Before starting my internship, I was worried about moving to an unfamiliar new city. I didn’t have an established group of friends or knowledge of the area that I could lean on as I transitioned into my very first internship and professional role. I initially thought I would rarely talk to anyone outside of work and anticipated a summer of solitude living alone in the dorms provided by Indium Corporation. But I would soon find out that this presumption was completely wrong.
The second I met the other interns at orientation, these worries washed away. I was greeted by smiles filled with excitement and nerves just like I was feeling. Although we all were a bit shy at first, we spent the day learning about the company and each other. Those of us living in the dorms quickly connected and decided to have dinner together each night. I have come to be very grateful for a group to do a daily after-work-debrief with, and who were just as excited about their jobs as I was. We would talk about our favorite moments from the day, small successes, and what we were looking forward to working on, which cultivated an environment of joy and curiosity unlike I have ever experienced before. I also found a carpool and lunch buddy, so that no matter what the workday brought, there was always a friendly face around. Despite my initial perception of my social life at Indium Corporation, I am never without friends going through a similar experience to talk to.
Week by week, we got to know each other better. As we made more after-work and weekend plans to explore the Utica area, get together for birthday dinners, or go for quick coffee runs, we began to feel like a community. Some fellow interns and I have been learning how to live more independently. One of the biggest hurdles to climb was cooking a healthy lunch to eat for the week. We started with burnt vegetables and dry meat but are slowly growing. We are also learning how to effectively use our after-work time for daily tasks, hanging out together, and having fun. By the end of the summer, I hope to be practiced in living the life of a working adult. I am grateful that I can learn with a community of people that are also working their first nine-to-five jobs and are exploring the new lifestyle that comes along with that.
I have also learned how drastic the differences between academia and working life can be. There were many nights where I wished I could just sit down and continue working, an artifact of my academia lifestyle telling me to just finish the work regardless of the time of day. I did not expect this shift to be so difficult for me. I was anticipating loving the extra time after work and being able to easily change my focus from work to home. I am acclimating to the new schedule, learning how to leave work at work and use my time away from the office to focus on other aspects of my life, like being active and indulging in my hobbies, something I had seldom experienced before.
When hearing about what the other interns do for work, I came to appreciate our different talents and interests. While I love working on a chemistry and materials science-based projects, I have zero interest in the marketing, sales, or finance ends of the business. But I have realized that a business wouldn’t function properly without all parts of the team. The importance of these positions has taught me to appreciate the other interns’ interest in them. The world needs all types of people, the communicators, the explorers, the problem solvers, and the organizers, to work together. Each of us is in the position best suited to us, with an amount of interacting with others and hands-on work appropriate to our diverse personalities.
At work, I felt similar themes of inclusion and excitement from my new coworkers. While getting to know my new facility, my supervisor introduced me to everyone we came across. Just like my first day, I was greeted with many remarks of excitement and invitations to ask for help if I ever need anything. This further calmed my anxieties about my transition into my first professional setting. I realized that they genuinely wanted to help me succeed at my internship. As I became more comfortable with my neighbors in the office and the lab, I got to know more about what their roles were and explore the vast network of opportunities that Indium Corporation offers. I learned so much just by being around other people characterizing materials. Listening to their discussions helped me see how much materials science I actually know, which increased my confidence in my knowledge and abilities while igniting a curiosity to know even more about the science behind the materials I am working with.
I was surprised by how quickly I was trusted by my coworkers to operate independently. Soon after being trained on the equipment I would need to use for my work, I was collecting and analyzing all of my data on my own. While I was initially nervous at the idea of possibly making mistakes or not knowing where all the materials were, I became reassured that there are many people around me I could ask for help who would be more than happy to assist me. I am often reminded that it is okay if I make a mistake because that is how learning really happens, which proves to me that my supervisor and coworkers are truly invested in my success. I eventually became more certain in my ability to complete my work correctly and efficiently, which allows me to focus on learning as much as I can about the industry, doing research, and problem solving as an engineer.
I was even able to learn more about the area from coworkers, recommendations of restaurants to try, towns to explore, and nearby natural wonders. Even though I have ended up with a list of things to do that is much larger than I could possibly complete, I have become to feel like part of the community at work regardless of the fact that I am much younger and have much less experience than those around me. I have undeniably felt welcomed and respected by every single person I have met at Indium Corporation so far this summer. They (along with the amazing coffee machine) have made me excited to come to work every morning and foster my first professional connections and make each day full of excitement and learning.
This least-expected aspect of my internship is turning out to be one of the most meaningful. I have learned so much more than I expected because of the kindness of the people I have interacted with. I have been offered the opportunity to trial run the rest of my working life. And so far, I like what I see: a community of people working together towards their own goals. I look forward to seeing how much more this internship will teach me. The diverse community I have built at Indium Corporation and the lessons they have taught me will follow me throughout my career.
