Fellow Interns Reflect on their Experiences

The Boss Perspective

The month of August brings to a close most summer internships, and thus provides a great opportunity for reflection. For example, did your internship provide the experience you had anticipated? Regardless of the quality of the experience, were you able to learn something helpful for your professional development?   Were you able to make a positive contribution to the organization that hired you? Did you build relationships and expand your network? The answers to these questions may help you make better choices for your next internship or your first full-time position. I firmly believe the quality of your internship begins in your head—that is, your internship is largely what you make of it. I hope you made the best of your summer 2015 internship, almost regardless of the circumstances.

What about the company or organization you joined for the summer—did your work as an intern meet or exceed their expectations? Were you able to fit into their culture by learning the way things were done there? Are you leaving with people thinking highly of you, your work, and work ethic? Is anyone there willing to give you a strong, positive letter of recommendation? Internships are meant to be mutually beneficial for both you and the company and essentially launch your professional career. They are a proving ground of sorts: can this person fit in and do a good job? How would your manager during your internship answer that question about you? Did you fit in and do a good job? If your internship this summer was less than successful, use these questions to plan for a much better experience next year, or in your first year of full-time employment. Remember, your goal is to maintain a strong, positive reputation.

The Intern Perspective

Most people, myself included, go into an internship with a vague idea what the job will be like, but no clear picture of what the overall experience will be. You know who your supervisor will be, but have no way to imagine the connections or guidance she will provide over the weeks to come. When first beginning a work project, it’s hard to anticipate the new skills that will be developed or the praise you might ultimately receive. In short, many of the benefits and learnings from an internship can be… unexpected.

With that in mind, we’d like to share the surprise discoveries of ten interns whose summer experiences ultimately, and unexpectedly, influenced their career paths.

10 Unexpected Summer Internship Discoveries

1. Pushing Boundaries

 

 

 

 

 

I would say that as an introvert, it’s often difficult to distinguish yourself at work, but I’ve found that even putting yourself out there a little bit (volunteering for a project, getting to know your coworkers) can help a lot.

 

2. Switching gears

 

 

 

 

 

I learned that I liked software engineering even though I started my college career as a bio major. Now I know it’s what I want to pursue full time.

 

3. The Limits of Caffeine

 

 

 

 

 

Unlimited coffee does not necessarily make you productive 😉

 

4. Confident Choices

 

 

 

 

 

I am a Biology major, but I was previously only interested in medicine. So my plant and animal science classes weren’t very interesting to me. This summer, working at the arboretum has taught me the real beauty of nature. I am outside all day, teaching children the same thing. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to work here this summer. Without this experience, I wouldn’t have been so confident with my new career choice of environmental law.

 

5. Peace and Quiet

 

 

 

 

 

I learned that I don’t mind working at a desk by myself. I always thought that this might be boring for me, but I actually found that I prefer to be able to sit down at my desk and work hard to get my work done. I also enjoyed the quiet work environment at my internship, which was also unexpected.

 

6. Phone Skills

 

 

 

 

 

Talking on the phone is a serious skill when dealing with clients. It may seem like a simple thing that anyone can do, but to hold a conversation or manage the expectations of a client over the phone when a boss or another party is busy or unavailable is an important skill to develop.

 

7. Taking Necessary Risks

 

 

 

 

 

I had a very eye-opening introduction to the corporate world. I loved working with an agency and seeing different facets of branding. What surprised me was the realization that I was uncomfortable taking risks. I always thought of myself as self-motivated and creative – which I am – but when my boss expected me to brainstorm aloud, sans research or a handy PowerPoint to polish my ideas, I had a hard time. Realizing this while I was still at my internship made me push myself to be more vocal with my ideas, even if they are still in their raw form!

 

8. Consider the Positive and the Negative

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes through talking to people in the field you are interested in, you find out the ups and downs. These perspectives help in deciding where you would like to be in the future.

 

9. Working Together

 

 

 

 

 

This summer I worked on a group project with six other interns in my department. Two of the interns were in the same office while the other four were in a remote location. As a business major, I’m used to working on extensive group projects. However, this was a bit more challenging than past group work. I had to really prioritize projects from my manager in addition to getting my work done for this long-term project. Working with a remote team was difficult at times, but overall strengthened my communication and teamwork skills.

 

10. Details, Details

 

 

 

 

 

As a result of my internship, I have become more observant and more analytical because paying attention to details is an essential part of my role. I also have learned that I am good at adapting to new tasks and learning things quickly as my job requires me to use new computer and database tools that I had no knowledge of prior to my internship.

 

 And what did I learn? After exposure to a number of different positions in the legal profession, I learned that a lot of the jobs I thought would be “too challenging” for me are actually not so far from reach. I thought I was too timid to be a prosecutor; too shy to adequately defend someone in court; and too wishy-washy to be in any political or elected position. But that’s not true. There are all types of personalities who do the same job, as long as they love what they do and bring knowledge, expertise, and passion to work each day – shy or not.

 

An internship provides an incredible learning opportunity to discover more about yourself, the work you like to do, and your career field – just don’t forget to take the time to reflect on it all.

Thank you to all the interns who participated and shared their stories!

APW and NW

Your Success is Our Success