I am an intern, and thank you for not treating me like one.

chaos(erena)
Jul 25, 2017 · 3 min read

I’ve never gotten anyone coffee but I’m so glad to be treated like found potential, not cheap labour.

6:20am, good morning snooze button.
6:25am, I’m up, I swear.
6:40am, omnom breakfast.
7:15am, commuter train.
8am, commuter subway.
8:20am, daily iced coffee.
8:30am-9am, let’s start this work thing.

I really enjoy being an intern. There’s slightly less pressure, there’s an immense amount of focus on your personal and professional development, and there’s (some level of) support and guidance. And I’m not saying that I expect to be treated like a coffee-picker-upper intern. I’m saying that I’m being treated more than a typical intern and it’s brought out the best in me. Here’s a mid-term reflection and the most valuable takeaways thus far.

Mentors: why haven’t I had one before?!

I never really understood how mentors would benefit me, especially when I already had a direct manager. But they both serve different purposes. Mentors are advisors, someone you can reach out for general life advice without looping back to your work all the time. Mentors are looking out for your overall and personal development, since they’re independent from your professional development. Whether they’re helping you navigate a large corporation or deal with work stress, they’re your mentor because they want to help you feel a little less alone in the workplace. They also sometimes buy you coffee.

To my managers,

thank you for entrusting me with responsibility and belonging. These two alone have made this internship one of my most valuable experiences. Thank you for inviting me to meetings — and not being a minutes machine. Thank you for making me think about myself and develop a 30–60–90. Thank you for turning me into a better person to work with. Thank you for showing me around. Thank you for the ongoing and genuine confidence. Thank you for treating me as an associate, not an intern — I can’t stress this part enough. Thank you for considering me as a part of your team. Thank you for pushing me for face time with execs, the department, the company. Thank you for the Starbucks. Thank you for the opportunity, thank you. It’s the little things.

I’ve learned how to live and breathe a corporate brand not only through swag but also through mindset and lingo. I’ve loved being busy and looking forward to continuing yesterday’s work in the morning. I’ve loved taking a glance at the time only to see it’s 30 minutes past my typical lunch hour.

Dear companies who are thinking of hiring interns,

Intern work is essentially bits and pieces of full time employee work. From a payroll perspective, it’s discounted hours with an unpredictable ROI — you never know if your intern will come back, nor can it ever be expected. From a manager’s perspective, we should be potential — for the company, for the team, for you to pass experience on. If you don’t think we have potential to catalyze new ideas and move you forward, don’t hire us. If you do, it may be counterintuitive but you need to foster it. Interns are strange creatures — loyal yet crazy for loopholes, ambitious but selectively, confident yet feedback-dependent. We’re typically here for four months but even then, you might not see our best work because we never felt like we belonged to your company. In this case, you’ll never get the bright and fresh ideas you hoped for.

honestly, my current favourite things — bubble tea, sushi, and YouTube

On Friday, I had a solo desk lunch. I grabbed bubble tea down the street, picked up some stellar sushi, then went to my desk to watch the newest YouTube videos on my feed. It was exactly what I needed — simplicity among the crowd, the drive, the hustle. And within the hustle, to my fellow interns, always make time to just enjoy the things you love — for me, that’s food and pure downtime.

omnom(chaos)

paragraphs of travel & food & tech & events & overall chaos

chaos(erena)

Written by

Hi, I study EE, do STEM outreach, and write. chaoserena.me

omnom(chaos)

paragraphs of travel & food & tech & events & overall chaos

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