I’m loving my internship, don’t get me wrong, but some days I get a little bored sitting at my desk sending emails and making phone calls. This past Wednesday was not one of those days. My bosses invited me to come into the city with them for a meeting. Now here’s the kicker: the meeting was at the Facebook headquarters.
Let me preface this post by saying that I am a social media addict. I check my Facebook probably 20 times a day (the average is 14 times per day) and I love sharing photos and “liking” my friend posts. So here I am, standing in the waiting room of the Facebook offices trying not to look like a kid in a candy store.
The offices are beyond cool. The walls are painted a fun, electric green and everyone swivels around in funky colored chairs. A wall of free snacks and beverages greets you as you walk in and almost all the walls are glass. As I toured the office, mouth open, I noticed one thing that made me happier than the free snacks and bright walls: everyone looked so happy to be there. They sat in their decorated cubicles, under bright colored posters and smiled as they worked. They chatted with each other, rolling their chairs over to other desks. They worked at Facebook, and they seemed really happy about it. And I loved it.
I learned a lot during that meeting. I learned about targeting ads, social context, and how businesses can use Facebook to grow. All of that was great, and it’s knowledge that I’ll use in the coming weeks. But what I really learned, and what they really showed, is that when you love what you do and where you work, it shows. You give off enthusiasm that everyone around you can feel, and they’ll pick it up in no time.
So while you’re interning, slaving away at menial tasks and wondering why you’re even there, think about your dream job. Think of how that internship is going to get you there. And think about how happy you’ll be when you land that dream job. Hey, maybe you’ll even end up at Facebook.