I’m sure you have heard that internships are a very important part of your college career. Upon entering college as a freshman I was advised to start looking for internships to prepare for junior year when I should actually apply. I always intended to complete at least two internships; one junior and senior year.
However my first real internship actually led to a job, one that ended up lasting much longer than I intended.
After returning from my summer study abroad I was contacted by a friend offering me a week long temp job for a Manchester IT company. Those who have traveled abroad will understand the financial drain it causes you, so I of course jumped at the chance of employment.
The second day on the job I was taken out to lunch by my direct supervisor and offered full-time, part-time, or an internship with whatever hours my schedule would allow. Basically they wanted me full-time but knew I was a student at UNH Manchester and they loved the idea of having an intern. Side note: making a good first impression can often lead to further opportunities you didn't even know you wanted.
I am a Communication Arts major with a minor in Business so I thought it would be a great chance to see what a medium size business environment would be like. For the longest time I thought working in an office would be the best idea for me. Well it’s not. Not to say I wasn't efficient at my work, but I just realized I had somehow glamorized the corporate world.
Embarrassing as it is to say I thought office work meant picking out business casual outfits, water cooler talk, emailing, filing, and weekly office meetings. What I didn't know was that it was more like long hours, lots of financial software to understand, making and admitting mistakes, co-worker conflict, stress, confusing phone calls, with moments of humor splashed throughout the day.
If it wasn't for my coworkers and the welcoming environment I would not have survived. The work may not have been what I was hoping to learn but I did learn about business culture and environment.
Small chat and a smile can get you far in life. Also if you show genuine interest in learning something most people will be more than happy to teach you; humility is crucial here. But that is just one of the many unintentional things I learned.
Through unforeseen circumstances there was a pretty big layoff shortly after my internship officially started. Again something I had never dealt with before but it was good to experience real world issues. I had been with the company for a bit and gotten attached to the people there so I filled in where needed. I was basically a glorified receptionist/intern. It all became a balancing act now.
With a bit of shuffling around I was able to enroll in the internship class at UNH Manchester and continue with the company. Originally I had wanted to focus on marketing but within the company I got a taste of each department. This helped me learn even more that this is not what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
Just because you think that something isn't necessarily what you wanted doesn't mean you shouldn't go for it. If I did not say yes to that temp offer, I never would have earned an internship and then never would have developed so many future contacts and references. Plus I never would have learned that the corporate world is not for me.
I always knew that internships are important to gain job experience -- it’s like some unspoken force hovering over college students. It’s like when your excessively in-shape friend tells you how running marathons changed their whole outlook. Once you stop binge-watching Netflix for hours in bed and start running or going to the gym regularly there is an actual change in the way you feel post workout. This internship was my marathon.
Once you participate in an internship you understand the personal as well as professional gain from doing it. I discovered that I am not meant for life in an office cubicle. But that is okay because I learned early enough to check that option off my list and change my course. Internships are all about learning what you do or in my case do not like for future careers.
Request more information about the Internship program at UNH Manchester.
