While I may be finishing up my internship in the near future, my experience won't necessarily come to a halt at the end of the summer. As cheesy as it sounds, I will wholeheartedly carry everything I have learned from my internship experience with me through adulthood.

I may not get a paycheck every two weeks, but when I finally enter the workplace as a full-fledged adult, I won't be nearly as apprehensive as I was just a few months ago. My voice won't quiver every time I have to make an important phone call. I won't be embarrassed to ask for help when I need it. In fact, I'll be ahead of the game in some ways. I'll be able to ask for help, but offer my help and advice to my co-workers as well.

And all of this will be possible because of the internship I took this summer with Allied Integrated Marketing.

I can't tell you how many of my friends and acquaintances refused to look at unpaid internships. Even when a job description interested them, they would glance over the listing, rolling their eyes as the italicized word unpaid glared back at them.

Sure, it's a bonus to do something you love, all while gaining experience in your desired field and making money, but that's a pretty rare combination at my age.

I would never bash paid internships because regardless of the money, an internship is an internship. And just like I would never criticize paid interns, others should not criticize unpaid ones.

I am beyond fortunate to be where I am at this stage of life. I'm a college student who works a part-time job during the majority of the year and lives at home during the summers. I'm lucky that I have minimal expenses to pay on my own each month.

I could have looked for paid internships, but I chose to accept an incredible internship that would benefit me in the long run. The truth is, I'm an intern at a well-respected company that has offices in cities all over the country and works with top clients in the entertainment industry. I genuinely look forward to the days I get to wake up and head into the city. I look forward to writing drafts, researching ideas and promoting new shows and movies. I look forward to these days because no day is the same, and I always take away something new.

The wonderful Philadelphia team that I have had the pleasure of working with has given me so much insight and solidified my love for the communications field. As an indecisive, and sometimes very unsure, young adult, what they have done for me is priceless.