“Valuable and successful experience”

The first step in New York City and one thing is sure, is “The city that never sleeps”, with a wealth of architectural styles, from modest row houses to lightful and soaring skyscrapers. You could go around for hours until your feet went sore and still not getting enough of the beauty of this city. In general, I would use my weekends to enjoy at least the most distinguished and legendary buildings, monuments, ornate churches, or parks, which in only six months I still don’t think I have visited. Each of them was special and had a story throughout history, since the creation of the city. Just a brief look at their styles would provide a unique perspective on the city’s past, present, and future.

The beauty of the city is not just from the architectural point of view, but the working culture in NYC is unique. Its Culture is shaped by the particular people who share their experiences and history. They say, “Working in New York isn’t for everyone”, but I find it to be an exciting challenge, competitive, unlike what you would face elsewhere. Wherever you stand, succeeding in New York is made easier when you have plenty of determination.

Thanks to this opportunity from AADF, I had the chance to be part of a successful company, with a meaningful culture for employees. The most important characteristic of the company were the values that resonate among employees and engagement in the day-to-day operations of the company. An indicator of the company’s strong culture was trust and relationship-building in-between employees to align around goals and ultimately make them more committed to the company’s success.

During the week my Ideal day involved grabbing a coffee, at the corner between 40th and Broadway, meeting up with the colleges, and starting the day full of energy where we left off the other day. I really enjoy that the employer-employee relationship was relaxed and less formal. The same goes for the relationships between colleagues: different activities were organized throughout the weeks to reinforce team building. People had a sense of personal accountability because they knew why their work mattered and how critical is it, to the organization’s mission and success. This accountability leads to stronger employee alignment and engagement.

Being part of such an experience, satisfying a part of everyone’s professional puzzle, makes you feel more successful through the working path you’re walking. From a practical perspective, working in something as complex as the construction industry in NYC helped me understand how big corporation works.

©️ Eda Cela, MIP Internship Fellow, 2021