Well today is my second to last day of my summer internship. (But I’m celebrating that today is the last day I have to wear business clothes because tomorrow is dress down day). This internship has been a blessing in disguise because, although it wasn’t my “dream job,” it was my first-grown up job and I’ve learned a lot about what I value in a career. Here are my takeaways from my internship, Thinking Out Loud style.
1. Work is a big part of your life, so you should love it. By the time I got home at the end of the day, the day was basically over and I wasn’t “fulfilled.” Yes, I would wake up early and work-out (something I love to do) but that’s pretty much the only part of my day I can say I “loved.” I hope to find a full-time job in a field I’m passionate about because I don’t want to feel like I’m staring at the clock and counting down the hours.
2. However, I’ve realized that “dream jobs” are very hard to come by. In my mind, my dream job involves working under 40 hours a week, making good money, not sitting at a desk all day and doing work that makes me happy. HAHA. Obviously that’s not realistic and this summer has been eye-opening in the sense that I’ve realized that no job will ever be perfect. Even if I loved the field I was in, there would always be some downsides. I have pretty much eliminated many of my job “must-haves” and have decided that loving what I do is at the top of my list (see above).
3. Desk jobs aren’t for me. Spending 8+ hours at a desk all day has been a huge challenge for me. Mix that with keeping quiet, sitting in a cold office and doing repetitive work caused me to go a bit stir crazy.
4. Snacks are necessary. Packing snacks for every few hours was new for me (I haven’t packed a lunch in a few years) so the first few days were a fail in the nourishment zone. Snacks not only gave me something to look forward to, but gave me the energy to get through the oh-so-real midday slump.
5. I’m SO lucky to come home to dinner. I’m very fortunate that my mom makes dinner (almost) every night and I don’t have to fend for food or force myself in the kitchen after a long day. Obviously this won’t be able to continue for the rest of my life so I realize how grateful I am now.
6. College life is awesome. I may not like the stereotypical college atmosphere (partying, drinking, etc.), however, I love the freedom. The freedom to schedule classes, plan my days out and take naps when I want. This is something I’m going to take advantage of for the next two years because as much as I want to be done with college, I don’t necessarily want to leave the lifestyle yet. Good thing college is 4 years :)
7. If I don’t workout in the morning, it’s not happening that day. Plain and simple…I don’t have any energy after work. I applaud those who workout in the evenings! It would probably release a lot of stress from the day.
8. I’m lucky to have a job. I have many friends who couldn’t find (or chose not to look for…) a job or internship this summer. While I may be envious of their free time, I know that my summer experience will be very beneficial down the road.
9. I’m well aware of the stereotype that my generation is lazy and I want to continue to defy that label and work for my success. I don’t want anything handed down to me. Just like I’ve “earned my grades” in school, I want to earn my place in the workforce and work my way up the ladder. Who knows, maybe that dream job does exist ;)
10. High heels are cruel. End of discussion.
What have you learned from a previous (or current) job?
Morning is the best time to workout, no questions asked! When I hit college I definitely want to move out of the house.
Yep, I just wake up and go! If not, I start to lose motivation.
If I could have stayed in school forever, I probably would have. As much as I griped about exams and essays, none of that compares to how annoying work can be. I actually made a pretty big career change a few years ago which landed me in a job that I’m super happy with, but everything prior to that was basically just getting through the motions. I think having a job that you’re happy with is one of the most important things, even if it doesn’t necessarily bring you as much money as something else would. And yessss — having a desk job would be the absolute death of me.
I’m SO antsy at my desk. I think people are concerned that I prefer to stand rather than sit during some meetings.
I ever really thought about the school schedule until this week. Now that I have to get grocery shopping, laundry, important phone calls to banks and insurance companies, move into an apartment, etc, I’m realizing why people say they want to go back to college. I love internships though because it’s a nice balance of both. It sounds like you really learned a lot and trust me, that dream job WILL come. You might not even know it exists yet ;)
Yikes- that sounds so grown up! You go girl :) Yes, you’re completely right about internships being a good balance…I feel like I can sometimes use the “I’m in still in college” excuse, which is nice.
I’ve been out of college 6 years now (ahh!) and am a teacher. There are days I love my job and days I hate my job. I totally agree with morning workouts. I am not sure how I will juggle working out and work and picking up my twins at daycare this year – but I will do it however it works best – even if it is after work.
I think if I got into a habit of working out after work I might really enjoy it. I’m probably more tired in the morning than I am at night anyway, so it might be a better workout! I’m sure once school starts you’ll settle into a routine that fits everything into the day :)