High School Internship with a Design Company

Looking to get some real world experience?

Deciding your future profession can sound intimidating, as it is singlehandedly one of the biggest decisions you will make in your life. With thousands of different possibilities and various job opportunities, it can be very puzzling to find out what you actually want to do to make a living.  A great way to learn more about yourself, while gaining more experience in certain fields, would be taking part in an internship.

As a rising senior in high school, you can probably feel my stress levels and tension. I’m at the point where I’m expected to know where I want to go for college, what I want to major in, and what work field I plan on entering. While I recognize that these are imperative questions, it is concurred that there are no easy answers to any of them. While I do have a major in mind, I want to make sure that I make the right decision for myself. While interning for Pier5, I have discovered several things about myself that I was unaware of before. I am very grateful that I was able to experience the opportunity of being an intern, and I want to share exactly how I got into this position and what I have learned, in the hopes that it will benefit others.

What I learned:

Every company has a different purpose, so every intern’s experience will be different. In my experience interning with Pier5, a company that works with businesses to help build their online presence, I noticed that I can now recognize different flaws with websites and immediately attempt to think of better solutions. I helped create a logo for a company, so now my eyes instantly fall on different logos of certain companies, and I admire how they’re designed. I have also worked with Photoshop, and now my skills are a bit more polished. They aren’t perfect, but I am definitely getting there!

Was it worth it?

Definitely! Not only did I get to build upon and acquire certain skills, I also built connections and got to work with other creative individuals (that know a lot more than I do). It is an experience I recommend 100%, as it really helped me realize what skills I have, what skills I need to work on, and what my future could possibly hold. Thanks to this internship experience, I think I have finally discovered what my passion really is!

What’s next?

Now that I have gained various skills, I plan on applying them to future projects! Now that I have a better understanding of what I want to do with my future, this newfound knowledge will be super handy when I start applying for college in a few months. For the other high schoolers that might have a similar position as me, “pre-internship”, I highly suggest you do your research and apply for different internships that seem interesting to you. A tip from me, don’t pick an internship that you think will just “look good to colleges.” Colleges will love to see any demonstrated interest from you, so make sure to apply for opportunities that you know you will probably enjoy, while gaining new knowledge and skills!

Myiesha