Although my internship was not directly related to my psychology degree, it did provide me with some much-needed practice in interviewing, gave me insights into working at a government facility, taught me about archival organization, and showed me how different this office environment is compared to my current job.
This internship does not really tie into my major, but I did learn some good things about an office work environment more generally. It pushed me to get out of my comfort zone by talking to new people, especially during the interview process. So, maybe my next internship can be more specific to my major and I’ll feel more confident in it.
I just knew that I needed some baseline knowledge of Microsoft programs like word and excel. It turned out to be an easy project for me to work on once I had all my organizational systems in place.
After my internship I most likely would not want to work within a government facility. I would prefer to have more control over my work hours and do something more closely related to the field of addiction psychology. However, it would be a great second option.
My main piece of advice is to find an internship that closely relates to your field of study, but if you can’t, make sure to take note of any skills you are learning in your internship that could be applied to the career you want to pursue. There are always general skills that could come in handy in any occupation like communication and organizational skills.
Getting my background check and ID for the Department of Interior was an interesting experience.