Meet me at the Back Door...

So, one thing that I've learned while being at this internship is that connections are EVERYTHING. While "what you know" is important once you get in the door, "who you know" is vital to even getting the door unlocked.

Even though I had to fight to get this internship, there are other interns here who got the position strictly based off of their parents' positions and connections. Some of them don't even want to work here!

It's crazy isn't it? Well...that's "business as usual."

While it is kind of messed up that other people who really wanted this job couldn't get somebody to unlock the door for them, but I've chosen to hate neither the playa' nor the game. As the saying goes: "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

Black people and other minorities have to work ten times as hard to keep up in the workplace. While that will probably hold true for awhile, we all need to adopt the practice of unlocking the door for each other. That's office politics and if we want to participate, we have to get political.

Who saw the premiere of this season's "Run's House?" Rev. Run's family is a prime example of what I'm talking about. Vanessa and Angela would not have been able to start their shoe line, "Pastry," without the entrepreneurial help of their dad and uncle. Russell Simmons, their uncle, gave JoJo a job working at his office. Last week, I read a magazine article about Will Smith and his family and he talked about helping his kids get roles in movies and shows through his position. While we all need to make sure that we're qualified for the jobs that we're offered, we need to take care of each other, especially in these hard economic times.

I can't wait until the day when I make it big and I can come back and help out my community. Until then, meet me at the back door and I'll do what I can to unlock it for you.