For those Huskies who are on co-op this semester, the halfway point is approaching! By now you probably have a pretty good idea of whether the way you’re spending your weekdays is something you can see yourself doing after graduation, or if it’s just a six-month learning experience. Whatever the case, you might feel yourself plateauing at this point in your co-op: you know what your general assignments are, you no longer feel intimidated when you walk in the door, but you don’t feel that same nervous but motivated excitement that you had when you started your internship. Don’t be surprised if you feel that way — it’s completely normal. Here are some tips I’m using to overcome the midway co-op slump and make the most of the next few months.
Start a New Project
By now, your manager probably knows you well enough to trust you with some independent work. So when you have a lull in your day, why not suggest a completely new project that you can start to work on yourself? Whatever the business you’re in, there’s always space to take initiative and start something new. My personal example: I work in Corporate Communications at Vertex Pharmaceuticals and do a lot of writing for my company’s internal newsletter, so I’m going to work on a proposal with ideas that will hopefully help the newsletter get better readership.
Reach Out to Someone New
Especially if you work at a large company, you have an abundance of opportunities to reach out to colleagues in areas that you’re interested in, even if they’re not on the same floor or even in the same discipline that you work in. One of my goals for this internship is to sit down with as many interesting people as possible and learn about what they do. As an aspiring science journalist, working in communications at a biotech company is pretty much the perfect fit for me. However, I have also met with some people who work in medical writing — a completely different type of job that still applies to my field of study — and will be meeting with some biologists in their labs over the coming weeks. It’s a great opportunity for me to learn about the work and a chance for them to share what they do — pretty much a win/win situation.
Don’t Be Afraid to Jump In
This is one of the hardest things for me — I despise the prospect of making other people uncomfortable or getting in the way at my job. Still, I’ve found that sometimes it’s important to speak up when I hear about assignments that might work for me, or to ask to sit in on meetings even if I haven’t been explicitly invited. Often the moment of discomfort is worth the value that I get out of that new experience, and continuing to expose myself to new opportunities will be key as I continue to grow throughout my co-op.
Buy a New Outfit
This one might sound silly, but this 2012 study shows that if you wear clothes that make you feel more powerful and confident, you’ll find more motivation at work. This might mean pulling your favorite blue blazer out of your closet or investing in some great new boots — whatever works for you. Now that it’s starting to warm up (at least I’d like to think that it is) the number of options you have for shopping is expanding. According to Glamour’s Most Wearable Fashion Trends for 2015, shirtdresses, yellow, and black-and-white are in this season, so stock up!
Take Time to Reflect
Whether it’s in writing or on the phone with family, the mid-way point of your co-op is a great time to sit down and take stock of how things are going. There’s still plenty of time to seek out new opportunities, but you’ve been at your co-op long enough that you can feel proud of what you’ve accomplished so far and also excited about what’s still to come. So take a few minutes to gather your thoughts, and get ready to step it up!