What can you learn from your internship work?
If you go into your internship work experience with the right mindset, there’s a lot you can learn. Before the first day of your internship, think about what you would want/expect out of interns if you had a few interns working for you over the summer. What would an intern have to do for you to say that he or she did a great job over the summer?
I would expect an intern to be enthusiastic and be able to get things done. Those are the basics. Even if the interns have a tough task ahead of them, I would prefer the intern who said, “I tried this and this and this…this worked well…this was alright…” over the intern who says, “Yeah, I tried this and it didn’t work.” An intern should be confident that he or she can handle any internship work that comes at them.
Now, what does this tell you about you and your internship work? Well, for starters, it tells you to relax. Stay calm and confident when you’re going about your internship and doing work. Also, for the most part, expectations for summer interns aren’t exactly through the roof. If you are fun to be around and get things done, it will be safe to say that your internship work has been a success.
Your internship work experience will be great to get you familiar with the industry. Aside from the technical experience, it might be your first office experience in general. Use this to think about what you want out of your professional career. Do you want to work for a huge corporation or a small firm with a powerful idea? Do you want to be a drone or do you want to make a difference?
Your internship work is your first glimpse into your professional career. Keep your long-term goals in mind and think about how your internship work relates to them.
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