First Internship

by: Tiffany Smock

This fall semester marks the first internship of my college career. And like many of my fellow students, you have been in this same position at least once. I'm sure these thoughts have come into your heads too. How do I make a good impression? What do I need to accomplish? How can I achieve the goals I've set for myself? Along with these questions buzzing around in your head, you also tend to get very nervous. You start to second guess yourself and what you are capable of. Sound familiar? Don't worry you're not alone, it's a very common feeling.

While I've only been at the LACD internship for a couple weeks, I've already learned so much that I hope to share with you. All those feelings about the first internship entered my mind as well and here are some tips to help you get over those fears.

• Take a deep breath. You were given the internship so you already achieved your first goal. Don't stress about it anymore, you're already there enjoy it! Give yourself a little pat on the back for accomplishing something you set out to do.
• Never be afraid to ask questions. Your boss/mentor is there for you. They want you to succeed at your internship and carry those skills into your future career. Asking questions is how you advance your skills and learn new things in your internship. 
• Use the resources given to you! Your boss/mentor(s) again, are there to help you with your projects/tasks. They are excellent resources for you to use and even if they can't help they know someone who can. 
• Do not undermine yourself! I can't stress this point enough! If you hold yourself back you'll never realize what you can achieve. 
• Confidence, confidence, confidence. Sadly this is something that I still have to work on myself, but this is perhaps the hardest tip to follow. Have confidence in yourself and what you are capable of doing. Don't just sit there quietly and have other people do your tasks for you. Be proud of what you've done and don't be afraid to show it!

I'm sure there are many more skills that I have yet to discover, but I hope that these have helped in some way. I will continue to work on honing these tips as my internship progresses and at the end will hopefully have gained and learned so much to share with you all. Good luck to all the first time interns out there!