The Power Of An Intern

Recently an intern from one of the local colleges in Pittsburgh, PA joined me in my classes. During our conversation or rather interview, we were able to share a bit about one other and what they were looking to gain during this experience. As I recall working with interns over the years, I can say that every encounter has always been a win-win. There are many reasons but these four sticks out most:

1.      You are giving back while helping them to move forward in their education process. If you acquired secondary education, gaining that internship was critical to your scholastic requirements. I am always appreciative of the CPA firm that extended the opportunity to me and love paying it forward.

2.      You contribute to the world through them. In life some of what you learned from others has become a part of who you are. A portion of the people you learned from are passed on through you to the world. One inspiration that sticks out to me from the late Dr. Maya Angelou reads, “When you learn, teach. When you get, give.”

3.      It is a refresher course. Sometimes you have become so familiar with your work that you may have forgotten why you adopted some of your practices in the first place. Having an intern allows you to revisit the origin of these practices as you field questions. And it is refreshing!!

4.      But most importantly, you help them to make life decisions as they gain experience in real time that is often not captured in a book nor in a class. Simply stated, you are helping them to reach their potential at an accelerated rate. You can bolster their confidence as they place into practice what they learned in the classroom with the assurance that you are there to support and encourage them along the way. You empower them and an empowered employee is an asset to any company or organization.

If you are not doing so already, I would recommend having interns in your company.