What is Mailman? I had the same question when I first heard about Mailman Group.
During our first week all of the interns met with Andrew (the big boss) he told us what Mailman does:
“We make China love you”. I was relieved to find out that I would not be delivering mail all summer outside in the Shanghai heat.
For me, this internship was about people. While I did get to develop practical skills in marketing and content creation, what I gained through my interactions with my co-workers was much more valuable to me. On the first day, we were greeted by the sunny and outgoing Iris, who literally introduced us to every single person in the office with extreme enthusiasm.
I was so amazed by the company culture at Mailman. Words really do not do it justice. Just imagine a place where people from all over the world collaborate, celebrate sports, and dominate Chinese social media, all while having a great time at work. Here are some of the things that I have learned over the past two months as an intern:
Just Go For It
Right from the get-go, I was given real tasks that involved critical thinking and decision making, as opposed to busywork. As an intern, I wasn’t expecting to have the responsibility of creating and publishing my own content without the revision of my co-workers. At first it was hard for me to trust my own judgment and go with my gut, but by the end of the summer I felt like an expert in coming up with new ideas for the KAWO and Loop blogs.
Creating a Digital Platform is Way Harder Than You Would Think
After working with KAWO I have a newfound appreciation for what goes into making a digital platform. Each feature, from content tagging to notifications, takes weeks of development and testing. For the size of the teams developers really get an impressive amount of features in their platform. I was lucky enough to be able to use the KAWO app and give feedback and suggestions.
Collaboration is a Magical Thing
Before I joined the Loop Team, I honestly had never heard of a co-working space. (This might have to do with the fact that I live in the middle of a cornfield in Ohio). Nor did I realize the extent to which people are willing to quit their jobs and following their passions instead.
Work Can Be Fun- and It Should Be
“I wish I was at work right now” are words that I never thought would come out of my mouth. The two months that I have been at Mailman working, laughing, and playing ping pong have flown by. I am extremely grateful for my mentors, Dave Patnaik and Alex Duncan for showing me the ropes. My time in Shanghai was well spent – and I will be back.
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