The Armchair Economist’s Apprenticeship is a weekly series documenting my progress throughout my journey in the apprenticeship module of the Praxis program. I’m currently a market research analyst apprentice for a non-profit (my position is subject to change depending on the needs of my employer). At the request of my boss, I’ll be keeping the details of my employer under wraps for the time being.
Week 14: August 3, 2020 – August 7, 2020
What I’m Learning:
One cool thing I learned at work last week:
The best way to promote a new nonprofit is to dip into your network and reach out to individuals, that have at least a few thousand followers, and have them tweet about your organization.
It’s a free and efficient way to advertise and you know you can trust the individuals to not sabotage your organization before it gets off the ground (cancel culture is all too prevalent, unfortunately).
Basically, the underlying principle here is use your audience to build audience. Find the micro-influencers within your network that you know are passionate about the industry you’re in, then create a social media posts kit along with directions on which keywords to say, and send it over to them in a Dropbox or Drive folder. Also, schedule how often they should post.
One cool thing I learned outside of work last week:
A friend of mine is a security guard for NASA at Cape Canaveral, Florida and he has federal power to arrest people but only on NASA property.
However, that’s not the most interesting fact I learned last week. According to my friend who relayed this info to me from other NASA security guards, the decommissioned Launch Complex 34 is haunted by the ghosts of Apollo 1 astronauts. Visitors and security guards have reported hearing bone-chilling screams and an ominous sense of fear.
Apollo 1 was supposed to be the first crewed mission to the moon but in January 27, 1967 a disastrous rehearsal test never launched astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White, and Roger Chaffee off the ground.
This photo of the three astronauts was taken in 1966 about half a year before their rehearsal test. The men sent this photo to their manager, Joseph Shea, as a lighthearted way to raise concerns about their spacecraft. But sadly, the astronauts’ concerns and the inability to make changes would be ignored by the pride of their superiors meeting deadlines and the endless bureaucracy within NASA.
It eerily foreshadowed their worst fears about the Apollo 1 capsule; it was full of highly flammable materials such as velcro, nylon netting, and pure oxygen, all of which were factors in the deadly fire that claimed their lives.
The fire was likely caused by faulty wiring or plumbing that sparked a flame which was quickly exacerbated by the pure oxygen pumped into the astronauts’ suits. It happened all too quickly, preventing the ground crew from saving them in time.
Today, a memorial stands where the disaster took place and you can tour the Apollo 1 launchpad and pay your respects at Kennedy Space Center.
What I’m Creating:
One example of how I created value at work last week:
I took the initiative and invited my coworker onto a Zoom call with me to discuss a marketing plan. It turns out he only specializes in paid ads and graphic design for social media but has a knowledge gap in making social media work. This is where I’ll step in and take over. Additionally, I’m creating a marketing plan using the OGSM process.
What project I’m currently working on at my BP:
I’m working on a marketing plan and finishing the first stage of the plan before we launch our new nonprofit in less than three months.
What I’m doing to become a better version of myself overall:
I’m not as shy in reaching out to contacts within my network for help.