Overthinking The Real World
My name is Anna Grillo and I am currently interning at Xercel, a company that helps redesign websites and improve brands’ social media. As my first semester of senior year rapidly comes to an end, my anxieties sky rocket when it comes to thinking about leaving school and taking on the real world. With the “real world” looming right around the corner, it is hard to believe that all of the years spent studying in school will come in handy right after graduation. I have found that the only thing that seems to settle my mind about the big, scary world is actually being part of the working people in it.
Going from a classroom where everyone is on the same level as you, to having to get an internship in a fancy office in a big city scares even the toughest of people. An internship is one of the first times that a student gets to put all of their knowledge to the test. Right after the introductions and office tour, you really get to see if the endless all-nighters really paid off. From my experience, and almost any others that you will hear, it will be proven pretty quickly that all of your hard work will be worth it. Being an intern in an office is the perfect way to know that everything you have been studying in class is really what you will be doing every day at your “grown up” job. Internships help you take what you’ve learned and expand on it, as well as making sure that what you are learning about is exactly what you want to be doing for the rest of your life. Even if there is something that you do not feel entirely confident in, being at an internship is still part of the learning process and if you ask questions and pay attention to what is going on around you, you will definitely make a good impression with everyone in the office.
With internships, grad checks, countless group projects, and searching for the dream job, it is no wonder that anxiety can get the best of you. It is hard to reassure yourself that everything you are working for is exactly what you want to be doing but getting that real life, hands on experience is the perfect way to calm the nerves and get you ready for life beyond school.
