This week was the first week of my first ever internship. I was still getting over the cold I got in between my travels to Copenhagen and Paris so I had to be diligent about my food consumption and nursing my body. I arrived back in London two days before the end of my holiday and I’m glad that I did because i was able to take care of a number of chores such as grocery shopping and laundry. The bulk of the students on my program would be coming back on that Sunday means that night would be full of students trying to scramble to get everything done.
The first day of my internship I was excited to start. Although my internship wasn’t exactly what I wanted, I knew that the experience I would gain from it would be unrivaled by anything else I could have been assigned to. Already I started off as typical as my personality allows me to be. Instead of taking the tube direction that I practiced before I went my internship interview, I went in the opposite direction just like the day of my interview. I was so nervous that I would be late that I hurried to eat breakfast on the tube.
Then I had to make a transfer where the tube I was taking terminated. I needed to remain calm but I also had to hurry to take the connecting tube line. And then my mental clock started to tick. It was approaching 9 am and the train had been paused at one of the stops for over five minutes.
Would it break down on us? It was already jam-packed with people! And even while it was jam packed and paused, people kept running up to the door and opening it so that they could squeeze in. I only needed to go six more stops, would the tube at least go that far? I was worried for nothing because I ended up being so early that I had to wait in the lobby for my boss to show up.
I guess I look fidgety because as I was waiting for my supervisor, a lady who works for one of the companies in the co-space asked if I was okay with a concerned look. Soon after my boss arrived and I started my day’s activities.
In media, internships are portrayed as fulfilling mundane roles and can be considered errand workers. Not at my internship. I am working side by side with the CEO and CTO. I’m kind of nervous that I will make a mistake but I am getting to see the busy lifestyle of owning a business, especially a startup.
From the moment I started, I was filling in forms and applications, giving recommendations and learning about some of the well-known apps and platforms that are used to manage a business. They include Slack and Trello. This week has been a bit overwhelming because of the sheer about the tasks I was assigned but my CEO is very flexible and wants me to soak up knowledge like a sponge.
The team has done a great job welcoming me and I feel like I am making an impact with the work I am doing for the company I am interning for. I hope that throughout my time at my internship, I become more confident in myself and my ability to run a business and consult with clients. I have a few goals for myself so that I can adequately prepared to start my minor in Entrepreneurship.
As usual, I have been doing a lot of contemplating for my future and in a talk with my Godmother, we discussed me possibly pursuing a Masters in International Business. When I first started university, I wanted to pursue an MIB but I quickly lost my self-confidence when
I compared my skills, lack of experience and introverted personality to my ambitious peers. I was adamant about not wanting another degree but after addressing the root cause of my stubbornness (being the feeling of inadequacy and doubt in my competency), I started to get more convinced by her reasoning.
So for the past few days, I have been doing as much research as I can. I hope to report positive news (and more timely blog posts) soon! As of current, it has been over 50 days since I have been in London, which means I only have about a month left in my study abroad semester. *cues feelings of culture shock and having to adapt back to living in Florida*