Hi!  I’m Isaiah, an intern at Dynamy. I’m from Arlington, Virginia, and I just graduated from high school this year.  I work as an intern for 141 Creative, a digital marketing firm.  Instead of going to college for the 2020 year, I decided to take a gap year instead, and so far I think I have made the right choice. 

There are several reasons why I wanted to take a gap year.  Obviously, the COVID Pandemic is a huge part in why attending college became a much more unattractive option. Besides online learning being a real pain to deal with, missing out on the standard college experience would be a real bummer.  It wouldn’t feel like college, but just more high school, working from my room.  I could have looked for a job, but I really did want to continue learning and wanted more preparation for the real world.  This is why a gap year program was a great alternative for me.  It allows me to get real world experience in a college-like environment, without feeling monotonous.

Downsides for going straight to college:

·        Online learning feels less important and can lead to motivation issues

·        Missing out on college experience

·        Can’t gain more experience in the workforce

·        A lot of responsibility, with no real failsafe

·        Rigorous academic work

Upsides for doing a gap year:

·        Independent apartment living, similar to what actual college is like

·        More preparation for college, and for real work

·        Internships opportunities

·        Resume building

·        Higher chance of succeeding in college

I personally felt that I wasn’t prepared for going immediately to college after graduating because I often had issues with motivation for schoolwork and executive functioning.  By coming to Dyanmy, I have been able to work on these problems in a realistic, but light-stress environment.  I definitely think that coming here will be a net benefit to becoming a functional member of society, as I will be able to learn how to survive on my own without worrying too much that I will fail, because Dynamy ensures that should the worst happen, nothing too harmful will come from it.  This makes it a lot easier to practice actual responsibilities, because I am not overly worried about failing.  Dynamy has really helped me ease into adult life, both in personal living and in monetary matters.  Most colleges would not be able to provide this kind of service, and I would be left to figure these things out on my own.

I have really enjoyed my time here at Dynamy.  Not only are the staff of this internship program incredibly helpful and friendly, but they know when to crack down on bad behavior.  This helps enforce good habits and ensures that everyone is actively improving their abilities to be responsible and take care of themselves with minimal interference.  This program is definitely experienced in helping their interns develop as people and as students, and I am glad that I have decided to join this program. 

For my work internship, I got a position at 141 Creative, which is a company that designs websites for companies. Since arriving, I have been able to learn practical website development skills and have gained a lot of experience in a few short weeks.  I love being able to create and modify websites and working on actual client work is an extremely important part of preparing myself for the real world.  I really appreciate how Dynamy is able to connect interns with relevant, beneficial organizations that can juggle teaching interns and giving them proper opportunities to show off their skills.