Meet Updater: James Wong, Business Intern
We sat down with our summer business intern, James, to hear what he’s learned at his internship so far, what he finds most exciting about working on the team, and what’s his favorite fast food restaurant.
What’s an average day at Updater look like?
One of the best parts of the internship program at Updater is that you’re helping to support multiple teams at once. Startups face a billion hurdles a day, so you have to be willing to lend a helping hand to whichever team needs the most support. On any given day, I work on projects to support our Tech Ops, Success, and Marketing teams. I can say with complete honesty that there’s never a dull moment.
Do you work with other interns at Updater?
I’ve been lucky to work alongside two other interns, Julio and Diane (who I consider my co-workers and my friends!).
Full disclosure: I didn’t think we’d become such good friends at first! Over the course of our internship, we grew so close because we worked on so many projects together. When I first started, Diane showed me the ropes, and I did the same for Julio when he joined.
What’s been the most exciting part of your internship?
I have several good memories that stick out, but going to our quarterly strategy meeting definitely tops the charts. You wouldn’t expect that interns would be involved in a very confidential strategy meeting, but we were all allowed to sit in (and participate!). It was really eye-opening to see how every member of the team works together to achieve Updater’s goals. I learned more in that one meeting than I have in all the business management classes I’ve ever taken (and they were all good classes!).
Fast forward 100 years. What’s the epithet on your gravestone say?
“First person to live to 141.”
What’s your biggest takeaway from your internship at Updater?
The most important lesson I learned is that working hard and communicating are key to creating a strong and successful culture. Everyone at Updater always accomplishes as much as they can in a day, but they also know how to chill and have fun. People here are actually friends with one another, which makes for such a better team dynamic.
What’s one way that you unwind?
I play the guitar and listen to music in my free time.
Anything interesting about yourself?
I’m a huge traveler. I’ve traveled to 14 countries – 12 of them in the past 2 years! I’ve traveled mostly in Eastern Europe and South East Asia. I have to say that my scariest, but most memorable, experience happened when I was in Ukraine during the Kiev Revolution. I think I gave my parents a heart attack.
What’s been the most challenging part of your internship so far?
In all honesty, writing’s never been my strong suit, so I entered into the internship wanting to improve my writing skills. Over the course of the summer, I helped write press releases and blog posts, which really challenged me to become a better writer (shout out to the marketing team for correcting all my misplaced commas!).
What’s your favorite fast food restaurant?
Does Chipotle count? Other than that, it’s on my bucket list to go to In-N-Out – I’ve heard incredible things!
What are you studying in school, and why did you decide to intern at Updater?
I’m an International Marketing major at Baruch College, and I joined Updater as a business/sales intern.
I actually met Gretchen at NY TechDay. After speaking with a few people on the hiring team, I was impressed with what Updater was trying to accomplish. Before I knew it, I was part of Updater!
If you wrote a personal memoir, what would its title be?
The Curious Case of James Wong.
What’s one thing about the moving industry that you learned since joining Updater?
First off, it’s way more complicated than you’d think! There are just so many moving parts (literally and figuratively) to the moving experience. When you move, you work with so many different professionals, from your real estate agent to your title insurance agent to your moving company, etc. The first month I was here, I was just trying to wrap my head around all of it.
Where are you from?
I’ve really been all over. I was born in Hong Kong and moved to Malaysia for a few years. I’ve spent most of my childhood in Brooklyn and haven’t moved since.
Where would the Sorting Hat place you?
Probably Slytherin.
What’s your favorite SNL skit?
The lip syncing battle with Joseph Gordon Levitt is incredible.
Interested in an internship at Updater? Visit our Jobs page for more information.
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