual work, but I also really like the interactive and collaborative aspects of group projects. We all contribute strengths and ideas, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we create together.
Combining strategy and creativity isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s a great balance for me. And It’s exciting to be supporting the growth of such valuable creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship programs.
Finding the Silver Lining
Some days I still can’t believe that I’ve been given the opportunity to be an ACI Participant and get such valuable career experience. COVID-19 shook up our lives, but it also made way for a lot of reflection and redirection. That’s a theme that I’ve heard repeated over and over as I’ve gotten to know more of our ACI interns at Bizgenics. Where certain opportunities disappeared, new ones are now being created.
We’re all transitioning as our Hawaiʻi economy shifts and recovers. It isn’t always clear or straightforward, but we’re moving in the right direction together. Being a part of ACI reminds me of that.
I’m eager to share more of my ACI journey with you. You can learn more about my introduction to the ACI program in last week’s ACI Intern Blog or follow along as I continue into my third, fourth, and fifth week.