Jack of All Trades
My name is Michael Clementi and I am a Special Programs intern at the National Museum of American Jewish History on Fifth and Market Streets in Center City.
Before it was moved to its current location in November of 2010, the museum was run by a local synagague which had collected many different artifacts from the history of Jewish people in America. When it got moved to its current address, the museum was able to expand its work base and create new positions at the museum. That being said the museum, which just celebrated its second anniversary at its current location on November 25th, is still expanding and has to have its workers wear more than one hat while on the job. This causes the museum to look for workers who are willing to be flexible while working from different people on a daily basis. This causes most of the staff members to get to know all their coworkers as they all rely on each other in order to do what’s best for the museum.
As an intern at the museum I have experienced first had what it’s like to have to wear more than one hat while on the job. As a Special Projects Intern, I must be willing to work with whoever needs help putting together an ad as well as coming up with possible questions for the education staff, for example that they can use for the kids who come in and visit on a weekly basis. I have also had to help run public forums held by the museum, such as a movie night and a discussion that was held about the connection between religion and politics, which focused on how religious affiliation affects how a person would vote in elections. While doing this I have learned that patience is a virtue in the work world and if you are not willing to change the type of work that you are willing to do, then you are not normally the type of person that a company is willing to hire.
Being an intern at a new non-profit organization I have realized that it takes much hard work and dedication to survive in the working world. I also learned that it is possible to still like your job although sometimes the workload can be a little too much. I have truthfuly learned from this internship that it is rewarding enough to see your hard work get paid off, no matter how long it takes to get to that point.
