Working as an Intern at PMG has completely shaped who I have become. I was always a stressed-out college student because procrastination has always worked for me, I have the ability to sit down and complete a week’s worth of assignments if I have to. Working at PMG changed this tendency, I had to balance school and work. It may seem counter-intuitive, but having more things to balance and responsibilities that impacted others, made me value my time more, and I have the PMG staff to thank for that. Beyond being flexible and accommodating, the staff is always grateful for my contributions. As an Intern, this gives me all the confidence in the world. Having a place to get feedback and to grow outside of school was eye-opening. I had never fared well in group projects because I always ended up checking everyone’s work and doing it myself. It was not because I was bossy or a control freak, as my report cards often suggested, it was because I did not trust my group members. When I joined as an Intern for PMG and met the employees, I knew I trusted them immediately because they aim for excellence.
You may think such a high standard would lead to competition, but everyone at PMG is collaborative because they understand that one person’s success is not another’s failure. I am always excited to meet 1-on-1 with my colleagues to help them with projects because I come away from the meetings that much smarter. All the PMG employees are bursting with knowledge they can offer me, and they are happy to oblige. So here are the top 10 things I have learned as an intern:
- It is better to spend more time and do something right the first time than to restart it.
- Spending a lot of time on a project does not mean you are slow, it means you are dedicated.
- There is wisdom in even the most banal conversations. You just have to be open to hearing it.
- It’s not what you know, OR who you know, it’s how you treat people.
- For Gen Z- your internet navigating skills and ability to learn from “how to” videos is a gift. Your employer will be impressed by you taking the time to learn a new skill for the job, not upset that you did not know the skill better beforehand.
- Ask your colleagues for book recommendations.
- Attend as many meetings as you can in the beginning, it will help you see the big picture of what you are working on. Often you will be working on a part of a project, but seeing how your work will all tie in is very fulfilling.
- Make daily, weekly, monthly, and even yearly goals that you update.
- Find an organization system that REALLY works for you. This can be an agenda, a calendar app, a scheduling website etc. Play around with a few until you find one you like.
- NETWORK! Engage in small talk with people even when you don’t need to. Your colleagues are going to have fun stories. Most importantly, they lived/live lives outside of work. This means they have connections outside of work. It also means they had other jobs or careers before, this honest insight is invaluable and could save you months of research.
