Experiences of an Intern

I have done internships in many different industries throughout university to try to understand which industry I may want to pursue once I graduate. All the experiences were different but there was one, which ignited my interest the most…

This is my seconding time interning with BraveNewTalent, but this time is different as the internship is a trial period that could potentially lead to a job. I have decided to return to BraveNewTalent over other companies due to the work atmosphere. It is a dynamic, active and an inspiring work place. There is also room to make your impression on the company giving you a feeling of accomplishment. Most importantly I believe in what BraveNewTalent does and what it wants to achieve with BraveNewTalent.com. In my mind that in itself is the most important thing, it makes tasks that would otherwise seem uninteresting, well…interesting.

The experience I had interning at an alternative energy investment fund was very different. Firstly, the company wasn’t used to having short-term interns so they had a hard time defining my role. Secondly, the person I was working under was always traveling so it was difficult to get in touch with him when I had questions or was finished with a project. Even worse most people in the office did not get along with one another creating a constant tension. The result being, a pretty boring, monotonous experience that definitely did not persuade me to work in the investment world again.

The next and last internship I had was at the United Nations, which was very interesting, exciting as well as challenging. The internship was well structured and I definitely got a lot out of it. However, it was more the organization that I found frustrating and which pushed me away from pursuing any further career with the UN or NGOs’ at least for now. As I am now looking to start my career, I realize how important it is to do internships but I also realize that they cannot reproduce what its like to be a full time employee in a particular industry. Firstly, you are rarely given the responsibility you would if you were a full-time employee. You also don’t know whom you are going to be working with, which in my experience is one of the most important aspects of a good working relationship. However, more than anything else it is a fantastic way of learning about yourself and what your strengths and weaknesses are like in the work place. These are the types of things you don’t get to learn at school or university. My personal experience taught me that you should always make sure the company you are looking to intern for is used to having the internship position you are looking for. There is nothing worse then sitting at your desk all day and having nothing to do.

Mariella Danspeckgruber, BraveNewTalent intern