Is my internship helping my company?

unhappy internship

I was reading a post from an intern (Samantha) who mentioned that some of her friends who were in their own internships were struggling with the work because they found that what they were doing had really limited impact for their host companies.  I can relate  as I went through the same struggles when I participated in my first internship many years ago and now as an internship program director hear from many interns that have the same issues.

What I learned from my first internship and from several years of coaching other young students is that  internships should be more about what the intern learns during their time at the job rather than what impact they have with the company that they work for.  My manager at my first internship pointed out that my ego was probably a big reason for my feeling of being “inadequate” because of the limited impact i felt my work was having with my company.  He quickly made me realize how unrealistic it was for me to expect so much when I had just begun, and more importantly that no matter what, I would have a positive impact that I probably would not realize on my own because I didn’t even have time yet to learn what the business was about.  In most cases, companies don’t take interns just for “the sake of it.”  If they did, they would quickly stop because of the cost to resources the practice would have.

As interns, we need to get away from identifying our importance through the impact (especially since we are not qualified to gauge it) that we have on work. But really, we should be more concerned with the impact that the internship is having on us, for in the end, isn’t that the main reason we are in the internship in the first place.  It’s definitely not about the high pay and prestige, as most internships are either really low paying, or non paid opportunities to learn about a specific job.  My manager went on to explain that I should really be spending my time learning as much as I can from the projects given to me and trying to immerse my self into the companies culture. My main goal should be to get a better feel for the type of work involved and decide if that is the type of industry I would be happy to work in for the rest of my career.

With the right mindset and attitude, interns will find a wealth of knowledge and experiences available for the taking during their internship placements.  Have an open mind and focus on the experience, take in the work culture, attend company events (in and out of the office) and make as many friends and contacts as possible and you’ll be on your way to gaining more from this short experience than most realize is possible.

Shanghai for first-timers

If you’re visiting China for the first time and are a little adamant about braving the trenches of an unfamiliar country where you barely speak the language, Shanghai is an excellent city to start with. With reliable public transport systems, Shanghai is relatively safe and can be easily navigated with an open mind and a street smart attitude.

With its steady influx of foreigners and largely open minded locals, it is also a great place to meet new people. Shanghai caters to every type, whether you are an art, culinary, music or nightlife enthusiast. New venues pop up on a weekly basis, replacing those counterparts recently deemed “un-hip” by the fickle masses while events and parties are organized daily to satiate the needs of Shanghaiers. The World Expo also gave the city the much needed nudge to buck up, resulting in a massive city-wide face-lift that turns its landscape into a set out of Blade Runner. The latest in a series of architectural theory-defying skyscrapers is the 128-story spiraling Shanghai Tower, due for completion in 2014.

While comfortably taking on its new identity as China’s melting pot, Shanghai hasn’t forgotten its roots, a revival is underway in the Bund to bring back the glamour of the 1900s, most notably with the reopening of the Peace Hotel and a project by New York’s Rockefeller Group, aptly named RockBund. However, if all these seem a bit much to take at one go, there is always the calmer side of Shanghai found in local neighborhoods to take you back to the simpler, quieter life. From early morning tai chi sessions to the evening dance gatherings in parks, Shanghai is dazzling with its neon lights, and comforting once the lights are off.

Looking for an international internship? Start with your career office.

When I was still a University student in San Diego, I don’t remember ever hearing about the University career center.  Granted I did go to school over 10 years ago and the world economy was not as bad as it is now, but I’m sure it would have proved beneficial in someway.  After graduating, I realized I had no real plans of what I was going to do, I had very little work or even internship experience so didn’t even really know what type of career I wanted to get into or what international location I preferred.  I did spend a summer with Student Work’s painting, which gave me the opportunity to start and run my own business for a few months, so I did know that like my father, I wanted to ultimately become an entrepreneur.  Luckily I didn’t have to think long about my future path as I was quickly persuaded by my father to go spend a year in Shanghai to learn mandarin and see if I could find any opportunities in China.  I quickly found out there were tons of opportunities and quickly found my niche.

Nowadays, the world’s economy is in recession, and finding an international internship or job has become 10 times more challenging not only from the US, but also across most international markets including China.  Students need to look into as many different international channels as possible to find that opportunity to gain some real life work experience while testing out one or even a few potential career paths during their time off from school.  A great resource to take advantage of is the Universities career center, sometimes also referred to as the internship and career services office.  The primary goals for these university offices are to help students find opportunities to take their class room learned skills and theories  and put them into practice through internship placements or into jobs after they graduate.  What better proof is there for a school then to show that their graduates go onto find amazing career opportunities.

Some universities even have special programs to help make a summer internship or other international opportunities more affordable or add components that boost out of class learning experiences.  For example, Butler University has a Summer Brain Gain Program that does both.  It opens the opportunity for students that are participating in an internship during the summer to take advantage of low cost school dorms (as opposed to the higher cost of renting on one’s own) and also adds other components like tours to visit local businesses and opportunities to network with alumni.

Next time you have time between classes, go check out your internship and career services office.  The office, with a dedicated team of friendly advisors is there to help you find that special career related opportunity, whether at home or in an international setting. And if you’re lucky, you might find that your school even has special programs for the type of experience you’ve been dreaming of getting.