A Lesson Worth Learning

Even though this is my last day of having an official obligation to the Animal Care and Control Team, I feel that I will not end my work there. I have already gotten involved in the organization in more ways than I had previously expected and I feel that I can still dedicate my time to such a worthy organization. Making flyers and promotional material for a non profit organization is only one small thing that needs to happen in order to keep it up and running. It takes so many other hands and many more positions to continue making a difference. I think that is why when I began my internship there I new that it would be more than just making flyers. From the beginning of my educational career in advertising, we were taught to investigate the product or organization that we are promoting, that way you can get a real feel for what your client is looking for, what they need- you can really begin to analyze there situation and put them a few more steps in the right direction. With this internship I feel like it required more attention than your normal segment of research. It’s hard to promote something that you cannot fully stand behind without questioning- why exactly am I spending all of my precious time doing this? I became an official hands on volunteer about two weeks ago and there is no doubt in my mind about what I am doing. I never had to ask myself, was it worth it? Because to me it was worth more than any other internship I could have gotten, that may have been more official, that may have taught me more about the business, about my track, my design skills. That stuff I can always learn on my own. What you cannot learn on your own, what you must be shown so you can experience it hands on for yourself in order to completely understand it, is how many people and animals alike need that little bit of help that you can offer. After experiencing that, you realize that anything else you invest your time in becomes obsolete. And that, I believe is the most valuable lesson you can get from an internship.