I sat in my Freshman Orientation 101 class during my first semester of college and idly twirled my pen around as our Office of Career Development Director talked to us about how important it is to take advantage of doing internships while we’re in college. I listened closely as she spoke, but I didn’t know for certain if I'd go ahead and follow her words of wisdom. Before coming to college, I was always a little on the reserved side. I wasn’t part of any big clubs in high school (aside from testing the waters with the drama club, but I put the kibosh on that idea after three years of trying to dance with my two left feet). I entered college as the same mild and quiet girl I was back in high school. So here I sat amongst a generally uninterested wave of other freshmen students as we listened to the importance of internships.

But I had no intention of doing one.

I mean, could you imagine how utterly nerve-wracking the interview process would be to get an internship? Oh God, I couldn’t do that. I got heart palpitations and sweaty palms just when I applied for the position as a town camp counselor, which wasn’t nearly as terrifying as thinking about applying for a real-life job one day. I would cross THAT bridge when I got there. So why would I want to stress myself out sooner than necessary, just to go on a fancy interview and partake in completing an internship? I wasn’t cut out for that sort of thing. I needed to find my way around campus first before jumping ahead and thinking about where I could potentially be an intern. So I listened as she continued to speak, but I didn’t take notes.

Fast-forward nearly two years, and I’m currently approaching the closure of my very first internship. It flew by in the blink of an eye, and saying goodbye is becoming rather emotional for me. I think about my slightly younger self sitting in Freshman Orientation, and I wish I knew then what I know now. I have grown in leaps and bounds as an individual since I was in that class and deemed myself unworthy and incapable of doing an internship.

Encouraging myself to go out there and better myself and the future of my career has been such an eye-opening experience. Perhaps you have the same fear as I once did—you don’t believe in yourself enough to go forth and apply to be an intern. Maybe you want to, but you really don’t know where you should begin to look, so you’re sitting back and waiting for an opportunity to fall into your lap. Or on the other hand, perhaps you don’t even feel motivated to do an internship at all. Hey, maybe you’ve already done your time as an intern and you’re just looking for a list of internship-related things to personally connect with. No matter where you stand on the topic of interning, I’m here to share why doing an internship has been one of the best decisions I’ve made thus far in my college career.

5. I've learned so many things about the field I’m going into

I’m a double-major in English and creative writing, and I know I want to one day work in the world of books and writing. So I decided to get a feel for what book publicity is like. I’ve learned all about what goes on behind the scenes of getting book titles the recognition they deserve, and I’ve learned so many tricks of the trade. Plus, this internship will help me tremendously when it comes time for me to put on my big-girl-panties and get my dream job in New York City. It’s so important for us as rising young workers to find a general direction we’re willing to go in, and let our inner compasses lead the way.

4. My internship challenged me to stretch outside of my comfort zone

Part of my duties as an intern involved giving thorough updates to the team in stand-up weekly meetings, generating “original content” ideas for the author I was working with to write about, constant pitching and emailing to media outlets, impeccable communication skills, adding detailed updates to an organized Google Document of all media that had run for the book I was working on, and composing weekly media reports to send out to my author. Needless to say, I was petrified at first. I hardly knew what I was doing. But as time went on, I assimilated to the position and loved everything I was learning. If I'd read this long list of requirements to complete as an intern to my former self, I would’ve laughed and walked away. But I’m proud to say I really broke out of my comfort zone. Breaking down the walls of limitations I built within my own mind was one of the most gratifying parts of being an intern.

3. It helped me to grow as a writer and person

No matter what field you plan on going into once you finish college, doing an internship before (or even after) you graduate will help you grow as a person. Maybe it will further confirm that you’re definitely on the right career path. Or perhaps it’ll make you realize that you need to adjust your sails and change direction. But no matter what, you’ll benefit from your time as an intern because it’ll help you take one step closer to where you know you need to be. I’ve changed for the better since I started this internship, and it has been such a detrimental part of my college experience as a developing writer who’s trying to find her place in this world.

2. I received an abundance of incredible opportunities

I can wholeheartedly say that some of the highlights of my little career thus far have come from doing an internship. I got to attend my very first author reading in New York City and had a conversation with the author himself as he signed one of the books our office was vigorously publicizing. Also, I was able to reach out to all of our current authors and get them to write exclusive pieces specifically for me to put in a previous Odyssey article I wrote about how published authors are able to keep their writing sharp over the summer. Not to mention, this article I wrote got shared on Facebook and Twitter by the author of the main book I was working on during my internship. I could tell it made her proud! In addition, I just completed my first book campaign and it was incredibly bittersweet to see it come to an end. I couldn’t be happier with all of the wonderful chances I was able to have during my time as an intern, and putting my entire being forth into my work really paid off. So, so much love and thankfulness.

1. I had my first little work family, and they made my experience so rewarding

Now that my time as an intern is officially coming to an end, I can’t help but feel overly emotional about parting ways with the people I’ve been lucky enough to work with for the past few months. I’ve formed such great friendships along the way, and I’m sincerely going to miss seeing their faces every week. When you do an internship, you'll begin to fall in love with not only your chosen profession, but you will also form a love for the people around you.

To everyone in the Wunderkind PR office: I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this experience so memorable for me, and for all of your help in molding me as I continue onward with my journey. You’ve truly changed this once fearful ride into one that’s not so scary at all. Working with you all was such a gift and I want you to know that this isn’t end; it’s just the beginning.

With love, by Ari.