This summer I was hired at a Tech Company in Manhattan to be an intern. Of course I was thrilled and I started in the beginning of June. Here is what I have learned in the past six weeks of being an intern.
1. Learning how to handle being on the lowest common denominator, when you’re used to being a leader.
As an intern, you have to accept that your job is to make sure you’re making other people’s job easier. Luckily, my boss and colleagues are some of the nicest and intelligent people I have ever met. Personally, I always like to be the leader of the pack. I like to be the one people turn to for questions, decision making and just overall guidance in mostly everything I do. For me, one of the hardest parts about being an intern is not being the leader. But of course, I do my very best to make sure that I complete every task that is given to me on time and efficiently.
2. Having to find something to do when you're bored.
You are not always going to have something to do. If it is a slow day at the office, then it is going to be the slowest day for you. Not having anything to do at work versus not having anything to do at home are two completely different situations. You can’t watch Netflix or take a nap if you have nothing to do at work. You have to seem busy at all times while doing something work appropriate. The best thing to do is read online articles. Websites such as CNN, Huffington Post, MSNBC, WSJ, New York Times or L.A. Times, are all great and appropriate reads to venture into at work. And if your boss is cool with it, BuzzFeed is always a great way to pass the time.
3. Bring your own lunch because Manhattan is expensive.
I am in a city that is home to some of the most amazing restaurants in the world. I could probably eat at a different place for lunch everyday and never repeat myself. But my paycheck would be nonexistent by the end of the summer. Even limiting myself to $10 a day is still half a day's paycheck for me at the end of each week. Advice for anyone working in New York City, swallow your pride and bring your lunch from home. It may seem childish at first bringing in a brown paper sack while everyone else is off getting a gourmet salad, but you and your bank account will thank yourself later.
4. Wearing work clothes in the summer is the worst.
When you work in an office, even in the summer, you have to dress appropriately and wear business casual clothing. It is a 15 minute walking from my apartment to my office. Those 15 minutes feel like I am walking through a sauna. My clothes are usually drenched in sweat by the time I get in my building and I have to wait for the air conditioning to cool me down. And than of course I’m freezing because it’s too cold in my building. So the lesson here is, layers.
5. Always ask if there’s anything someone needs help with.
Being in college means that all of your work will be automatically assigned for you. At work, your assignments come up sporadically. Depending on the information everyone else is given, you have to wait and see what they may need from you next. A lot of the time your boss may be busy, just ask if there’s anything you can do if they haven’t given you anything yet. You’re sometimes a forgotten asset.
6. What I actually do all day.
Fun fact, it is illegal in the State of New York to make an intern do meaningless tasks such as getting coffee.
A lot of people ask me what I actually do as an intern. Every internship may come with different requirements. Some of course are more fun than others. My internship mostly consists of reading a lot of information, and then breaking it down for other people, so they can have all the important information faster. This is why interns are hired in the first place, to do all the boring stuff that nobody else wants to do.
