Meet Updater: Julio Gonzalez, Customer Service Intern
How did you come to intern at Updater?
After a year of not loving corporate life in the media industry and working on a couple of startups projects that didn’t take off, I looked towards what seemed like the least likely place where one could find a dreamy startup job: indeed.com.
What’s your biggest takeaway from your internship?
Startups are about learning and improving. At past internships, I got used to measuring my success by the amount of projects I completed. At Updater, I’ve had multiple long term projects, some of which I needed to start over once or twice. The processes kept changing because we kept learning better and more efficient ways to do the tasks at hand. Now, I measure my personal successes more in terms of the quality of the work I produce.
What’s your moving horror story?
My family and I once moved into the top floor of a four-story apartment building with narrow stairs and no elevator. The worst part was that our moving company sent us one guy in a car (not a moving truck), who took us on almost ten trips to bring all the boxes back and forth from the old house.
What’s been your favorite part of the internship?
Being here. No matter how difficult a project gets, working with the team keeps my morale high. The culture and work ethic here are contagious.
What’s been the most challenging part of your internship so far?
Right now, Updater is a small team trying to build an amazing product, and you see their dedication every day. Sometimes that means staying in the office late once or twice a week, which was definitely an adjustment for me when I first started out.
What’s your favorite pastime outside of work?
I like to play music. I’m working on setting enough time aside to start performing again.
How has Updater helped you improve personally and professionally?
It’s important to give and receive positive reinforcement and ask other members of your team how you can improve. I feel good about my performance here, where everyone is uplifting and encouraging, but isn’t afraid to tell you ways to improve your work.
What’s your spirit animal?
John Oliver is my spirit animal.
What are you studying in school, and why did you decide to intern at Updater?
I’m a Television Production major at Seton Hall University. At first, I planned to go into media production, but I liked startups better, after trying my hand at starting my own. I felt like my work could help solve people’s real problems, not just entertain them. So I pivoted and, instead of switching majors, repurposed all the skills I’ve been learning. The managerial processes I use to produce visual media are surprisingly similar to those used in building a startup.
Who do you admire most as a business leader?
Sir Richard Branson.
What’s one thing about the moving industry that you learned since coming to Updater?
I’ve learned that Updater is doing America a favor by making the utilities industry accessible. Now, I know utilities are not part of the moving industry, but they’re closely linked: Most people that move will need to deal with hooking up their utilities at some point. It’s an… unpleasant experience. There are very few resources out there to help people who are moving, so all the work falls on the consumer. It’s like trying to go shopping blindfolded. Updater’s working to fix that.
Where do you want to be in 10 years?
Having fun, coming up with creative ways to help people.
How has Updater helped you along that journey?
Updater taught me that creativity is valuable in the commercial world: Industries are always shaken by whacky people with new ideas. Work and play don’t have to be complete opposites if you find a source of motivation in your job and try to make the work environment fun.
Where are you from?
Originally from Manizales, Colombia. Now, I live in Newport, New Jersey.
Interested in an internship at Updater? Visit our Jobs page for more information.
More Updater Life
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