Hey there! I want to start this post by thanking all of our avid readers out there! WE APPRECIATE YOU! Please please please give us feedback. It's definitely helpful. Now onto this week's post...
We're talking about internships and this is the perfect follow up to my post last week about conferences because that's actually where I got my internship. When I tell you I practically cried tears of joy to my advisor and then called my mom with the same reaction once I was offered an internship...man oh man. It was just a testament to how God puts you in the right place at the right time to get the right thing.
But anywho let's fast forward to last summer when I was working there. Now let me be clear, this was an unpaid internship which some people may not be comfortable with, but for me it was fine. I was working there in the afternoons and in the mornings I was teaching my summer camp that I've previously blogged about it. This internship was one for the experience and it solidified what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, play with illicit drugs. Naturally I can't disclose everything about what I did there because it was government work, but long story short I loved it there.
That's the point of internships, you should be getting hands on experience and building your network for the job you want in the future. Sometimes you think you want to do something, get there, and don't like it. That's fine too! You want to be exposed to all kinds of jobs in your field to figure out where you fit. Some experience is better than no experience. Make sure you're asking questions and learning as much as you can from the people there. Ask about their backgrounds, what is what like first starting out, their mentors, etc. Internships should be more than just you photocopying papers and getting coffee. The goal is to get something worthwhile out of them. If you're looking for internships, talk to your advisors, professors, companies at conferences and career fairs and have a resume on hand. You never know when you'll be in an unexpected interview. Always be upfront with your goals and where you want to go in your career.
Any other questions about my experience or what it was like having an unpaid internship you know where to find me.
-The Chemist
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