Introduction
An internship program is a source of experiential learning that a student needs to be fully prepared for a future career. It helps them develop their skills and gives them a competitive edge as they seek a permanent employment position. This paper explains the experiences of internship program at a top company in the interior design industry. Having a particular level of academic prowess as well as gaining essential life skills is viewed as a critical aspect of career preparedness a student receives in college, experiential or practical learning is more important.
Studio O+A
Studio O+A prides itself in understanding the imagination of their clients and, through its employees, deliver that into reality. At the start of the internship at Studio O+A company, I targeted doing a great job to secure a contract. Any intern carrying out meaningful tasks requiring payment is entitled to an agreement, which was one of my expectations. My second goal was to learn valuable work skills as well as gain practical experience. Having an accomplished employer on one’s curriculum vitae is good. However, it would be a waste if one did not gain the right skills in their field. It is essential to ask for opportunities to develop valuable skills that would be useful in future jobs. Having all this, I aimed to ask for opportunities to join project groups and be actively involved.
Tasks
While interning, I was lucky enough to be the part of the design team for a project involving a high-profile client. The project concerned designing the floors for a company in Los Angeles that had built new offices in the city. As part of the project team, my job was to handle minor tasks that needed little supervision, and as the days went by, I was given more challenging tasks.
Advantages
There are many benefits of working as an intern for companies. Apart from learning specialized skills in interior design, I gained experience in other skills like teamwork and communication. Another benefit I enjoyed due to the internship program was gaining an edge that would be instrumental in my future career. Working in an established company means that one becomes more confident in their abilities since one interacts with some of the best professionals in the industry. This enables a seamless transition to a permanent employment position.
It should be noted that I was not only an intern in a well-known and respected company in the interior design industry but I was the part of a project involving another big company.
Challenges
Despite the benefits from the internship program, I encountered challenges. For example, I was asked to develop a list of designs that would fit a client’s floors, but I was not sure if they would be considered. Even the report that I wrote did not look similar to the final one. Having my expectations so high about getting a contract, it was important for my work to be recognized. I had too much work since other individuals understood that I was an intern and was there to learn – they decided to capitalize on that and heap their duties on me.
Internship and Mentorship II vs. Internship and Mentorship I
Internship and mentorship programs aim to provide a learner with hands-on skills that are applicable in their future careers. The programs are the main reason why interns become successful in the future. They can adapt better and quicker to the work environment culture (Anjum, 2020). The first time, during internship and mentorship I, one is taught about the industry and only given tasks that are manageable by anyone with less specialized skills. The programs are the main reason why interns become successful in the future. Despite both internship and mentorship I and II programs having the same goal, they have differences. For instance, during the second time I went on internship, the trust from the supervisor was more.
Enhancing Individual Experience
After gaining the skills from the company, there is still room for improvement, considering my desire to become better in the interior design sector. While being an intern, the skills I gained from the work experience made me a better team player. All team members knew the goals of the project and understood what the organization needed and thus collaboratively shared information that would help another do a better job. I became more vocal and could manage myself and others well. Trusting in one’s capabilities is essential if one desires to offer more contribution to important tasks at a workplace.
Impact of the Internship Experience on Future Employment
The two experiences helped me since employers trusted in my ability to deliver what is written in my curriculum vitae. Apart from that, employers knew that I was more than capable of delivering excellent work since I informed them of my projects. All these helped me not to struggle in the job market, and I was offered several opportunities and chose the one I loved. Handling tasks in projects that involve high risks means that someone is confident in their skills, and that confidence is what employers are looking for.
Conclusion
From the paper, it is clear that an the program assists the learner to become better than their peers and gain an edge in the job market. Internship aims to offer work experience that will help a learner develop specialized skills useful for their future employment opportunities. Additionally, the program is the main reason why interns become successful in the future, especially in the job market. They can adapt quickly to the work environment culture. Internship also opens doors for networking opportunities a learner may not have anywhere else.
Recommendations
It is hard to get a chance to work as an intern in top companies. This is due to the kind of experience one gets in the top companies being unmatched and can go a long way in impressing their future employers. Any individual with skills but lacks confidence is not attractive to employers in the job market. When an individual starts their internship program, it is crucial that they have expectations and treat them as goals. For instance, if an intern impresses an employer, they stand a chance to get a contract after the internship is over. If the learner has such an expectation and treats it as a goal, it will be easy for them to withstand all challenges that they may face while at work.
Reference
Anjum, S. (2020). Impact of internship programs on professional and personal development of business students: A case study from Pakistan. Future Business Journal, 6(1), 1-13. Web.