Completing this internship validated all the learning I did as a linguistics major and it also motivated me to work harder in school, and exposed me to even more career opportunities. The most valuable skills that I acquired after completing the first semester of my internship are communication, punctuality, and time management. I realized that being organized or disorganized transmits to my class and students. This being a real-life situation with real-life consequences opened my eyes to the value of being punctual and managing my time in a way that helps me be and feel prepared in every facet of my day. Furthermore, I did not know how to ask for help in a professional environment because I had never had a professional job. In the beginning of my internship, I was very timid to ask for advice and nervous because I was uncertain on what kinds of activities to try. But I made the effort to go to the onsite internship office and get the guidance I needed. Sandra, the onsite supervisor’s assistant showed me all the resources available to me, including pronunciation activity books and conversation topics books. “Asking for help” is probably the most valuable communication skill I improved on. I know that it will be a challenge to adapt to the work culture at my future jobs but this internship has prepared me for that by giving me the confidence and patience to improve at my craft one day at a time.
Completing my internship validated all that I learned as a linguistics major and motivated me to work harder in school. This real-life scenario with real consequences opened my eyes to the value of being punctual and managing my time in a way that helps me feel prepared for every facet of my day. I know it will be a challenge to adapt to work culture at my future jobs, but this internship prepared me for that by giving me the confidence and patience to improve my craft one day at a time.