During the summers in college, your future employers expect you to have a job, internship, or some other learning experience. Not only do you learn practical things about your chosen field, but if you get lucky, you get to learn things about yourself and work in general as well.

1. Flexibility

I have never been a morning person, but for my internship this summer, I ended up helping with a morning radio show every weekday. Talk about irony. This did turn me into a little bit more of a morning person, or I can at least tolerate it.

2. Hard work

I've always been a hard worker at whatever I do, but I've always had desk jobs. I never truly realized that working hard is such an important part of any job that you do.

3. Be dependable.

It feels great to be the person that people come to when they need something. Being the point person for people and having them know that it's going to get done and that it's going to get done right, is a huge compliment.

4. Make connections.

Sure, the work is an important part of any job. The difference between a job and an internship, however, is that an internship isn't a permanent position. You may come back to the same place later, you may not, but the connections you've made at that internship, if properly maintained, could lead to a job down the line.

5. Confidence

When I started my internship, I had never so much as been in a radio studio. That first day, I was completely in over my head. Now, I know that it's something that I want to invest a lot more of my time in. Not to mention, I've learned a lot of skills that I can put towards that goal. I have much more confidence in what I know about radio, compared to the absolute nothing I knew in the beginning.

6. You're going to screw up.

Like I mentioned, I knew absolutely nothing about radio to begin with. Along the way, I've definitely made some mistakes. Luckily, I've learned a lot from those mistakes thanks to the wonderful people I work with.

7. Constructive criticism

You're going to make mistakes, and you're going to get corrected on them. When you do, you have to know how to take it as what it's meant and make yourself better from it. These people truly want to see you succeed, and you have to remember that first and foremost, you are there to learn. Without this criticism, you wouldn't be getting better.

8. Teamwork

I never experienced teamwork like I have this summer. Everyone works together to make sure every event, show, or competition is pulled off almost flawlessly. From the outside, it looks effortless. From the inside, you know how many people have been involved in making sure everything goes off without a hitch.