This past summer, when my internship plans for the summer fell through due to COVID-19, I had to turn around and find another internship quickly, and one I could do safely. I wound up applying to a writing internship with a nonprofit organization based in Georgia. Now, if you know me, you know I’ve been loving this experience with this internship, and I kind of can’t stop talking about it! A remote internship is certainly a different experience than a regular internship is, but it’s certainly still valuable! If you’re thinking about taking a remote internship, then these are some things you might learn!
- How to work well in a remote environment
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By the time I’d started this internship, I’d already done a couple of months of remote schoolwork. I figured that I knew pretty much what I was doing in the remote world, but working remotely and studying remotely certainly have some differences that shouldn’t be ignored. Meetings are more formal for my internship, and turning your camera off isn’t an option. There are different expectations for work zoom calls and school zoom calls. And everything I’ve gained about learning how to work in a remote setting is likely going to be useful for me in the future. As a college senior, I may have to work occasionally in a remote environment from time to time when I graduate and get a job. I’m already prepared for that!
- Making connections with your co-workers is possible!
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When I started this internship, I assumed that I wouldn’t really know much about the people I worked with, since we weren’t ever going to be together in person. But this was totally not the case! Everyone connected with each other through our weekly meetings, and through Slack (our online communication service). We began following each other on social media, and we all know what’s going on in each other’s lives. I connected with one of the interns one day over a conversation about swimming, and even though she doesn’t live near me, she lives near several of my family members in another state. We’ve planned to get together for a swim the next time I go visit my family!
- I gained a clearer idea of what I want for my future career
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Many people feel as though their experiences with internships often help them get a better picture of what they want for their future careers, and this internship was no exception. I’ve always known that I like writing, but after writing articles for this internship, I knew that I really liked writing, especially when I’m writing things that make a difference. I’ve spent the last few months writing articles about mental health, advice for living in this strange world with COVID-19, and domestic violence, among other things. While these topics are heavy and hard to write about, I know my work is making a difference, and I know I want to keep doing that in the future.
- How to plan my time out in a job setting
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This internship has been structured pretty loosely. We have a whole team virtual zoom meeting on Wednesdays, and then articles are due Mondays. For the most part, the rest of the week is pretty much free–– we just have to get all of our work done. I’m a pretty organized person, and I like to plan out my time in advance. But sometimes I can’t always plan everything out as far in advance as I want to with this position. It isn’t like school, where I get a syllabus with all my due dates on the first day: I know I have articles due on Mondays, but I don’t always know what I’ll be writing about far in advance. I’ve had to learn how to plan my time out, but also learn to be flexible, and I think that’s going to be very valuable in my future.
- How to be professional in an online work environment
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This one is somewhat self-explanatory, but it’s important. My learning process started here with my first zoom interview: I wore a blazer on top and sweatpants on bottom, and stressed about whether my girly tapestry background I had in my room needed to be taken down for the interview. Now, going to zoom meetings with the team feels like second nature to me. Learning how to be professional is usually something that’s a little bit of an adjustment on its own, but learning how to be professional in a virtual setting is an entirely different animal. I’m glad I got to learn in an internship so that I can take my knowledge to my first job after graduation.