College students are all too familiar with summer internships. They’re a way of gaining experience and breaking into a field, or a way of weeding out potential career paths- and sometimes, they’re both. This summer I dove into the intern life, and had the opportunity to be an administrative assistant at a state park in Delaware. For a night owl, it was enough of a challenge to be up and out of the house before 7:30 a.m, but now that my internship has come to an end I’ve started to appreciate the morning life more than ever before. I even wake up at 7 o’clock on the weekends too…
You may be thinking, “You were an intern at a park...was it anything like Parks and Recreation?” In many ways, yes. Starting with my boss Sheila, who may have actually been the writer’s inspiration for the character Leslie Knope- she was a fierce, fabulous leader who always knew how to solve the problem. We had to deal with concerns of the public, issues between coworkers in the office, and we even had a guy named Jerry working here. So basically, I worked in an alternate dimension of Pawnee, Indiana here in Delaware’s Brandywine Valley with Leslie Knope in the form of Sheila. I learned lots of things from Sheila and the rest of the staff during my internship, and if you’ve found an internship that suits your aspirations, your boss can be your biggest resource. Here’s what I learned from my internship with parks:
Always have an up-to-date resume.
Even if you love your internship, sadly they always come to an end- you probably know your end date before day one on the job. Instead of waiting for this internship to end to add it to your list of experience, update your resume halfway through the internship. You’ll know what your job responsibilities have been, and what qualities of yours it’s strengthening. I even asked my boss to look over my new resume for suggestions during downtime in the office. This way, you’ll always be ready to apply for your next internship or job the moment the job is posted, which brings me to my next lesson learned.
When opportunity arises, take action.
This can mean stalking the “jobs” page of your desired company in terms of having your resume ready to apply as soon as a job is posted, but it can also relate to work within the internship. Keep your eyes and ears out for things going on around your office that you could be a part of- if some people in your office are attending a meeting, for example, don’t be afraid to ask to shadow the meeting. This advice isn’t exclusively for interns either, as Sheila was constantly applying (and interviewing!) for jobs within parks during my internship.
Be ready for anything.
I learned very quickly to find the answers to frequently asked questions at the park, like what the best trail to hike is, or where the closest access point to the river was. I also learned a good deal about the park by being asked obscure questions, like when the next hatching of blue birds in Delaware would be, or what type of rock the walls around the park were made of (true story). Maybe this lesson is especially true in a park where anything can happen, but I think it’s relevant to all internships as interns are usually the ones that random work falls onto. Remain flexible as people throw different obstacles your way, and feel proud when you accomplish something out of your comfort zone. Give yourself some credit!
Hard work pays off.
Interning isn’t the most glamorous job. We’re usually unpaid and we’re considered the least experienced- two factors that can mentally dampen your experience. If you manage to rise above the lows of the intern life and remain positive and hardworking through it all, I promise your hard work will not go unrecognized. At the very least, your boss will give you an AMAZING review, and they’ll become a great recommendation the next time you need a letter written. If you become close with your boss and other employees though, they’ll buy cookies and cantaloupe on your last day and throw you a going away party too (no promises, but that was my experience). Be the kind of intern that your boss would recommend to other people, and you won’t be easily forgotten.
So now that my internship has ended and I can go back to sleeping in until 10:30 a.m., I advise everyone to think of this anecdote next time they are starting a new internship or job. I had an amazing experience with the staff at the state park this summer, and I learned a whole lot about parks and the outdoors in general. Everyday was a learning experience for me, and this was but one of many stops on my journey. I hope these four lessons resonate with other interns out there, and encourages those looking at internships in the future. Look up to your boss and other people around you, and be the best intern you can be, and I promise you'll get as much out of the internship as you put in. And for those out there who feel like an April...
...just know that one good Knope can send you on the right path. Good luck!
