Intern Maximization

 It has been a month since the beginning of my internship.  I must say that the last four weeks in regards to scheduling has been an adjustment. Switching from a 20 hour graduate assistantship position to a Monday- Friday 9-5 position is something that takes time to get used to. However I will say that it is an adjustment that is worth every second.

I wanted to wait until week 4 to send a blog update for a particular reason. Everyone has experienced the “new employee” routine. The “new employee” routine spans from the first few weeks in one's new position and/or new company. The days are filled with hours of orientation meetings, manuals, and “sit –ins" in numerous department meetings. After day 4, you have already forgotten 50% of your co-workers’ names  and still trying to memorize your phone number and secret passcode. By week 4, you begin to feel like you finally “fit in.”*  So this is my stage in the internship experience.

In the last four weeks, I’ve not only accomplished the items above but also pivotal experiences that I would like to share. The most important experience is the power of networking. I made the conscious effort prior to my internship to navigate a "path" through my company's marketing department. Given the short time period, I wanted to make sure that I had the opportunity to connect with numerous employees that work in the many unique departments that fall under the "marketing" umbrella. In my opinion, it is important for an intern to network as much as possible throughout their stay. After working in the corporate world, one does not have the same opportunity nor "open door" policy to speak with individuals to learn his/her career history and their experiences. As an intern, I feel that employees are more receptive to discuss these particular topics and give insight based on their successes and failures. In addition, networking throughout one’s stay allows the intern to build a solid foundation for a networking relationship beyond the internship.
 Another "AHA" moment is in regards to my career alignment. My internship continues to provide me with the necessary tools to understand my particular career path of interest. The project scope allows me to determine whether or not this project is a duty that I can make a career. It gives me the opportunity to apply my graduate marketing and core classwork. In addition, the internship forces me to challenge myself. I view this opportunity as a once in a life time experience. It is an experience that I plan to maximize and learn every facet of marketing as possible in the next 9 weeks.

Overall, it is a priceless experience and one I am looking forward to share to my fellow classmates.

Until next time. Have a great weekend.!