If you want an amazing internship experience where you enjoy both your work and your time off, be sure to avoid these mistakes.
1. Choosing a place because you like it, not because it’s good for your career
We’re aware that this is an opportunity for you to explore the world, and travel to places you’ve never been before. Or perhaps it’s your chance to return to those cities where you’ve been the happiest. Either way, don’t just choose the country you’re interning at just because you like it.
Instead, think of the career opportunities it offers: is your career popular there, or are there many opportunities there? Is it a country where innovation in your area is constantly happening? Is it a place historically known in your career area? Think of these questions and go somewhere that will be relevant to your curriculum.
2. Rejecting an offer because it’s something you never thought you’d be doing
As a marketing major, you probably never thought you’d work for a government agency, or for a logistics company. If you’re an international relations student maybe you never saw yourself working at a for-profit. Hospitality students, maybe you didn’t think room service or concierge was for you, but how did you ever define this without ever doing the work?
One of the best ways to define what we like and what we want to do for the rest of our lives is to know what we don’t like. Don’t turn down an opportunity just because it’s not what you’ve always dreamt of. This is your chance to learn. Maybe you’ll fall in love with your work, innovating and leading the social efforts of a for-profit. Or maybe you’ll find out you were right all along, and that you hate whatever position you got, but at least now you’ll know why, and you can learn to ask for a change in your job tasks.
3. Choosing an internship that’s super academically focused
Yes, we’ve said that you shouldn’t pick a place just because you like it, that you should consider its career advantages/disadvantages. And yes, we’ve mentioned it’s important you take on challenges even if they’re not super appealing. However, don’t focus too much on the academic value that you become miserable.
Find an internship where you can both get an academic reward and where you can have fun, too! If your dream work is best developed in a country that has a 17-hour difference from your home and you know you can’t go a day without talking to your family, find a middle ground! If you have experienced certain tasks at another internship that you know make you miserable, ask beforehand if you can change them or if there are any other opportunities.
So with this in mind, make a more conscious choice towards your internship. Keep in mind it’s important to choose the location wisely and to have an open mind towards offers. However, remember that you’re here to grow, yes, but what’s growth worth if you’re not having fun?
