Last summer, I worked two months at Arcurve as a standard full-time intern. This year, after graduating high school early, I have been working on an hourly basis until May when I came on full-time.

My main concern with graduating early was that I would feel disconnected from my peers. Working full-time, I wouldn’t be able to participate in school break activities or call in to after-school clubs that start at 3 pm. That’s why I went out on a limb and requested to work on an hourly basis until July. To my surprise, Arcurve approved it and amended my employment agreement accordingly.

The benefits of working hourly while I finished up some high school things have been great. I’ve been able to request full days off for personal and project time, end work early for a club meeting without having to catch up later, and take half days off during spring break for projects and other activities with friends. I still mostly work during regular hours, attend my daily meetings, and have in-office days with the other interns.

Of course, full-time work also has its own advantages which is why I chose to switch to full-time this month.  When work is slow, I can work on personal development by learning a new technology (which is usually not billable on an hourly basis). I will also accrue vacation days and would be getting more benefits if I was working for longer.

Another form of work flexibility that I have been able to experience is location flexibility. Having spent half of my high school time online due to COVID shutdowns and choosing online school for Grade 11, remote work is certainly not foreign to me, and I find myself wanting the best of both the virtual and in-person worlds. Most of my work at Arcurve is done from home, mainly because of the pandemic and office construction. I have chosen to go into the office about once a week and stay home the rest of the time to save time on commuting. Because Arcurve has a flexible work environment, I can choose to do the same after restrictions are lifted (and many employees and interns work fully remote from other locations!).  

Work flexibility has eased my transition from school to work, as well as enabled me to stay much closer with my school peers than I thought possible. It’s definitely one of the most important aspects of company culture! Hopefully, transitioning back to a school environment in the fall will be an equally good experience 😊.

If you want follow the 2022 Interns at Arcurve, keep an eye on our student feed.