As graduation neared, I had no clear idea of what I wanted to do— and an endless list of what I didn’t want. I didn’t want to just work in an office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I didn’t really want to work for anyone. And I definitely didn’t want to mindlessly continue my ride on the high school-college-work train.
So, I applied to Flashstarts. At the time, I felt that the extra three months at Flashstarts in Cleveland would give me ample time to figure out what I wanted to do. After a few weeks, I found I was dead wrong.
Flashstarts is a progressive workspace. It has flexible hours, a lax dress code, and no hierarchical structure that you often see as an intern. Not having a hierarchical structure seems nice, but it’s a double edged sword. There’s no one to hold your hand, but the expectations are just the same (if not greater.) So, you find yourself excavating the depths of Google trying to familiarize yourself with the world of entrepreneurship and the standards of how things are done. And after a while you find out that the answers to most of your questions are “it depends.”
“It depends” basically summarizes the start-up scene, as it should. Start-ups don’t have set standards or processes because they are new. So, to future interns, don’t waste your time looking up the norm, status quo, etc. Everyone at Flashstarts is here because they want to go against the grain. Overall, it’s a great learning experience.
Position: Finance
School: Case Western Reserve University, Class of 2014
