Wow.. Where did the time go? It’s coming up to 8 weeks since I began my co-op here at bWEST Interactive and I can’t believe it’s all coming to an end so soon. It really does seem like yesterday that I was writing out my incoming blog post to introduce myself!

I’m so grateful for everything that I’ve been able to get from this co-op. Prior to my brief time here at bWEST, I had been a lifelong worker in the food service industry, with little experience elsewhere. Reaching the end of my degree and student life, I was growing weary of the all-too-real fact that I may graduate without any real-life business experience. Luckily, however, I was able to gain the trust of Chris during the interview process and well, now here I am.

The transition from personal social media use to professional came as an initial speed bump. This I had foreseen as being a potential challenge, but it became more and more natural as time went on. One of my main takeaways from the job thus far has been my newfound ability to put on a variety of masks while approaching the same platform. What I mean by this is that beforehand, I was only viewing Facebook as a means to communicate with friends or share experiences with anyone who might be interested. As stated in my initial blog post, I had previously been conscious of the business potential that lied within these social networks, but never got a first-hand look into what that really was. By dealing with a variety of clients, many of whom are in drastically different industries, I was required to look at Facebook, Twitter, etc. through multiple different lenses and consider different strategies for different businesses.

I have also had the benefit of working with some excellent people through Social Media Camp. In a rather unlikely event, the event planner that Chris set me up to do work with turned out to be a friend of mine for years past. Needless to say, things have been working out quite smoothly with regards to that situation. Working with Social Media Camp has given me an opportunity to dabble into WordPress and extend my skillset into yet another area that I had no previous experience with. By receiving a balanced set of tasks through bWEST Interactive and Social Media Camp, I have been given the luxury of variety. For the most part, no two workdays have been the same and for someone like me who loves new challenges, I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

I want to thank Chris Burdge for believing in me from the beginning. Chris gave me the responsibility of handling my own tasks, and trusted my judgment and work ethic from the get-go. This was a major confidence booster for me, and gave me added motivation to deliver. Now that I have had an opportunity to work in a position that doesn’t require clocking in and out at the office, it might be tough to go back to the norm. Being able to make your own hours and work from wherever is most convenient for you.. I don’t think it can get any better than that.

And lastly, I’d like to give a BIG ginger thanks to everyone who has helped me along the way and made my experience that much better. Remember that if you keep your head up and remain positive, good things are bound to come your way. Until next time, Cheers.

Matt Leonhardt