If there is one piece of advice I could offer to interns just beginning their internship, it’s to make friends with your co-workers. Maybe I’m in a unique situation because on Buffalo Sabres game days we have close to seven hundred workers in one specific location, but I have found this to be extremely rewarding. While I intern with one other person in my specific department, I have found friends in departments all over the Sabres organization. This has allowed me to meet an array of people from different walks of life. It also allows me to expand my network, which will be beneficial when I complete my internship. Befriending my co-workers has allowed me to meet top officials within the organization, such as our owner, Terry Pegula, along with our President of Hockey Operations, Pat LaFontaine. These new found friends remember my name, instead of referring to me as someone’s intern. When I leave my internship, if I need a reference, or a connection in a different city, I have a network I can call on. Befriending your co-workers allows the workday to go by much faster than sitting in a cubicle alone all day, and it also allows you the opportunity to pick someone’s brain and learn more about the jobs your organization has to offer. Befriending your boss or other employees requires you to step out of your comfort zone, but at the end of the day, it is worth it, because you never know what that person can do for you down the road.
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