LINK Internship
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Reflection
Coming into LINK I had great customer service skills from other jobs I have had. This definitely gave me a leg up, adjusting to a new environment with strangers can be hard, especially if there are real life consequences to your actions. The fact that I am not afraid to speak up and ask questions really proved to be an advantage. Because of this, I always knew what to do and never really made any mistakes. If I was assigned a task that I was uncomfortable or unfamiliar with, I was never timid to ask for clarifying information. I also have a dog and love playing and observing all kinds of dogs so that just came naturally to me. I think the most important skill of mine was following orders because in a work environment if you do not respond well to being told what to do you will not make it far. I think my best skill that I acquired was adapting to new programs. All the purchase orders and sales that I logged were done on different computer programs so it was hard to differentiate between the two programs. I adapted to this by observing people that knew how to work the two programs and learning from what they did. Through struggling with this and lots of trial and error, I picked up the skill of note taking and brainstorming new ways to keep myself and responsibilities organized. One thing that really made me nervous was reaching out to other professionals in the community. The first email I sent, I was terrified that it was utterly unprofessional. But as I sent more emails and received positive responses my confidence really grew and I found that being professional doesn't exactly mean talking with a elegant vocabulary and dressing nice. It's more about the content of the conversation. I really think I was a great asset to the company. Besides my videos that will hopefully help promote the company I was always offering to give a helping hand with any of the employees. I tried to take the time I was not working on my project to help out around the company doing little things like stocking shelves cleaning and watching dogs. I think HHFC should take interns in the future Animas High School kids have a great work ethic and know to surprise people in the community with our maturity and dedication. This internship experience is going to set me up for success like none other. I really want to own my own business but it is a scary lifestyle to pursue, entrepreneurs either make it big or burn and crash in the early stages. Lee-Ann, my mentor, shared lots of tips and stories with me that help my confidence for my future plans. Making a commitment to owning a business is something you have to be all in on and after seeing how well everything is going for Lee-Ann and her company reassured me that this is really what I want to do with my life regardless the risks and challenges I will be presented with. Listening to Lee-Ann teach me about business related subjects was fun for me and I was truly engaged and interested to hear more the whole time. All my life I have hated learning and studying until now, I am confident this is what I want to do with my life and this internship was the exact experience I needed to show me that.