More tips from Vasilis on how to make the most of an internship ( part 3 )

MSc Business Management graduate Vasilis Gkogkidis did an internship with Gamification+, which lead to full time graduate employment. Here he is sharing his experience of how to make the most of an internship.

 

Learn as much as possible

You may decide to do an internship related to your field of studies or take a chance on something different like I did. My advice is, learn from it as much as you can. If you like the job and your colleagues, it’s going to be an easy sail and you will learn a lot without even realising.

What happens if you don’t like it though?

Doing an internship is a great chance to find out if you actually like what you’re studying or not. Being a student and being a professional in whatever industry you are into, are two very different things. You may like the knowledge and the education but you may not like the day to day tasks. Use that three-month period to see what you liked and what didn’t work for you in that job position and in that industry. Maybe social media manager is not the right role for you and you would prefer to be working in sales for example. I was in jobs in the past that I didn’t like and you can learn quite a lot about yourself when you don’t like you job. Try and analyse what it is that you don’t like. Is it the place, is it the job, is it the people? For example, I know that I can’t work with people that I don’t like their personality and we don’t get along. Try and think what it is about the job that you like and don’t like and how could you make sure that next time you will find something better. What are the signs that show you this job is not right for you? Finally, keep in mind that most internships last about three months which is not a long time. If you don’t like it, you only have to put up with it for three months which is not too bad.

Travel!

Try and get some experience in another country if you can. If you can find an internship in another country go for it. Living abroad will give you professional and personal experiences that will make you better at your job and will improve the way you look at the world. We live in a world where global economy is not a hype word anymore, it’s a reality. An innovation happening in the US or in Germany will eventually reach the UK and affect the industry you work in

Moving to the UK was much more difficult than I initially thought. Getting used to speaking another language every day and living in a different culture takes time. On the other hand, it was one of the best decisions I made in my life. The things I learned and experienced as a professional and as a person during this one year in Brighton really changed me for the better. So, one thing I really recommend to anyone is, learn another language and go live in another country.

If you want to ask any more questions or just want to give me a thumbs up because you like the article, this is where you can find me.

To contact Vasilis:

Email: vasilis.gkogkidis@gamificationplus.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/v_gkogkidis

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/vasilisgkogkidis

 

For more information please visit the website at:  http://gamificationplus.uk

 

 

For support is finding the right internship for you check out our website – http://about.brighton.ac.uk/careers/find-a-job/finding-placements-and-internships/ 

Image: Leonid Yaitskiy via Compfight