LinkedIn Post: Lessons From My First Internship

One year after my first internship, I reflected on how my experience prepared me throughout the job search process of my second internship, and furthermore, how it developed me as an individual in my professional life.

​(note: This article is used in Valley Water's official internship packet!)

cubiclemates!!!

When I was five, I made a promise to my grandparents that once I got a “big girl” job, I would buy them any pastries they wanted. I fulfilled that promise last summer. Nothing felt better than when they bit into those piping-hot, freshly-steamed bánh baos with xá xíu filling.

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The past several months of job applications, follow-up emails, and sore rejections gave me time to reflect on how special last summer really was. I especially felt this during interviews when I was asked to speak about my past experiences. My first internship at the Santa Clara Valley Water District was truly a gift. I pursued it for weeks—I’m sure I became a staple name in the Human Resources department because of the ungodly amount of times I called for updates. I wanted a job that impacted the good of the community, and in this case, that impact cannot be more straightforward: to provide clean, safe water. While I am joining a different field this summer, I acknowledge how grateful I am for the mentors and the community I've gained at the District. Without further ado, here are the six key lessons I learned from the most growth-filled summer of my life (so far):

1. There is no such thing as “too early.” During intern orientation, I was surprised to meet several high school students. I had always thought that internships were a “later in college” thing, so I never pursued them until my second year. I became great friends with my cubicle-mate, Angel, who, at fifteen, also happened to be the youngest intern at the District. There was a huge conversational disparity between us, despite being only five years apart. As different as we were, we learned a lot from each other. We talked about a wide range of things, from our favorite music artists to how different the standardized testing process is compared to several years ago. His ambition was admirable. When I was his age, my summers consisted of watching TV or going to the mall. I didn’t think this work was accessible back then. My conversations with Angel put a lot of things into perspective, even in those moments where he made me think, “Wow, I’m old.” He taught me that there isn't a "correct" age for exploring your interests.

2. A good mentor is invaluable. I may be biased, but I was blessed with who I believe to be the funniest, most popular guy at the District as a mentor. My mentor, Ken, was the type of person who cannot go for merely a five-minute water break because he would be stopped by literally every person he ran into. Since my role was not directly related to my major, I appreciated Ken so much for introducing me to the Communications department. If I needed or wanted to learn anything beyond my role, Ken knew a person for that. He understood the importance of letting me go beyond what was given to me, and provided opportunities to work on projects that were more relevant to my interests. Also, he was always prepared to provide advice on topics outside of work. He gave me guidance on subjects from higher education to parenthood. I cherish our little moments that made work fun, like when we had our weekend updates, or when we would share cultural foods. (I will never forget the look he made when I brought him a rambutan—it was priceless!)

3. There is a treasure trove in other people’s experiences. I was one of the youngest people on the floor, and it was great when coworkers stopped by my cubicle to ask about college. They saw me the way I saw Angel! Everyone around me was so diverse in educational background, career path, culture, and more. There was something to be learned from everyone, and everyone was in different stages of life. They were all rooting for me; they were encouraging me to explore my passions and to gain new experiences as a young, lost college student. In the future, I want to enter a mentorship program such as #BuiltByGirls because it was extremely meaningful to gain insight from others. Specifically, I want to speak to younger professionals of my background. On my final day, everyone imparted me with the same words: “Don’t worry. You’ll figure it out.”

4. Work-life balance gets harder and harder. As an off-session college student who was fortunate to secure an internship in my hometown, my schedule consisted of going to work, going home, eating dinner with my family, and getting a good night’s sleep in preparation for the next day. However, at work, my coworkers talked about their kids’ sports practices, their religious events, and other aspects of life that they worked their schedules around. I already felt tired with my own schedule! When school is in session, I manage to balance my school work with extracurriculars and general life maintenance (like chores and cooking), but my coworkers were responsible for entire other beings. I guess it comes with being a spouse, being a parent, or being a caretaker in general, but I will learn the particularities of time management in this context as life goes on. For my coworkers, work doesn’t end when they go home. (And my boss and supervisor gave me and Angel plenty of parenthood stories to scare us off.)

5. The world is full of ambitious people. I appreciate the work that our Human Resources department put into intern bonding. We had work events together, a field trip, and many, many happy hours. Through these events, I built connections on LinkedIn, but more importantly, I made lots of friends! Even though everyone was working in separate departments, it was interesting to think about all the different paths we were going to take. Students came from all around the country to work at the District, and I’m glad this internship allowed our paths to cross. Everyone was so passionate about what they were working on. Personally, I did not find an interest in geo-mapping or creek maintenance, but I met several interns who get psyched for it. To this day, although we are back to being dispersed around the country, seeing other interns' social media updates puts a smile on my face because I love seeing everyone thrive. We forty kids shared that past summer together, and it’s an experience that's special to only us.

6. Finally, there’s a lot more to even the seemingly simplest parts of everyday living. This is specific to my company. Before working at the District, using water was just a turn of the faucet. Now, I know hundreds of people are working to make that possible. From water tasters, to filter controllers, to my own department, I did not realize how many people it took to maintain a resource that we largely take for granted. Furthermore, there were complexities within government work that I was astounded to learn. How do we fund our projects? How do we disperse the water around the county? How do we recycle water and become more environmentally efficient with it? These are loaded questions that took an entire summer to understand, but one thing is for sure: I will never look at my sink the same way again.

Overall, to say that my internship at the District gave me work experience is a severe understatement. It provided insight on a multitude of aspects that will forever change my approach to career-building. It was precisely the type of environment that I will seek in my future endeavors. Last December, the highlight of my winter break was having lunch with my former department over plates of cơm tấm—just like in the office, we were exchanging cultures. All in all, the reminders of my summer internship are embedded into my everyday life: in my interviews, in my resume, and in my sink.