When I was hired as a corporate communications intern for Navistar International, I was excited yet apprehensive. While working for a huge company with a major market share would be a great experience, I was unsure exactly what the corporate world would be like. Would my boss and coworkers be stuffy, professional people that I couldn't relate to at all? Would I feel confined to my 5 by 5 cubicle for eight hours a day? Would I be doing anything interesting?
Working for a Fortune 500 company is the exact opposite of every expectation I had coming into my internship.
As it turns out, my chief communications officer actually encourages us to get away from our tiny cubicles and find a space to work in that inspires our creativity. Mine happens to be these insanely comfortable basket chairs with giant pillows. The people on my team are absolutely amazing. Not only are they friendly and approachable, they go out of their way to include me in activities and make sure that I am doing anything BUT fetching coffee. I've already had the opportunity to write three articles, one magazine byline and help produce internal videos within my very first week.
It is clear that corporate America is closing the door on its stereotypical stuffy past and turning towards being a place for innovative creative types like myself to feel right at home.
I often find myself sitting in one of our many outdoor spaces to catch some sun while writing or going to report on extremely engaging presentations that my coworkers lead. The other intern on my team has become not only my friend, but someone who helps me push myself beyond my comfort zone. I am given way more responsibilities than I ever thought, but the classes I have taken at school have more than prepared me for executing every single one with precision.
One thing I have learned about a corporate job is that you definitely have to space things out. If you go ham and finish all of your projects in one day, you will be bored until your deadline. I have learned that this internship is a lot different than school. Taking my time with my work and actually stopping to take breaks and enjoy what I am doing has made me fall in love with my future career even more. Even though I tend to crank out articles super fast, I have found myself taking the time to make my writing even better.
10 years ago, if someone would have told me I would be working in an internal and external communications position for a Fortune 500 company, I would've called them nuts. I was and still am the person who sits in the back of the classroom and doesn't say much. Working with an amazing team for an amazing company has pushed me beyond my comfort zone to the point where I honestly don't have one anymore. I am confident in pitching ideas, approaching my superiors and letting my creative side shine as brightly as I know it can.
So Navistar, thank you for the opportunity to understand that not only did I pick the right career, but I will truly never work a day in my life if this is how much I will always love what I do.
