Congratulations! You just landed an amazing internship. It’s 2,000 miles away and with the experience you’re gaining comes brutally hot weather, large insects and unfamiliar roads. This may sound awful. But I promise it’s worth it.
Jolee Edge, a User Experience Apprentice at the Digital Corps interned in Scottsdale, AZ with Steve Levine Entertainment and Public Relations. During her time there, she grew her event planning, talent booking, press release writing and social media marketing skills. Jolee loved the internship as she met tons of great people and who offer her possible avenues to other great experiences.
That being said, Jolee wasn’t working all the time. She quickly learned the importance of appreciating the environment you’re in. Balancing work and leisure lead to even stronger connections and more opportunities.
But for the first two weeks, Jolee hid in her apartment.
“The first two weeks I sat in my apartment and watched TV. My mom and dad said, ‘Why don’t you just go out and drive around? Go see things!
So that’s exactly what Jolee did. She explored.
“I went everywhere,” said Jolee.
Jolee discovered the importance of independence and exploring the environment around you. In Arizona, there is no shortage of beautiful landscapes, fantastic people, and great food. At one point during the summer, Jolee went with three summer friends to Sedona, AZ. They drove through the night, spending an hour to get through 5-miles of rocky terrain in their jeep. Once they arrived to their camp site, it began to pour. Without enough time to set up tents, the four friends spent the night in the jeep.
“Everyone was mad at me because this was all my idea,” Jolee said. “And then we woke up the next morning and it was the most beautiful view I had ever seen in my entire life.”
Jolee learned to be by herself. She started cooking on her own and explored the land around her. She even went hiking on her own! While she admits to getting lost a lot, the overall experience was definitely worth it.
“I gained so much independence. I loved living by myself. Obviously when I saw a spider, I was like, ‘Okay, I don’t want to live alone anymore!’ But that was fine. That only happened once…’”
When you land an internship, it’s important to be memorable. You want to make your mark and leave an impression. After all, it could lead to a job, right? But more importantly, no matter how hot it gets, how insane it may seem, making sure that your internship itself is memorable.
Internships provide a gateway into learning about new skills and technology, but they also provide you with the tools you need to be independent and develop into a true adult. Keep exploring, because even if you’re completely in the dark with what you’re doing, you never know what you’ll see when you’re in the light.
