Happy National Intern Day: How to Make Sure Your Internship Matters
Today is National Intern Day, and what better way to celebrate than by talking about the transformative power of internships? With less than a month left in Skillsoft’s summer internship program, it feels like the summer has completely flown by. I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun (and working hard!). But, the summer’s not over yet, and I’ve already learned so much over the past few months, especially when it comes to figuring out what professional values are important to me.
Before starting my internship at Skillsoft, I often grappled with the question of how to find a company where I could do good work while also doing good for others. I wanted to make sure that I found an internship that was meaningful; one where I was doing purposeful work and could help inspire positive change within the company and beyond. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice your values for pay, and throughout my time at Skillsoft, I’ve learned that there are many ways for you to ensure that the work you’re doing matters to you and others while also having a positive social impact.
Whether it be work-life balance and sustainability, or environmental, social, and economic initiatives and DEI, it’s important that you figure out what professional values matter to you. Before starting at Skillsoft, I knew that I wanted whatever job I had and whatever company I worked for to be committed to making valuable change in the communities it served. At Skillsoft, I have not only had the opportunity to see those initiatives for myself, but to actually have a part in their implementation throughout the company, as well as to help inspire other organizations to commit to making a difference in their communities too.
The biggest factor that has contributed to positively molding my experience at Skillsoft is my amazing team. They have provided me with so many opportunities to collaborate on projects that I am passionate about, and their support has given me the chance to actually see those projects through until the end. For me, my team exemplifies what it means to do work that you care about while also caring about others.
At the beginning of this internship, I took initiative and told my manager that I was interested in learning more about Skillsoft’s environmental and social efforts. With that in mind, she assigned me to projects that worked directly with leaders in Skillsoft’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts. Through these projects, I have had the opportunity to work with some amazing people throughout the company whose values are aligned with mine and who are committed to making a difference socially, environmentally, and beyond. Finding those people, asking to collaborate on projects with them, and seeing those projects through has shown me that I’m not alone. There are plenty of other people who care about implementing positive change, and by working together, we are able to have an impact on the many diverse people and communities that Skillsoft serves.
Through this internship, I have seen that Skillsoft cares. Not only do they support CSR and ESG initiatives in other organizations, but most importantly, they implement them from within, and seeing the efforts that I have been a part of come to fruition throughout the time that I’ve been working here has meant so much to me. Even if I am just writing blog posts about them, or helping produce short videos, I can see that the work we’re doing is actually having an impact and it’s been amazing. By expressing my interests, sharing the type of work that I was passionate about, saying “yes” to as many projects as I could, and taking initiative to reach out to others throughout the company and asking to collaborate, I have learned so much about the areas that I’m interested in, and I’m taking part in work that truly matters to me.
It may seem hard to make a change in a big company, especially as an intern, but you can have a voice too. By staying true to what you believe in and working on projects that matter to you, you will have an impact. Because, if you’re passionate about the work you’re producing, that passion will shine through, and it will make all the difference.
