Throughout my internship, there were many lessons that I learned that I couldn’t learn in the classroom or from a textbook. One, cross-functional communication is easier said than done. I learned this the hard way as I was seeking out information for a team project. There were only a handful on interns at the company, so every other person I talked to was a seasoned professional well into their careers. I had to learn by taking baby steps. It takes time and effort, and it is most definitely something that you can’t learn in the classroom or from a textbook. Two, adapting to ambiguity. In my role, I was tasked with many ambiguous and undefined objectives (ex: Is the team’s educational subscription model successful?). It’s very hard to carry out tasks and technical steps when your end goal is defining something as broad as success. In school, assignments and projects are strictly defined with a task, instructions, and rubric. I learned that real-world projects often come with unclear instructions. It was vital for me to learn to adapt to this ambiguity and navigate it on my own with my first step into the career world. Many of the lessons I learned throughout my internship could only be gathered through experience. I don’t doubt that this will continue into my first few years outside of college.
During my internship, I learned the practical application of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, a topic I studied in MIS 2101. While the classroom provided a solid theoretical understanding of how ERP systems integrate various business processes and improve efficiency, applying this knowledge in a real-world business context during my internship offered unique insights. I engaged directly with different ERP components, seeing firsthand how they enable effective communication across departments and contribute to strategic decision-making. This experience highlighted the importance of data accuracy and real-time information in operational success. The hands-on involvement in projects and the transition from theory to practice emphasized the real-world relevance of my coursework and greatly enhanced my understanding and skills in managing ERP systems.
A lesson I learned throughout my internship that I would not have learned in the classroom is communication skills amongst my team and clients. In classes, we have occasional group projects but are not needed to be as engaged with communication with each other. It is more of a priority to understand the material and topics presented. Throughout my internship, communication was one thing I knew I would constantly be doing and it was the key to success for our team. Without communication, we wouldn’t be on the same page as each other and would fall behind. Another lesson I learned is that assignments and objectives will not be delivered to me in a way that it did in school. We are given specific tasks to do when it comes to work in the classroom but throughout my internship, I had to constantly chat with others on the project and present my understanding to my supervisor knowing I may receive advice to do it another way. There is no specific “correct” way to do things in the work force (aside from hard skills). I have learned that asking questions and taking the opportunity to figure out ways to interpret the task I have been given is vital.
I would say the most valuable skill I learned while on the job was how to think on my feet and problem solve. In manufacturing, we always expect changes or something to go wrong. Working in this industry, I learned how to work with the changes and come up with new solutions to solve problems. While classes like Web App Programming laid the groundwork of learning how to problem solve, it was the hands-on experiences and improvisation that has been beneficial to me. These experiences have been invaluable in my professional journey.
Throughout my internship, there were many lessons that I learned that I couldn’t learn in the classroom or from a textbook. One, cross-functional communication is easier said than done. I learned this the hard way as I was seeking out information for a team project. There were only a handful on interns at the company, so every other person I talked to was a seasoned professional well into their careers. I had to learn by taking baby steps. It takes time and effort, and it is most definitely something that you can’t learn in the classroom or from a textbook. Two, adapting to ambiguity. In my role, I was tasked with many ambiguous and undefined objectives (ex: Is the team’s educational subscription model successful?). It’s very hard to carry out tasks and technical steps when your end goal is defining something as broad as success. In school, assignments and projects are strictly defined with a task, instructions, and rubric. I learned that real-world projects often come with unclear instructions. It was vital for me to learn to adapt to this ambiguity and navigate it on my own with my first step into the career world. Many of the lessons I learned throughout my internship could only be gathered through experience. I don’t doubt that this will continue into my first few years outside of college.
During my internship, I learned the practical application of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, a topic I studied in MIS 2101. While the classroom provided a solid theoretical understanding of how ERP systems integrate various business processes and improve efficiency, applying this knowledge in a real-world business context during my internship offered unique insights. I engaged directly with different ERP components, seeing firsthand how they enable effective communication across departments and contribute to strategic decision-making. This experience highlighted the importance of data accuracy and real-time information in operational success. The hands-on involvement in projects and the transition from theory to practice emphasized the real-world relevance of my coursework and greatly enhanced my understanding and skills in managing ERP systems.
A lesson I learned throughout my internship that I would not have learned in the classroom is communication skills amongst my team and clients. In classes, we have occasional group projects but are not needed to be as engaged with communication with each other. It is more of a priority to understand the material and topics presented. Throughout my internship, communication was one thing I knew I would constantly be doing and it was the key to success for our team. Without communication, we wouldn’t be on the same page as each other and would fall behind. Another lesson I learned is that assignments and objectives will not be delivered to me in a way that it did in school. We are given specific tasks to do when it comes to work in the classroom but throughout my internship, I had to constantly chat with others on the project and present my understanding to my supervisor knowing I may receive advice to do it another way. There is no specific “correct” way to do things in the work force (aside from hard skills). I have learned that asking questions and taking the opportunity to figure out ways to interpret the task I have been given is vital.
I would say the most valuable skill I learned while on the job was how to think on my feet and problem solve. In manufacturing, we always expect changes or something to go wrong. Working in this industry, I learned how to work with the changes and come up with new solutions to solve problems. While classes like Web App Programming laid the groundwork of learning how to problem solve, it was the hands-on experiences and improvisation that has been beneficial to me. These experiences have been invaluable in my professional journey.