My intern lessons from The Intern film
Last night I watched The Intern with Robert de Niro and Anne Hathaway (they were in the movie, not in my house.) It was a lovely experience, nice movie with a mature tone. I was expecting some cringe comedy, but that was certainly not the case with this one. After the movie was over, not only I felt like I had a great time with my family, but I also have learned something I could’ve used when I started working as an intern myself.
I’m not spoiling the movie, but its premise comes from the shock of generations. On one side, we have de Niro’s character moving on from retirement with the film’s intro scene certainly making my father, retired himself, relate with every single detail. On the other, we have Hathaway’s character in a leadership position at the top of her thirties. As soon as the movie goes on, all ages can learn the same lessons alongside our ex-retired journeyman.
If you were young and was just starting out fresh at some tech company, you might have gone through this experience. They give you a computer, tell you there’s some stuff that needs to be done, and they might leave you alone to study more or handle some type of basic work. I was always confused about new beginnings. I needed to know how the company operated, what was my role, how could I act more professional, etc. At a younger age, it feels a bit overwhelming and, in my case, I was worried about doing no more than the ‘exact type of work” I was being paid. Which is funny, cause I didn’t know how much I was actually worth at the time. If you’re starting out yourself, just do what de Niro did. Many things in these types of films are fictional, but this one is right on point. The movie showed a couple of things that were important to people starting off and I’ll try to showcase some of them without giving any spoilers.
Find your value and add it to the company
If you feel out of place at a company, be pro-active and seek how to assist others move forward with what you know. Don’t wait. Don’t fool around. Believe me, you can do much more than you think you can do. You’re certainly going to feel like you are abusing of others attention at the beginning, but don’t feel shy or guilty. It’s better to ask loads of questions when you’re starting out, rather than waste time trying to figure out yourself. You’re not proving to be smart by doing that. After the work, do your research, arrive earlier the next day, improve yourself. There’s always a lot to learn and you don’t even imagine how much it is. Don’t feel like a loser or that you’re being left behind or outsmarted by others. You must reach the point where you are one step ahead of everything that is going to happen. Being ahead also means you’re depleting the knowledge extracted from that specific department, which could also mean it’s time to move on to greater challenges and repeat the cycle. This brings us to the next point.
Don’t stop the motion
Keep moving, keep spinning the wheel. Be there when others need you to be there. Yes, you might get very tired, it might feel like others are taking advantage of you. But internship is all about the learning process, not the money. When you start to become a more valuable asset to the team, your worth is gonna skyrocket by itself. Be someone essential. The learning process should be extremely fun and rewarding. At times, you feel like that is not the type of life you want to live, and that brings us to the next point.
Don’t quit if you don’t have anything else in mind
It has happened to me. I’ve always loved games but could only find jobs at web development companies. That made my routine feel like a burden as I slowly got demotivated. Instead of feeling like I was someone important or that I was wasting my time, I should’ve kept going for as long as I could until the company couldn’t teach something new. Shift the mindset to gain new knowledge.There was a ton to learn, and even if that wasn’t my field of interest, that would have increased my value in the long run. Of course, if opportunities more related to our interest appears, we can always quit. But while they don’t come, stay in and learn as much as you can!
Dress to impress
This one might seem personal taste, even for me when I started off. One of the big generation shocks in the film is how our main character always suits up to work, even though it is not really a requirement and, sometimes, even criticized by others. However I see the act of wearing a better outfit as a way of preparing yourself for something bigger. I’m not saying you should wear a a suit to go to work. (heck I don’t even own one, Brazil’s too hot!) I’m just saying you should look good, ready and stand out in a nice sense. It’s a work environment after all, not a fashion catwalk. (unless you work with fashion, of course.) Something unique and unexpected might happen every day, so it’s better to get ready to make good first impressions.
What I’m writing here might seem obvious to people living in a highly capitalist place like the US, but I feel like sharing as a reminder anyway. The mentality here in Brazil is really not the same, and these are a few things that I wanted to be taught when I was first starting out. New work experiences are crazy, but we shouldn’t stop the wheels from turning.
And I highly recommend The Intern for everyone! It’s good to watch with the parents, or the grandparents. I’d even dare to say even with the kids. De Niro’s performance is top notch and Anne Hathaway has a great chemistry with the guy. Go for it and hope the article helps you on your first internship!
