4 posts tagged “work”

All this hype about Sean Avery and his "internship" at Vogue has seriously made me wonder what a real intern does.

You know, the fresh-out-of-college (or perhaps still in college) twenty-somethings dying to become the next Anna Wintour, or the Devil Wears Prada gal, who would do anything just to have a taste of the high-fashion magazine world. Even if that taste means running around New York City (or in my case London) dropping off clothes, running silly errands, and getting coffee. I've been a fashion intern. In PR. It's not all glamorous like shows such as The Hills make it seem. Or as fabulous and involved as Sean Avery's diary explains:

I jumped right in. First up was a creative meeting attended by the magazine's senior staff, which gave me a broad look at upcoming shoots, potential covers, and which writers, editors, and photographers were covering which stories.

You're kidding, me. Senior staff? Meetings? Actual insight? Assistants, let alone interns, hardly get this privilege. Plus, he is a guest editor for Men's Vogue. Okay. I get it. He's a famous hockey player. Professional. In his late twenties. But a blurb in New York Magazine mentions,

To be afforded such responsibility can only mean he's doing a truly stupendous job as an intern.

I seriously doubt that him being awarded such luxuries as an intern, so unlike other Vogue interns, means he's doing a "stupendous job." Frankly, I think it means he's just "well-connected" and is good press for the magazine and its internship program (especially after Devil Wears Prada, the book and the movie, that divulged...well sort of...the harsh reality behind high-fashion glossies).

Truly, why should he have an up on all the other fashionistas dying to have the job, too, who have the same credentials he's claiming -- a sincere interest in fashion and clothes -- if not more qualified ones, like an education in the subject (and professional writing experience). Everyone who loves fashion, it seems, wants to work at Vogue, because like many people say, it's the "bible of fashion." And who doesn't want to say they've worked on the Bible? The industry has a glamorous, party-life facade, but what's underneath it all is overworked young people in a drama-central atmosphere. I want to know: is it worth it?

Finally, New York Magazine broke the ice and spoke to some real Vogue interns, who essentially revealed that all Sean Avery is getting is special treatment. He got his own desk (and assignments!) when all they got was a cramped, shared space, a list of unrealistic requests and insane amounts grunt work -- expected to be performed in stilettos.

Who are we supposed to believe?

If you have any stories about your personal experience in the industry, speak up! Let's hear 'em.

As it turns out, today is Take Your Dog To Work Day. Officially. Nationally. No, I'm not kidding. For about three minutes last night, I contemplated bringing Zoe (see below), my cat, since, well, I don't have a dog. But after her traumatizing road trip to Pine Mountain Lake recently (i.e. getting car sick, and later, having a rendez-vous with another cat), I wasn't so sure how she'd hold up on transbay public transportation and in my office without a window, and thus, without a window sill on which to perch.

But to my surprise, I was not completely thwarted, and for about five minutes indulged in the joy of having an animal at work. A lovely lady in our office brought her 9-week-old Boston Terrier, Hector, for a short while. I don't actually think she knew it was TYDTWD, but that's not the point. I'm not a dog person, but LOOK HOW CUTE. I want one.

After reading this article in Dame Magazine about the entitled generation (my generation), I found myself annoyed, and admittedly, a bit defensive. And perhaps a bit guilty for having such high expectations of the "real world."

As a twenty-something one year out of college, and one year into my first "real world" job, I am still always trying to gain that extra tidbit of experience. I accept tedious proofreading assignments with a smile, because I know that I need to prove myself worthy of the little stuff before being trusted with the more thought-stimulating projects. And while I can't say I'm happy in my current position, or that I've even learned much beyond how to deal with office politics, I can say that I am lucky to have been offered my position in the first place during a time when a) the economy's not so hot and b) some of my other classmates were still scrounging around for work - or in some cases, because there were no other options, unpaid internships meant for those still in college.

I feel like while the younger generation may have different perspectives about the work place than, say, our parents, and while some of us do indeed act (maybe overly so) like it, we can't all be clumped into one category of being entitled.

"Younger women arrive at a new office pumped up on Suze Orman and you-go-girl self-empowerment, and are quickly deflated by the necessary drudgery of copying and collating. Older women, who have paid their dues dealing with sexism and grunt work for decades, are chagrined that younger women assume they can just show up and take over. Commence an intergenerational clash."

Hmmm. Okay. I can see that. But my big issue with this whole "intergenerational clash" is that the seasoned professionals are unwilling to move along and change with the times, including crucial know-how in a technologically advanced age (managers who don't know how to use Excel? Yup - heard of 'em). We are already engaged in a generation where men and women are (or should be) treated equally in the workplace. And while, yes, we're still working on perfecting it (statistics show that for every dollar a man makes a woman makes only 3/4 of it), allowing our managers and executives to treat us (younger women) like they were treated does not help anyone. In fact, I'd say it moves us, as a soceity, backward.

As a 43-year-old founder of a financial blog for women boldly mentions,

'I’m glad they have confidence, but boy do I wish they also had the savvy to realize that they can be pretty offensive to the veterans when they clearly don’t expect to play by the rules.'

Wait - what rules? ...that younger women should expect to be treated poorly just like how some older women were when they were our age? You must be kidding.

I know that we have to start at the bottom and work our way up. But why is it that our eagerness to learn, so that we can make those moves, is being shunned? I would hope it's appreciated. "Dear Manager, I'd love it if you gave me something-anything!-to help me learn so I can become a better, more profitable employee to you." ...Where's the harm in that? There's also a fresh batch of college graduates every quarter waiting to apply to those bottom-of-the-barrel, coffee-fetching, copy-making jobs. So why not move everyone through the line?

It's 2008. I most definitely expect to work my ass off to move to next levels and to be successful. And I will. And I'll even wear a broad smile and designer jeans while doing so. But I have some expectations, too, and refuse to let someone utterly take advantage me. You take on internships for a reason - to me that's your stepping stone. Your first glimpse into the "real world." But now, I have my degree, so yes, my expectations have risen. There's no way you can get me to consent to putting up with sexist, well-I-had-to-so-you-have-to bullshit from executives who grew up in a completely different generation. We must keep up with societal changes (We all use e-mail now, and feel naked without our cell phones...right?), including those changes that imply that certain young people are graduating from college smarter than generations before, and that they are probably smarter than a lot of people already in the workforce. 

To the men of the San Francisco Bay Area, and other places where it's unseasonably warm right now:

Even if your HR department relinquishes the office dress code in an effort to appease employees dying of heat and allows the wearing of shorts, please do not take this is not an invitation to wear denim shorts. Under no circumstances should you even own such garments. They do not communicate professionalism, nor do they communicate a sense of style.

Their significant lack of both should promptly encourage you to purchase and wear a better alternative: chino shorts.
 

Available in a variety of colors from just about any apparel retailer, chino shorts are not only more attractive, but in hot weather are much more comfortable. They are lighter weight, fabricated in more technically advanced materials, tend to fit properly (unlike most denim shorts which are usually either too large & baggy or too tight & short), and communicate class.

Please make note of this for future outfit decisions. Thank you.