Being a part of the Boy Scouts is not what I had ever expected but I feel like it is an exciting opportunity. Not that I am actually a Boy Scout, but as an intern for the Greater Niagara Frontier Council for the Boy Scouts of America, I am excited to be able to help do the behind the scenes work for a program that has such a large impact on kids. I am really looking forward to be able to test the waters in marketing and public relations with this organization and to see what I can learn and how I can help them.
This is not my first internship so I was not as anxious for my first day as I was last semester. I felt like I had a better idea of what the internship process was going to be like and a little bit of what to expect: introductions and introductory tasks. Though the internship process felt more familiar this time, it was still a little nerve racking as the first day approached. For my outfit, I tried to mimic the type of clothing that I had seen people in the office were wearing when I interviewed. It was more of a business casual feel so that was the look I went for. Dressing like this is not something I am particularly familiar with. Learning how to dress professionally is a lesson I had not even thought about coming into this internship, but it is definitely an important one to know as graduation approaches and job applications will soon be sent out. I definitely have to thank my roommate for helping me every morning with the last touches — which pair of heels or necklace really finishes off each outfit every morning.
During my interview for this internship I was told that there would be a lot of hands on experience. That is something I was really looking forward to. I want to try to get as much experience as possible and learn as much as I can from this experience. I expected there to be the typical introductory tasks such as making copies and filling envelopes, and there was. Even these tasks can really be important. Employers will expect a certain level of office knowledge going into jobs such as how to use a copy machine, and that is something I honestly did not know how to use. So these tasks, though they may seem simple, are important in that they teach common office knowledge. I was pleasantly surprised to be able to do more interesting tasks too. I have been there a handful of times and have already learned so much. From editing press releases and speeches, to finding places to ask for donations from and putting them into a list on Excel and mail merging them. I didn’t even know what a mail merge was before this or how to even use Excel in the slightest bit. Not only have I learned these important office and career related skills, my internship adviser has gone even further to help me. Landing a job after graduation is something all students hope for, but the actual steps on getting that job can be unclear. My superviser sat down with me and looked over my Linkedin page and gave suggestions, showed me websites that are good for finding jobs to apply for and just overall advice for getting more experience and resume building. As a second semester senior who is admittedly clueless on how to land a job after graduation, there is so much value behind this advice. It is something that is some times overlooked, but we are going to make it a priority.
The best part about internships is not only the networking opportunities you get, it is also the experiences that you get and the unexpected things that you learn. This may be experiences that involve learning new things that you had no clue about before or it can even be something as great as finding yourself a mentor or two to help you learn and guide you as you try to figure out your career path. Needless to say, I am very happy with my internship and look forward to going each day, and that is how it should be.
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