Erin Kelly

They say the best way to gain work experience is through an internship—and if that means being someone’s bitch for six months, then so be it.

Working at the lowest tier of a large company is never easy—and to be honest, sometimes it downright SUCKS—but internships teach you about work ethic, responsibility and even a little bit about yourself. Plus, they give you a taste of what the “real world” is like… except you’re probably compensated with next to nothing, nothing, or minimum wage and usually you’re parents still let you live at home, run up their cable bill and have free range of the fridge. (So yeah, real world indeed.)

While no internship is the same and everyone walks away with a different experience—good or bad, glamorous work or bitch-work, big responsibilities or administrative duties—they all allow you to add a section to your resume that essentially shows your capability to wake up on time, contribute to a company and learn valuable skills that could help you land a real job one day.

My first day on the job I arrived nearly an hour late, even after I checked and rechecked the directions 15 times the night before to avoid that situation completely. Yikes.

The shuttle bus I was supposed to take passed by without me even realizing it—I had been waiting on the wrong side of the street. Standing outside in the freezing cold Boston January air, in a suit I had only worn once before, (for the internship interview, believe it or not) I was ready to get back on the T and head home. Fortunately, after I called my boss and explained the situation, he understood.

Once I finally arrived, I was introduced to my 4×4 cubicle, set up with a computer, and immediately sent into training sessions. Since I was working as an editorial assistant for an IT company, I only had half the requirements. I had a lot of writing experience, but I didn’t have the first clue about technology.

Due to my lack of technological experience, I was overwhelmed. Words and codes like intranet, SEO, html, data centers and database were introduced to me. To be honest, I remember thinking, “WTF?” Staff members who led the training sessions kept saying, “Don’t worry, you’ll understand it all eventually!” But to be honest, I was lost… completely lost.

I also learned that while suits may look professional, this company didn’t really believe in them. Every other staff member I saw was dressed in jeans or khakis, paired with whatever shirt they felt like wearing that day. I was seriously and tremendously overdressed. Double yikes.

That night, once I got home, I remember thinking about whether or not I had made the right decision in taking this internship. What had I just got myself into? Did I really think I would learn how to format and edit a website in html code? Was I going to be able to explain to others what “whitepapers” and “netbooks” were? …I wasn’t so sure. In fact, I was pretty sure I was in for the hardest six months of my life.

In part, those six months would be some of the most challenging I’d experience in the work world. But as time went on, I began to feel more and more comfortable in 4×4 cube. I started understanding what people were saying, and when I didn’t, I asked them to explain more. When I still didn’t understand, I nodded and immediately went back to my desk to Google everything they had just said.

There were days I was asked to write about company security breaches, new products for computers, create online newsletters that were sent out to thousands of people and update websites. One day I was even asked to create a clear definition of Google Earth for the general public to use. While I never thought I’d be doing these things—hell, I didn’t even know some of them existed!—it was exciting and challenging all at once, and I really feel like I contributed to the company’s well-being and increased productivity. And my bosses and coworkers appreciated my “can do” attitude, even if I seemed overly excited about computer databases sometimes.

However, I never felt like I truly belonged at the company. As an intern, I felt awkward in the kitchen area sometimes with my superiors, and at the company conference, I felt as if I was walking on eggshells and blushing every time someone who met me said, “Oh, you’re an intern!” It also doesn’t help that these days, with IM and Google Chat so frequently used, I spent hours talking to my coworkers online, but speaking face-to-face was almost rare. I worked virtually with a coworker in California every day, but I only met her once at the company conference my second week of work! I’ll admit, I might’ve forgotten what she looked like. Large companies are great—but not as personal as smaller companies. Sure, there are big company parties and benefits, but there were also days I felt that with the exception of one or two people, I could have stayed at home and logged onto AIM, and no one would have realized I was gone! (Advisory: DON’T do that!)

However, despite these minor setbacks, I did learn to ask many, many questions—it is better to do something right once with 20 questions than to do it completely wrong without saying a word. I learned that although many people have scary boss stories, some bosses (like mine) could be really, awesomely nice. I also learned that taking an internship in a field you are unfamiliar with can help open doors and allow you to explore other interests. Plus, it’s a challenge and can be a great conversation piece during a future interview. No internship is perfect—but you have to make it your own, live it to the fullest, and make the most of your experience.

Do I sound like a mentor right now or something? Whatever. Good luck!