So you’re a summer intern. Instead of spending your June and July days frolicking on the sands of pristine beaches, nursing daiquiris, and snapping photos to instantly add to your Facebook mobile uploads, you find yourself indoors. Trapped. Perhaps in a room with no windows. Yes, you are pursuing one of your summer goals– to advance your career and get your feet wet in an industry that inspires and excites you. But, if you are anything like me, you are neglecting another one of your summer goals – to morph your skin color from a ghastly shade of alabaster (solidified by nine months of the year in a seemingly sunless Cambridge) to a more bronzed, well, shade of crème.
While you recognize that, in theory, you are doing something great for yourself, you may find yourself overcome by a sense of dissatisfaction and frustration. What am I doing here? Am I even really contributing? While some of us are lucky enough to truly get involved in our company’s work, others of us are stuck making photocopies, sending emails, and filing papers. While I have had the opportunity to actually contribute to my boss’ work, I still occasionally find myself dissatisfied. Like when I’m asked by a film producer to pick up a vanilla latte, double shot, two packs of sugar, and in return get no monetary reimbursement, eye contact, please, or thank you, I feel disheartened.
As Harvard students, we feel a sense of entitlement. But more than that, we know we are valuable assets and are anxious to put our intellectual powers to use! After talking to a host of my peers, I’ve discovered that this hunger-for-more is common to the plight of the intern. So if you feel under-worked or under-appreciated, or are currently singing the internship blues to your friends over gchat, this is my shout out to you! You are certainly not alone and I offer you the following:
While you do your time, rather than focus on the woes, let’s together focus on the moments that make us gasp “woah!” Instead of dwelling on what we aren’t able to get involved in, let’s appreciate all the awesome moments we at least get to witness firsthand. Working in Hollywood, I’ve come to realize that doing time is part of the gig. I was shocked to discover that the “mailroom kids” are all Ivy League grads. As they informed me, this business has a structure – you start in the mailroom, work your way up to assistant where you stay for the next few years (answering the phone for your boss, making his appointments and schedule, etc.), and then finally, if you’re lucky, you get picked up by another company to serve as a manager/agent/creative executive, etc. But not until after you’ve done your time. To my surprise, these friends of mine feel lucky and excited to be where they are and do not sink to a level of self-pity, complaining over the fact that their education and talent is being used to make reservations at Asia de Cuba or purchase Marc Jacobs bags for their boss’ friends’ birthdays. Amazingly, instead of focusing on the fact that they spend their time delivering scripts rather than developing them, they relish the fact that they at least get to read these scripts before the corresponding movies actually open in theaters.
Maybe I’m just surrounded by a group of overly peppy optimists. Perhaps this positivity has something to do with the L.A. sunshine and perpetually perfect weather. Regardless of its cause, let’s try to emulate. Wherever you are, whether you are working in politics, law, finance, or fashion, you are witnessing the inner workings of an industry. Hopefully one that interests you. And that exposure, in and of itself, is worth appreciating. It’s easy to take our environments for granded. But let’s not. Let’s truly appreciate every encounter we witness, every phone call we get to stay on the line for (even if we have to be on mute).
It’s very possible that as a Harvard summer intern you feel your skills aren’t being put to use. But don’t forget that you have been afforded an incredible opportunity. Listen as much as you can. Sit in on as many meetings as possible. Ask lots of questions. Offer to help or take work home. You know the drill. But turn that frown upside down because in the process of building your resume and your future, even if the day to day tasks seem mundane and futile, you are immersed in an opportunity that may never come your way again. So here’s to unpaid labor! May you find the small joys and make the most of your experience!