If you had told me 4 years ago that I would have a business internship in Human Resources, I would have probably laughed in your face. Fifteen-year-old me was convinced she was going to have a career of being a doctor/surgeon of some sort. That just came from watching Grey’s Anatomy, though. Suddenly, one day it all changed, but I’ll save that for later. I will be going into my second year at the University of South Carolina where I major in Psychology and minor in Business Administration. I am beyond thrilled that I got the opportunity to be the Human Resources Organizational Development Intern here at Indium Corporation, and as my experience goes on, I am looking forward to the outcomes that I will get out of it as well. And now I’m here to tell you about my experience of why I chose Human Resources.
As I said before, fifteen-year-old Cara wanted to work in healthcare, more specifically as a doctor or surgeon. I always had an interest in the brain; therefore, neurology was the path I wanted to take. I knew it would be difficult; but I had great ambition to go into this field. Business wasn’t even a thought; I had no desire to take any business classes at my school, and there were so many to pick from, and even still, the business field was not in my sight. I was set on healthcare; I knew what I wanted to do. I also was very into field hockey at the time. When I say very into, I mean tournaments every weekend and the aspiration to play college field hockey, whether it was Division I, II, or III. I knew I had to pick between medical school and playing collegiate field hockey. (Plot twist; I didn’t end up doing either of these!) Once I realized I had to pick between the two, I decided medical school was out the door. I was saying no thanks to four extra years of school and the whole process of even becoming a doctor. Trying to become a doctor while being a student athlete was going to be impossible. I decided to use my strengths and ambitions in another direction and then I turned my focus there.
I still knew I wanted to pursue healthcare, but in a different career. Field hockey was still in discussion and thought. My mind was changing left and right with what I wanted to do; my brain couldn’t settle on a decision. But then again, around this time I was about 16 or 17 years old. I had to remind myself: I didn’t absolutely need to know my future career right then and there. My mind then decided to shift to 2-year healthcare programs, such as a Nursing, Radiology Technician, or Sonographer. I thought to myself, maybe medical imaging could be interesting. I still liked the brain, so I was hoping to maybe major in Psychology and minor in Neuroscience and see if I could do something with both while helping patients and making an impact on them. Then, a shift started just about then.
Here we were again, almost at the end of junior year in high school, time to pick some classes for senior year. Turned out, I was required to take two business classes to fill the requirements I needed to meet. So out of the choices I had, I chose Marketing and Introduction to Business, my worst nightmares. I wanted absolutely nothing to do with these classes, but I knew I had to do it. With Psychology and Neuroscience still in mind for a major and minor, I went into senior year with an open mind, and I wanted to see what I could get out of these business classes. At that time, I was over field hockey, and I did not want to play in college anymore. At least I narrowed down what I wanted to do, one step at a time.
When I began these classes at the start of my senior year, I was nervous, but it eventually got so much better. I heard great things about the teacher, and she had a great way of pushing you to your best potential. She also had a way of making the class material so interesting and worth knowing. Moving forward into the year, I thought to myself, this is the path I finally want to go, learning how a business works, all the aspects that go into it, even some of the psychology that goes into a workplace caught my attention. I enjoyed the hiring and interview parts the most. Practicing interviews was one of the best things a class could have done for me. Learning about real-world things in a workplace allowed me to want to be a part of that management side of an organization. I had the ability to identify the potential in people. My teacher knew which route was perfect for me, and it was Human Resources. She knew I was organized; she knew what I was good at, I like learning how things work, whether it’s people or a business. She knew this path was going to be my path. So, I started to pursue it; the next step was college.
Some things in life you just never expect to happen or change. Me? Cara Mecca? Going to the University of South Carolina for Psychology and Business Administration? Who is she? I’m nineteen-year-old Cara now! One thing that didn’t change though, is my interest in the brain and how people work. Even though I haven’t gotten into my business courses yet at school, I am so excited to see the Psychology aspect of the workplace and what I get out of it. Knowing how to help people, how they work, how to guide people, along with organizational and time management skills makes for a positive work environment and that’s the impact I want to make on an organization and the people within it. I have a great desire to improve and make something better each day. Now that it’s summer and school is done, I want to experience it. Enter Indium Corporation.
I had no clue what I was doing for a job this summer; it was starting to stress me out. My summer would be cut a little short due to the time I have to get back to school, which is much earlier than others. I was waiting for an opportunity to come my way. After countless remote internship applications, an opportunity much better came across my path. A family friend, someone I’ve known for a lot of my life, an HR Talent Specialist at Indium Corporation, informed me of this Human Resources Organizational Development internship and it caught my eye. I applied immediately upon receiving the application. I knew this was meant to happen for a reason. Fast forward, I got an email about an interview, scheduled the interview, had the interview, and happily, I got the job. I couldn’t have been more excited. I was so grateful for this opportunity to work out, and that I would be gaining this hands-on experience. From the Marketing and Introduction to Business classes I took, I gained exposure to interviews and learned about hiring in the workplace. I learned how to properly interview, market myself, and learn about the hiring processes. I am blessed those classes helped me land at Indium Corporation.
Boom, I started the internship and here I am, Indium Corporation’s Human Resources Organizational Development Intern. Just being here a couple weeks now, I’ve learned so much. Whether it’s sitting in meetings or researching at my desk, I am learning something new and useful every day. The project I am working on requires lots of research; I’ve learned to stay flexible, take breaks if needed, work on something else in the meantime, and help wherever needed – I am always there. Grasping the understanding of the behind-the-scenes processes from recruiting to hiring, to onboarding, to management is all so interesting to me, and I am looking forward to learning even more from day to day. Every person here has been so welcoming, helpful, and caring. I’m honored to work at such a place where the people make me feel so comfortable and supported. To wrap things up, anything can change at any time. But whatever road or path you end up being on is the one you are meant to be on. Whether it is for now or the future, everything will work out as it should and get figured out. I am so appreciative of this path that I have been put on, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds. This experience has already made me grow so much, even just adjusting to an 8-to-5 lifestyle. I am so ready and eager to learn more every day and experience all that Indium Corporation has to offer. And that is my rocky road to Human Resources.
