Today I visited the Purdue University campus and was reminded of the value of my 2 years of experience at BitWise Fellows.  Next year, I am looking to attend Purdue, major in economics, and gain a better overall understanding of the business world.  I'm not sure what the future holds....possibly an MBA or even starting my own business.  One thing I do know is the real-world experience I have gained in my leadership at Fellows has given me a head start on many other first-year college students.  Any internships I might take on during college will seem less intimidating because of the time I have already spent working in the business world.  I am very excited to carry my experience at Fellows over into my study of economics in college.  

So what does it take for a group of high school students to run a small business?  It takes time, responsibility, and creativity.

Remember we’re high school students, so time management is a huge lesson that a Fellow learns during the course of his/her employment.  Juggling school, Fellows, and the rest of life is difficult and most importantly, takes responsibility.  It’s quite a reality check to be finished with homework, then have to move on to work when all you want to do is curl up on a couch and watch Youtube. After school, work is the next priority.  Real clients are waiting for their projects to be completed, so putting off work is not an option. 

Fantastic

Excellent

Laudable

Lovable

Overwhelming

Web design!

Yep, you guessed it—the Fellows are a very unique and creative company!  Think about it: How many businesses do you know of that are run responsibly and effectively by a group of high school students?  The Fellows strive to utilize this distinct quality in every aspect of our business, from youthful designs to creative marketing.  Being a Fellow is not easy, but it certainly is worthwhile.

And hey, who wouldn’t want a job where you can think up awesome acronyms to put in your company post?

Happy New Year!

The beginning of the New Year means a lot to all of us here at the Fellows.  Josh C. is looking for a candidate to take his place when he graduates later this year.  I (Michael) look to take on more responsibility of our finances from BitWise Solutions, our parent company, and streamline client experiences.  I also will be training my replacement (Josh M.) as I will be graduating this year as well.  As expected the entire team here will look to learn from their experiences while growing business.

Sadly, this year we will no longer have the mentorship of Julie Hunter, previous Manager of Client Experiences at BitWise Solutions.   She is looking for a new job challenge and we will really miss her.  We will probably have a “Goodbye to Julie” post here soon.

This year will be a busy and productive year for us all.  This week we had a reunion with all of the guys who had already graduated from the Fellows.  We all went bowling yesterday, and it was a great way to catch up with the guys now that they have a first semester of college under their belts!