I have just wrapped up the first full week of my internship! In one week I feel like I have learned a great deal not only about the world of nonprofit communications, but about how professional life works in general. As this is my first internship, I have not had the experience many others have had working in an office, donning business attire, taking “coffee breaks,” embracing the challenges posed by employers… but in this week I have done all these things and more. I have a few major projects my employers have entrusted in my care, namely a revitalization of the nonprofit’s blog, a long overdue website revamping, and an assignment that will call for me to work with California state legislators, academic specialists, and field experts dealing with environmental law. As I have just started working with my employers to negotiate these projects, I do not yet have too much to report about them… more details forthcoming!

One thing of which I am certain is my feeling that I will be in a position to gain the insight I so desperately seek into my desired academic future as well as my professional future, as this internship carries on. As an undeclared major with no real certainty about what kind of degree I’ll be holding when I depart Scripps in three years, I wanted this summer to be an opportunity to learn more about myself, my interests, and potential fields I am interested in that may translate into scholastic and career futures.

At this point, I have more certainty and faith in my current direction than I did in the spring, and that mostly can be attributed to the experiences I have had interning and the work I observe my employers and other staff members doing around me. I didn’t know quite how passionate I was about environmentalism, how much I relish any communications work that enables me to write and collaborate with others, and how exciting it can be to work in a dynamic place like Sacramento where things are always happening (even in an office setting!) until I was tossed blindly into this position. Despite the 6:00am alarm I set three days a week, the dwindling thickness of my wallet, and the sometimes-redundant responsibilities I face, this internship has been a blessing. I think I know where I’m headed, and I couldn’t be more confident in my commitment.

An English major and environmental analysis minor, I have decided, is, for now, the path for me. Side note: as a shout out to any other English or humanities majors who, like me, may have felt qualms at one time about the practicality of such a major in this world that puts more and more of an emphasis on vocational training, I encourage you to read this article by a Pomona alum that a peer of mine recently shared.

If you’re reading this and have no idea what kind of degree you hope to pursue, I say don’t worry—such wisdom will come with time, and I dare you to jump headfirst into different interests to find your niche. If you’re reading this and know what you love and have an idea about what you want to do, I say good for you, and stick with it! No matter your major or your interest or your decisions regarding your future, I think that before leaving Scripps it is imperative that you test out working in the field for a time or two, be that in internship form or otherwise. Chances are you’ll learn at least a few things from such a connection, and at this point in our lives any experience is good experience!

Have a good week all!