BEING THE INTERN

July 3, 2019

WHAT ONE MONTH OF INTERNING HAS TAUGHT ME.

I’ve been interning for about a month now… I’m definitely excited and super lucky to be here, and I’ve learned some pretty cool things along the way. Here are a few:

You’re not going to create any ground-breaking work (if you do though, KUDOS to you!). I know, you’re capable of creating great things. But this is when you need to leave your ego at the door. Slide decks, retouching, resizing, small little tasks that no one wants to do. Relax, you’re the intern. You need to work your way up and prove yourself. And if you have the chance, come up with your own ideas to show your CDs. And if that’s too overwhelming for you, then just breathe and take in the experience and do good work… even if it’s putting together an amazing slide deck. 

Every internship is different, don’t compare yourself to others, and take this as a learning opportunity. Your friends at agency X may be working longer hours and doing some cooler things than you… but you have the opportunity to work on your own projects for your book and get feedback from your CDs (which is AWESOME). The next place you end up at will be completely different. The whole point of the internship is to get experience and to eventually figure out where you want to end up. Not all agencies are made the same.

Make connections, and learn as much as you can from everything. Meet people, book lunches, get coffee. This is your opportunity to make connections, because you are in the same building as the people you want to work with. Ask for help. Participate as much as you can. 

Take it all in, breathe… you’re not going to become a creative director overnight. It takes time. 

I’ve had to tell myself this many times, because I know what I’m capable of, but I also know that I have so much to learn. This is a journey, and every bump along the way is a learning experience.

Your CDs are an amazing source of feedback. If your ideas are shot down, that’s a good thing. Your CDs know you’re an intern, and they’re just helping you. Just take a deep breath, and use their feedback to help you come up with better ideas. Learn as much as you can from them, and try not to take feedback negatively. Even if you feel a bit intimidated, it will get better over time (and it is great practice for pitching ideas!).

All in all, I was super overwhelmed the first week. Not because I was overwhelmed with work, but because I was just trying to get used to the way things are run. 

What are some of the things you’ve learned (or are learning) from your internship?

-S.