This summer, I had the fantastic opportunity to spend ten weeks interning with a nonprofit organization.
It being my first internship ever, I honestly had no idea what to expect. People kept asking me what I was going to be doing before the internship started and my answer was always "I don't know." Was I going to be the intern who picked up Starbucks for everyone in the morning? Or was I going to be the intern who actually made a significant impact on the organization?
Well, summer is basically over now and I like to think that my internship was successful, mostly because I never had to get my boss coffee. I learned so much with my internship, but one of my biggest takeaways is that summer internships are pretty weird and you have a lot of odd thoughts throughout the day while you're sitting alone at your desk. Here are some things that probably crossed your mind during your internship experience this summer.
1. Why does work start so early?
GiphyYou've gotten so used to strategically planning your schedule at school that you never have an 8:00 a.m. But now you have to go to work in the early hours every single morning and you can't help but wonder what would happen if you just decided to not show up.
2. I'm confused, but I don't want to admit that I'm confused.
GiphyThere will definitely be a few tasks throughout your summer internship that you simply don't know how to do. You know that any normal person would just ask for clarification and help, but your pride gets in the way. You want to seem like the intern who knows everything, so you choose to stay confused as you try to work it out on your own.
3. What am I supposed to be doing right now?
GiphyIt's that moment when you realize that your boss definitely gave you something to do, but you either already finished it or forgot what it was exactly. You don't want to seek out your boss to ask what else you should be doing, so you decide the best course of action is to just sit there until someone gives you another task.
4. I forgot my lunch and now my stomach may not survive the day.
GiphyYou get to bring your own lunch to your job every day! But that also means you have to remember to pack it in the morning. You wake up late, forget to pack lunch, and spend the rest of the day wondering if your boss can hear your stomach rumbling.
5. Does this make any sense?
GiphySometimes you're sending an email and you can't tell if you're making any sense. Other times your boss will tell you to do something and you don't want to tell them that everything they're saying is going right over your head. You'll often find yourself questioning if the world makes sense anymore.
6. I hope my boss likes me.
GiphyYou can never really tell if your boss likes you, but you're always hoping that you're on their good side. Maybe they'll even write you a great reference once the internship is all said and done.
7. Will I ever see these people again?
GiphyAs you get to the end of your summer internship, you realize that you'll probably never see the people you spent all summer with ever again. It's a weird feeling to step into a job for a few weeks, get to know everyone and the company really well, and then just leave like nothing ever happened. Hopefully you'll cross paths with everyone again someday.
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