Memoirs Of An Intern: Make The Most Of Your Internship

Everyone has to start somewhere.  For many of us that starting line is an internship.  Internships are great ways to explore your interests, get your foot in the door of an industry, and show off your skillset to a possible employer.  My name is Daniel DeVinney and I have been interning at Deksia this summer, here are some things I have learned:

Expect the unexpected.

When I got the internship at Deksia, I tried not to have any kind of expectations because I had no idea what kind of stuff I would be doing. Usually expectations can be pretty far from reality, so my advice is go into a new internship being ready for anything.  Don’t go into it thinking you know everything that you will be doing.  As an intern sometimes you get handed the most random jobs, but that is one thing that can make it exciting.

Don’t forget to smile. 

Sometimes interns get handed the grunt work.  This comes with the territory. Interns aren’t usually handed the most exciting jobs in the office, more often than not they are doing simple tasks like making copies or making coffee.  While I never had to get anyone coffee, sometimes I did end up with a less than exciting task.  This is where you just have to have a good attitude about your work. No matter what it is.  Having a good attitude about the tasks assigned to you make them easier to bear, and also make a good impression on your employers.  Make a name for yourself as a cheerful worker rather than the grumbling intern; it will go a long way.

Ask for help.

Here is a pretty simple one: if you need help ask for it.  Your coworkers know you are an intern and they don’t expect you to know everything within your first week.  If you need advice or someone to point you in the right direction with your work ask your supervisor or a coworker.  I did this one a lot throughout my internship, especially at the beginning, and the people here were always willing to help.  Eventually, as I figured more things out, I didn’t have to ask for help as much.  The guidance I got at first gave me more confidence with my tasks and I was able to work more things out on my own and go from there.

Look for more. 

Something I wished I had been better at throughout my internship is taking initiative.  Looking for more to do shows off a hard work ethic, proves you can handle more important tasks and presents more opportunities to excel. Actively searching for these opportunities to succeed can be the difference between being remembered or forgotten after the internship ends.

Walk away with something.

My internship went pretty well this summer, but not every internship does.  I have heard stories from friends whose internships did not go as well as mine did, but even if their internship was awful they still walked away with something.  Whether it’s learning what you don’t want to do or what type of company you fit well with.  No internship is useless, some people may end their internship having learned a ton of useful skills and knowhow, while others walk away with only a begrudged understanding of their lost interests. Take something from your internship and don’t let it be a waste.

I am very grateful for my internship, I learned a lot and got an opportunity to see how the advertising industry works. I got to work on my writing and graphics skills, while seeing how the company works. I learned that not everything you do at work is going to be exciting, but should be done with a good attitude and a willingness to learn, because that makes it all a lot easier. Internships all vary, but doing the right things can ensure you get the most out of  your hard work.