Internship in Review

 First of all let me apologize for no Friday Ambassador post for the last few weeks.  Starting a new job and finishing the last of my internship was just enough to throw me off course when I came down ill.  I can finally wrap my brain around the fact it is Friday!! (Trust me that is a huge improvement over the last few weeks!

RC Broncos Celebrating another win

Much like the Rubber City Broncos celebrating what was another win to their road to becoming the 2015 Cardinal Division Champs the end of my internship is a celebration.   There are things that happened behind the scenes that make this internship difficult at times.  I will not go into detail about the difficulties because I think that in the end what challenges us makes us strong in anything that we do. 

Instead I wanted to share some generalizations about what I learned over the last 11 weeks.

1. No matter what you expect from your internship it will be different.  

This isn't a negative thing it is just an observation.  What your employer things is your job may not be what you thought your job with them maybe.  While I was the photographer for my team and eventually the TV show my job wasn't just to shoot pictures.  

At times I played personal assistant with responsibilities that had nothing to do with actual photography at all.  However in the end I learned what it was like to be an owner of a Semi-Pro Team. I learned how difficult it can be to be an owner.  I learned how much more there was to getting the games ready than just may part.  In many ways, I got to know various players better which in the end gave me better shots this year.  

2. Something will go wrong.

This seems like a silly concept but if you are expecting an easy internship I'll be honest in most cases something will go wrong! It could be personally related - equipment failure. It could be something completely out of your control.  

The point is you can't dwell on that and let it stop you from being the best you that you can be during your internship!  Your internship is ultimately about you getting the most out of it.  If you don't feel you are getting all you can out of it talk with your employer and make suggestions about what else you can do. Or even ask for more work.

3. You may have to nag a little about time sheets.

Depending on the employer you are working with you may have to push a little politely to get your time sheets signed off.  

First of all try not to get frustrated. You may see that your grade is going down because of late time sheets. Keep your Internship Advisor in the loop and if need be she will also intervene for you.

This will seem huge for you as you are working your tail off.  Don't sweat the small stuff this can be worked out.

4. Get it in writing - Yep I said it don't forget a personal contract 

The school will give your employer a general contract and in the process you and your employer will define your roll and your duties.

What isn't included is how your employer wants you to hand things.  What you should and shouldn't put on your time sheet per your employer. Just some general physical rules that you can both look at to know that you are on the right page.

Without this document someone or both parties maybe come confused.  It may not help to have emails and conversations about how to do things.  Your employer maybe very busy and if communication isn't clear from either party this can become a problem.

I will tell you that my internship was interesting and not at all what I expected it to be. It had it's ups and it downs.  My internship adviser introduced me to a graduate student who had a bit of a difficult internship.  He and I discussed that his  internship, while difficult, really gave him a great start. He considers it one of the reasons he has had so many successful magazine covers to his name.  It helped to give him some amazing contacts that helped to get him where he is today.

So don't forget to intern!

Happy Friday Everyone!