Starting an internship is an equally exciting and daunting experience. What is there to expect? What kind of work will you be doing? These sorts of questions race through the mind as the anticipation of beginning work slowly grows. As someone that is reaching the end of my time interning in Korea, I would like to share how I have dealt with adjusting to this new work environment and what has helped me succeed along the way.
During my time working as an intern for DIOKOS and KoreaAgain, I have done most marketing and content creation. I, however, am currently studying biomedical engineering at my university. This meant that I quickly had to learn and refine many new business skills I had never used before. Working in a field I had no experience in was certainly a scary thought, and there was an adjustment period. But by keeping an open mind and eagerness to adapt to new situations, I was able to enjoy and be comfortable in my internship.
Unfortunately, there is no perfect way to prepare for the experience of adapting to a new environment and role, but there are ways to make it easier. In my experience, the first and most important thing is to remain optimistic about gaining these new experiences and skills. First starting my internship, I was slightly irritated that I would be doing work outside of the engineering field. I wondered if there was even a benefit to completing the internship. What would it do for me in my future engineering career? My doubts could not have been more unfounded. Throughout my internship, I have grown as a professional person and have gained valuable business skills I know will benefit me as I grow my career. I have practiced working as part of a team on a larger project that required multiple levels of organization.
I have learned what taking a project from plans to completion looks like. I have experienced what its like to interact directly with your supervisor about business objectives and goals. All of these lessons and more I have been able to gain from my internship. Along with this, I have expanded my hard skills to areas I previously never would have had the opportunity to, such as video editing and website development or advertising.
Looking back, all of this was possible because, despite my initial hesitation, I kept an open mind with respect to the work I would be doing. This is the main lesson that I hope to convey to all of those nervous about starting a new internship in Korea. Don’t be afraid to learn new things and understand that as you gain new experiences and skills, you prepare yourself for a more expansive career, regardless of your field.
Written by
