My Experience at Benzinga

My mother boarded her plane from New York, and was ready to fall asleep on the two-hour flight home. When she sat down at her seat, she saw a young guy next to her. They started talking and the young guy told her about his company, Benzinga. They talked the entire two-hour flight, as she was very impressed with how he described his company. She took his card and came home to tell my family about it. I immediately researched the company and thought it was a very interesting idea. A few weeks later, I was searching for something to do during the summer. In my last few summers, I have gone to summer camp in Algonquin Park, Ontario, lived in a small coastal town in the south of Spain, and worked in the Intensive Care Unit for heart and lung patients at Beaumont Hospital. This summer, however, I wanted to be at home and do something that would be interesting and teach me about business. I start college next week, and I still do not know what I want to study. I come from a family full of doctors, but decided some time ago I wanted to explore my own interests. Business is certainly a possibility, so I needed a job that would introduce me to this potential career. I saw Jason's card sitting on my kitchen counter and knew that Benzinga was the perfect place. I walked into the office for my interview and was somewhat shocked at what I saw. I was dressed in a shirt and tie, while everyone else was dressed very casually. I was also stunned by how small and close the office was. Little did I know these two shockers became two of my favorite things about working at Benzinga, and every time somebody new came in for an interview I loved seeing the expression of shock on their face. After my interview, they told me I could start on Monday and come in a few days a week. Before I came in on Monday, I was debating whether or not to dress casually like everyone else in the office. I did not want to be the guy all dressed up, but I also did not want to be the guy who comes to work very casual on his first day. I ultimately decided to go casual, and right when I walked into the office Jason says, “Wow, Connor, coming to work in a t-shirt on your first day.” I realized I chose wrong. Anyhow, I began to meet everyone in the office and saw how fun and nice everyone was. I think I began noticing this when John Thorpe told me the gum on his desk was for anyone whenever they wanted a piece. I felt comfortable and relaxed after the first 20 minutes meeting everyone. I started off working with Kyle, who really showed me the Benzinga way. He was fun, nice, but most importantly committed to getting his work done perfectly. I loved working with him everyday, as he made even the dullest tasks enjoyable. He reads the news everyday at lunch and told me that it was a good time to do something you enjoy. I began my own tradition of always going on to Benzinga and reading the top articles of the day. “One writer's articles began to really interest me,” said the writer of this blog. “I would read John Thorpe's political pieces daily and laughed out loud when he quoted himself in an article.” Yeah, sorry John I had to do it. I began working with other people in the office such as Aaron, Andy, the radio guys, Sarah, and Hilary. Aaron is the engine that keeps everything moving at Benzinga, and is always making sure the job gets done right. Andy is the tech guy, who takes care of most things nobody else in the company can. The radio guys are a better combination than Tom Brady and Randy Moss in 2008. Sarah knows how to make people very uncomfortable during an interview; she knows what I am talking about. And Hilary, I always enjoyed talking to you and hearing about your guy trouble. Don't worry, my lips are sealed. I also remember when you told me the long story on how you started working at Benzinga and asked a few other people in the office their story. Well, I am glad that in this blog I got to share my story with all of you. Jason, thank you for an amazing summer that I will always remember. Benzinga is an up and coming company and I know you see its enormous potential as much as I do. You have created a very special and unique working environment that anyone would love to be a part of. I hope you have great success in the future and I would love to work with Benzinga down the road. By the way, as your company grows and your office space gets larger, I think a bigger gong is in order. -Connor Sakwa