Back to reality they say, no more summer fun! Well its good to be back to Temple. I had a summer internship at a place that we could say is “Mmm Mmm Good!” After this internship experience I came out a changed man.
At my internship, I was given my own desk, phone, and computer. They assured me from day one that I’d be doing mission critical tasks, not busy work. They were right. I was in meetings with Senior level Managers, VPs and C-Level officers almost weekly. I owned my own project and was expected to get it done and keep the status of my work known to the team.
A big thing happened with my project, I couldn’t complete it myself. I had to break down and get help. I felt like I was a complete failure but then I was assured that sometimes you’re going to need someone’s assistance to get stuff done.
I come from a background that highly values autonomy and independence. I hated to ask for help. But as time progressed I realized that all the emphasis on team work in school is for a reason. The new era values interdependence, and being a good team player. I am starting to like this new way of thinking because now I get to manage my relationships with other people and get work done through them. My advice to everyone is to abandon their thoughts that you can do everything yourself in this world, because you can’t always do it. Work on your peoples skills because those are the most valuable skills to have.
to be continued…
Tags: Internship
Jena joined the CSPD as the Assistant Director of Recruitment and Professional Development with over 4 years career services experience including a background in corporate recruiting. She is excited to work collaboratively with the Fox School students regarding career search strategies and hopes students gain some additional insight into the job search through “Opportunity Knocks”.
Kel is an undergrad majoring in Management Information Systems, graduating in 2010. He is very involved and hopes to share some of his experiences with other students. His goal is to motivate others to do their best. He believes that with a little inspiration you can get where you want to be. Through this blog, he wants to show you that opportunities are out there.