Looking Back on the Summer

This summer I had the opportunity to work at one of the most prominent tech companies in Silicon Valley. I got work with and meet some of the smartest, most talented, hardworking people in the industry. I learned so much about how businesses run, working at a desk, and getting what you need from those around you.

While I am beyond excited to head back to school in exactly one week, I will miss my fellow interns and all they taught me. Here are the biggest things I learned during the very eventful past three months.

1. You can do it. So often I had no idea what I was doing or how to even begin, but I always found that if I asked for a little help, and took a little initiative everything worked out in the end. Stumbling around is a great way to learn, and as long as you don't make the same mistake twice you are doing just fine.
    
2. You can always bring something to the conversation. I sat in a lot of meetings this summer that were about things that were completely new to me, but I found that just by paying attention I could come up with at least one helpful comment, even if it was simply ensuring consistency in other people's language. And a comment, even if it is short, ensures they won't forget you.
3. People remember people who speak. If you just sit there and listen, or quietly submit your work without comment, it will go unnoticed. Talk to others about what you are working on; ask them what they are doing. Dialogue makes you memorable.
4. The art of polite pestering is the greatest skill you will ever learn. Greater than bullshitting, greater than the perfect handshake, this will get you farther than anything else. Walking the fine line between annoying and persistent, the polite pester gets you what you need: data, forms, reports on time while maintaining good relationships.
    
5. Having nothing to do is much worse than having too much. My work was very cyclical this summer: two days of frantic chaos, a week of twiddling my thumbs. When you look for a job, don't look for an easy workload; being bored is much worse than being tired.

pattern credit: Joss & Main Rug