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This past summer, I had the privilege of interning in one of the world’s most amazing cities: New York City. Commuting to and from work five days a week from my hometown in northern New Jersey was quite an adventure, but it taught me a lot about myself. As you can probably imagine I was rather nervous, not only about my internship, but about being in NYC itself. I began to realize how much of an effect the twelve weeks will have on me as an individual and as a growing professional.
I gained a lot of knowledge about city life, work life, and life in general throughout the summer. First and foremost, I learned how to navigate basically everything on my own. Despite my confusion and sometimes frustration, I managed to take a ferry, a bus, a train, a taxi, an Uber, and the subway to get from one place in the city to another. Needless to say, my sense of direction has vastly improved.
I also discovered a newfound love and appreciation for the city overall – its history, its culture and its distinct lifestyle. I explored a lot of areas I had never visited, and I immersed myself in NYC culture – one there’s nothing else like. I honestly don’t think there are many other places in the world where you can stand on a street corner and hear people speaking about twenty different languages at once.
I also learned to stand tall and carry myself confidently. When you’re walking around a city like New York, you have to be a bit aggressive in order to weasel your way in and out of people, and you always have to be on your guard. I might’ve started my first day a little bit more on the naïve side, but when the internship ended and I left the city, I was much more relentless and assertive (the good kind, at least).
The city is often known for being competitive, expensive, and unpredictable. While I can’t disagree, I’m adamant that my time interning in NYC has morphed me into a more poised, independent, and mature young adult. By the end, I truly felt like a New Yorker, and my advice to anyone who is considering interning in NYC, or any city really, would be to go for it. Even if you wind up hating it, at least you find out early on, and you’ll be able to say that you gave it a shot.
In the midst of all of the craziness that often occurs in the Big Apple, I emerged as a completely different person than I was when I first started the internship (OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration). However, I will say that I grew immensely and that it was a life-changing experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world.
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