Week Four: Midpoint Reflections
As the midpoint of my internship is nearing, I’m feeling a little frustrated and lost as I was hoping that by this point in the summer, I would have answered some of the questions that have been plaguing me about what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. I’ve realized that it’s not media—I don’t love the idea of the high turnover rate and I don’t want to stare at a computer screen all day. That being said, I’m still not sure what it is that I want to do instead.
While I’m not ready to answer this big, looming question once and for all, this internship has definitely reminded me of things that I will need in a job in order to feel fulfilled and like I’m doing something that is worthwhile.
I crave collaboration—I love working with other people and feel energized by engaging with others. Unfortunately, this internship doesn’t involve a ton of that, and it’s left me feeling bored, frustrated, and drained at work. Second, I am interested in working in a place where people feel like they want to lay down roots. There is so much turnover in this industry, as people often leave jobs after only a few months. It seems to me that this limits the amount of time that people invest in building relationships with their coworkers, which is definitely an important thing for me. Finally, I want to be working a job that I feel like carries some weight and matters to other people outside of the industry. The team I work most closely with at my internship is in charge of advertising sales, and while yes, this is obviously a vital part of the business model, I’m having trouble understanding why this is a vital part of life.
I’m hoping that the 4th of July will give me a chance to reflect on how I can get the most out of the remaining weeks at my internship, and hopefully, will be able to put a more positive spin on the rest of my experience.
Well, I understand why you didn’t categorize this reflection as it is not necessarily geared towards one of the prompts; but that is okay, this is really important reflecting. Sometimes the most important thing we can learn from an experience is what that opportunity does NOT present; key things that are missing and how valuable those things are to your interests and happiness. To recognize the types of things you are looking for in a work environment – even if it is because they are lacking where you are now – is REALLY huge. You will be so well equipped to move forward and evaluate other opportunities as you begin to apply and interview for full-time employment. You’ll be able to develop questions to ask to assess if the organizational culture and the nature of the work are in keeping with these things that you value; that will go a long way in assessing whether other companies are a good fit (whether they can or cannot provide these things that you value). Do not underestimate how important this reflection is and how valuable it will be moving forward.