So, recently I wrote an article on moving to New York from Sydney, Australia.
Eight months ago I moved to New York, just finished high school and was excited for a new life overseas. I had eight months or so off from the time I arrived in New York. For the most part, the eight months at the time felt like a lifetime but looking back I could have utilized my time more efficiently.
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I slept like a sloth for those eight months, not kidding. Most of my day was filled with either eating or sleeping. It was boring at times, as I had nothing to do, but looking back I should have made something for myself to do. I played the occasional sport at central park, but not on a regular basis. I went shopping did the whole tourist thing, visited all the hotspots, but I still felt like I needed to do something.
I'm about 4 months in feeling like I needed a purpose or a job for instance. But I can't legally get a job because of my visa. So I asked my dad for advice and he said what about an internship. I thought you know that could work. So my dad organized through his work an internship. It was great I worked for a month at some of the leading advertising agencies in the New York. For the first two weeks, I worked at Initiative and for the last two weeks at Universal McCann. Which are both owned by IPG Mediabrands.
Whilst I was at my internship, I worked with small teams that helped me understand clients needs, wants and goals, and how they advertiser achieves it, along with many other things. This experience really helped me gain perspective into the field I wanted to get into after going to college. Yes, I was fortunate to have someone to get me an internship and I will be forever grateful.
Advice, for anyone that's in a similar situation that I was in. It helps to do everything you possibly can to stay active and keep your brain functioning at normal capacity and not become a sloth like I did. Additionally, I would recommend finding a job or applying for an internship is a great thing to do as it would keep you busy and on your toes. It certainly helped me find my place whilst discovering myself in a new city.
