Interning can be a scary process, from submitting applications, to hoping your outfit is ok for your first in-person interview, to hoping you don’t stumble over your words and they take you seriously to actually beating out the competition and proving to yourself you can do it can be quite nerve-wracking. You then have to get to know a whole new group of people and learn the ways of the office. You learn who you can make those jokes with and who only wants to hear or see you when you have a project done. That’s ok, it teaches you how to read your audience. This is all a growing experience, you repeat to yourself, as you feel as though you’re the new girl entering the first day of summer school again.
The first few days whizzed by as I was getting a flurry of activity from shadowing coworkers to trying to keep up and learn what needed to get done as well as where everything was and how it worked.
It took me a few weeks to start to really get comfortable with everyone, I didn’t even mind the occasional coffee runs.
Fast forward to a month into my internship as I’m waiting in line of Starbucks listening to the relaxing wails of a child screaming to his mom and a couple mid-argument in front of me, trying to remember four of my coworkers order, I pondered how I got there.
I awoke that day at 7 am up to the loud, annoying buzzer of my alarm, got ready half haphazardly with a toothbrush in one hand and my dry shampoo in the other, in order to race to the office on time, sorely regretting going out the night before.
I get to work and am eager to start my day, only to realize we have three client meetings to get through so my day was about to include a coffee run, even still, who can’t use some caffeine? Because I sure could.
I get back to a mix of fast-paced meetings, hand shakes and networking. I am writing down notes about the product during the conferences as well as the best platforms for advertising I believe would be most effective and so on. Did I mention breathing is important? After meetings, it’s important to trade emails and contact information in order to keep an open line of communication and to read your audience. Interning can seem like an overwhelming task mixed with sore feelings of inappreciativeness sometimes and an added dash of condensing tones. After all, we’re just college students, what do we know, right?
However, then something miraculous happens and everything changes. You start learning the ways of your field. You start talking the talk and walking the walk, suddenly you understand the lingo, you’re faster as well as brighter. Your ideas start to get credit and you’re taken more seriously. This is the moment of clarity when you realize that none of these laborious tasks have been for nothing, but a learning process into propelling you forward into the work field. You are writing progress reports, business memos, marketing strategies and press releases. You are on fire and your brain keeps soaking up more information as your knowledge as well as your confidence increases. You can start using the projects you work on to grow your portfolio and show future career possibilities what you are capable of.
So next time you feel as though you are just a rung in the ladder, know that this is a process and you are, believe it or not, making progress towards your future.