Lessons I Have Learned

By: Maureen Corbett

One of my main responsibilities for this internship position I held all semester was creating the Liberal Arts newsletter. Every month, Professional Pathways is emailed to all Liberal Arts students and contains information on internship opportunities, full-time positions, and other events at Purdue that are related to career development. In addition to  this, we always have a section entitled "Lessons from the Ladder" in which we feature a distinguished College of Liberal Arts alumnus who is flourishing in his or her career. These people share what has helped make them successful, and in turn I write a short article so that these successes can be passed on to other Purdue students.

As the baby among all the other interns  for LACD, I felt that it was my job to listen to everyone else around me and soak up as much information as I could. These alumni were successful for a reason, and if they were willing to impart any of their wisdom to me I was ready to hear it. The same thing goes for all the other senior interns this semester. I knew that they were all chosen for this position because they were hard-working, driven, and had something valuable to offer our team. It was my goal to model their behavior and one day be as successful as everyone else seemed to be. Looking back on the entire semester now, I realize just how much I have actually learned from this experience, and as the year draws to an end I can see that it is now my turn to pass down this wisdom to others.

One of the main things I have learned this year is the importance of being adaptable. Our team worked very hard all semester to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible. However, with nine different schedules, communication errors are bound to happen and things can fall through the cracks. Normally, I am the type of person who when things start to become stressful, I freak out and feel like I can't handle the situation. However, this internship experience has taught me that keeping my cool is one of the most valuable traits one can have in the workplace. None of the other interns would have anything to benefit from if I freaked out or overreacted when things weren't going the way we had planned. Instead, it is important to embrace change and do the best with what you have.

I also discovered that there is nothing wrong with asking for help. Working for LACD was a little overwhelming for me at first, and I thought that I was expected to know how to do everything right away. This is never the case with any job. Every boss wants the kind of employee who will ask questions in order to make sure he or she fully understands what is expected of them. It doesn't make you a lesser person if you have to clarify things with others, or ask for advice about something you are working on. Effective communication is one of the most valuable things employees can have when working in a team, so embrace the time you spend collaborating with others and getting assistance when necessary. Understanding how working with others can help you improve your own work is a valuable life lesson, and should never be taken for granted.

It is a great feeling to look back as where you were 4 months ago and recognize all the changes you see in yourself. It is important to always try to improve your work and grow as a person, because without improvement you will fall behind. As this semester draws to an end, I am happy to say that I am truly grateful for this experience and everything it has taught me. I am going to miss everyone very much next year, but I know that we will all take the knowledge we have learned this semester and apply it in order to make ourselves successful in the future.