First off, I would like to personally thank everyone I worked with throughout the past three months during my summer internship program. I was lucky enough to work with a small group of amazing and intelligent people who taught me more than I could have anticipated. But, besides that large amount of knowledge I gathered about my industry, I also realized a few things that come with a full-time 9 to 5 office job that no one really tells you when you take the position.
Commuting.
After three years of college and a semester abroad, I have mastered the art of walking. However, when you enter the real world, walking becomes driving and being behind a slow walker becomes being stuck in traffic every single day. Whether driving in traffic or dealing with long public commutes into the city, traveling to the office day in and day out can be exhausting and a real test of patience. Full disclosure, I had about a three-minute drive with zero traffic to work every day. Honestly, I could have gone home and played with my dog during my lunch break if I wanted to.
Schedule.
A set schedule may not be as intriguing as I thought. At school, schedules fluctuate day to day because of changing class times. But, finally, Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, staring at the same computer screen -- not so interesting. I enjoyed the work I was doing, but sometimes my attention span -- or lack thereof -- got the best of me. Full disclosure: there was a ping-pong table in the office, so sitting in front of the same screen all day didn’t really happen much.
Errands.
OK, quick question. How is anyone supposed to get errands done in the real world? I mean, working all day, every day, when everything else is open makes it sort of difficult to go to all those doctors appointments, run to the bank or any other errands. Because let's be honest, by the time you got home, going back out for errands was not happening. Saturdays are for the boys and most places are closed or not open all day, anyways. And Sundays, well Sundays are for my dad yelling at me to do yard work and no one is ever really productive on a Sunday.
Money.
I suddenly find myself commuting every day to the office having a real job and all of a sudden my parents think I can afford everything on my own? Ever hear of an unpaid internship, Dad? Full disclosure: My internship was paid.
Experience.
On a more serious note, I learned that there are simply things you cannot learn in the classroom. I am extremely grateful for my experience over the past three months and having the opportunity to learn from so many bright and genuine people. Who know testing a new software you didn’t know existed and writing blogs at the same time was actually fun?
So with that, thank you. Thank you to the people I worked with all summer who showed me the ropes and had some fun along the way. I had no idea what to expect or how things would turn out but I am excited to join the real world (after a few more months of college, of course).
