Working as an Intern at Haight Bey & Associates

Author: Kaijah Bey

Date: 10 July 2018

My name is Kaijah Bey, and while my official job title is still under review, I was recently recruited by Haight Bey and Associates to be their resident social media strategist/intern. Basically, I will be managing the majority of the company’s online presence along with completing any other task asked of me. My boss (who just so happens to also be my father), Aliahu Bey, instructed me to write a blog post centered around being an intern for Haight Bey. Initially, this seemingly straightforward assignment had me stumped. I have only been working as an intern for a few days after all; how could I write about something that I have so little experience with? Upon explaining this to Boss Dad, he told me that my concern was a perfect writing topic, especially as an introduction blog post.

 

So, allow me to introduce myself beyond than just my name. As I said, I am Kaijah Bey, the eldest child and only daughter of Aliahu Bey. Just two months ago I finally got to move my first graduation tassel from right to left in honor of finishing high school (Layton Christian Academy…go eagles!). Prior to graduation I decided to give myself a bit of a mental vacation and wait until the upcoming spring semester to begin my college education. However, I didn’t want to use my mental vacation as an excuse to simply vegetate for half a year; neither did my father. For the past couple of months my dad and I have discussed possible ways that I could get more involved in the company, but we didn’t actually get the ball rolling until I was inspired by an upcoming convention in which HB would have a booth and suggested that I be a documentarian of sorts; taking photos, videos, writing down important information, keeping track of the inevitable multitudes of business cards, etc. With a bit more discussion and strategizing, my father and I agreed that an internship would be ideal for a pre-college student.

 

Transitioning back to my blog fog, while brainstorming on how I could write about being a Haight Bey intern without more experience, I came across an article published on the Forbes website called “Five Things You Need To Know About Internships”. The article is aimed toward young adults who are about to or are interested in taking up an internship and includes five easy to digest  tips that give advice on how to attain an internship and ideals that one should uphold as an intern. As I read the article, I more clearly realized how much of a privileged leg up I have by not only being related to a business owner, but also by already being familiar with the employees as well as the work environment.

 

The first tip mentioned in the article offers some suggestions on how to more efficiently acquire an internship, the most important suggestion being through networking – using personal connections to your advantage. In my case, I obviously did not need to do much networking; however, tip number one also mentioned that one should focus on growing their “digital identity” to present their value and expertise to employers. My “digital identity” to my employer was of little importance in comparison to my academic identity, so I showcased my value and expertise by earning high marks in classes potentially relevant to being a Haight Bey intern such as english, journalism, yearbook and social studies.

 

Tip number two: use your internship to explore your career interests. My greatest motivation to work at Haight Bey is similar to what is explained in second tip of the article. The article’s author shares that he interned for both Wall Street and a significant media company and discovered that neither internship experiences intrigued him, which saved him years of working in a field that he would not have enjoyed. Similarly, many college students waste time and money pursuing multiple majors before finally finding one that is fulfilling to them. In relation to me as a pre-college student, instead of exploring career interests, I want to use this internship to explore potential degrees to pursue, in hopes that it will ultimately save me precious time and money. Perhaps I’ll earn a degree that could help me gain a position at Haight Bey as a true full time employee.

 

Third tip: your focus should be on learning, not landing a job. This is especially important to me given my age. Despite what people my age may stubbornly say, we really do not know everything. I am excited to let my time as an intern shape my perspective, knowledge and creative thinking skills. Shifting from a strict, by the books school environment that suppresses creativity (highschool) to a flexible, virtually rule free environment that requires it will be a learning curve in itself. In fact, the process of writing this blog post exemplifies that learning curve perfectly.

 

Fourth tip: the amount of passion you emit is just as valued as your resume. My father began to pay me to complete domestic work (which I continue to do every week to this day) in the Haight Bey facility when I was 15, back when the facility consisted of just two basic bays. Throughout the years I have watched two bays expand into three and the basic warehouse layout of each be transformed into a professional business setting; growth that could be metaphorically compared to the growth that I have experienced since the birth of Haight Bey. I like to think that I grew up with this company, which fuels my passion to help this company succeed in any way I can, no matter how small.


Final tip: unpaid interning can be worth it. While my work here at Haight Bey has never been unpaid, the majority of everything I earn has gone straight to a college savings account and whatever is left over goes toward filling my gas tank and other essential life expenses. My Dad Boss is generously paying me hourly for interning, however, monetary compensation is not my primary motivation to provide quality work. The Forbes article concludes by telling readers to aim to become crucial for the efficient function of the company, and based on the condition of the HB facility’s kitchen at the end of every week, I do believe I could at least be somewhat crucial as an intern.

Haight Bey & Associates