My internship at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum has allowed me to explore a whole new world of hospitality. I have only ever worked in the service or convention side of hospitality and after this internship I have been able to explore and learn about a different side of the industry. This internship did not directly tie into my majors for my multidisciplinary degree, but the lessons I have gotten throughout this internship have been very impactful. While museums could be considered a part of the hospitality industry, they usually are not considered. Learning about the importance of the guest experience and guest interaction especially with children has allowed me to hone in on my hospitality skills, which is invaluable.
For this internship, I believe that the developmental psychology course has been super beneficial especially because I often work with children. Being able to understand children's learning styles, communication skills, etc has been very helpful in helping me succeed in this internship. While I do not believe that there are any requirements for being successful in this internship directly, having an open mind and willingness to work will allow one to succeed in this role.
For a career I am not interested in working in a museum per say I definitely want to look into the idea of working in unique venues for hospitality events. I have been able to help work on upcoming events at the museum and help plan activities, which has allowed me to look into what it is like to work in event planning. During the course of my internship I have been able to practice my planning skills, communication skills, as well as teaching skills.
My biggest advice is: DO NOT OVERWHELM YOURSELF.
I worked a full time job, interned, and took summer classes. I only gave myself one day off a week, and the burnout is real. So take your time, do not put too much on your plate, because at the end of the day you are only human and can only handle so much.
Best of luck!
Hello Micaela!
I love that you got to engage in such an insightful internship. As an Anthropology major, I have always dreamed in working in curation to some degree, so it is wonderful to hear that opportunities like this exist! I love that interning here allowed you to find a passion for events and planning. A museum is not a place you would traditionally think of when someone brings up hospitality, but this post had me realize how transferrable the skills from hospitality are to various industry fields.
I also have to agree that burnout is a big caution sign for incoming interns. I did summer school while working 40 hours a week at my internship, and my only saving grace was that one of my classes got canceled due to low enrollment. Sometimes we as student interns get so wrapped up in resume building and worrying about the future, that we sacrifice the time that we have in our youth. Being able to fully enjoy and get what you need out of your internship involves being fully engaged, and it's difficult to do so if we're taking all this extra stuff on our plate. All-in-all, I am glad that you got to experience this internship and I hope that the future is bright for you. Thank you!
Micaela,
KUDOS to you for managing such a hectic work-school schedule! I too work a full-time job and have to find balace where I can which is not necessarily easy given the time constraints to get everything done in such a short period of time.
I appreciate your honesty and even moreso your ability to tie the hospitality industry with a completely different environment, museums. I have been to the Natural History Museum many more times than I would like to admit and haven't always received the best customer service, in fact I can't say it really has existed there. Much like the dinosaurs that are featured throughout the facility, if customer service did ever exist, it might have been around the time they roamed the Earth. All horrible jokes aside, I like that you are finding ways to bring an element of hospitality to a setting that probably doesn't see it on display too much. I generally assume that those employed there come from either an academic or management background so your time there should be a much welcomed change.
Good luck to you in your future endeavors and again kudos for managing the busy schedule you have held.
Hi Micaela, I really liked what your said about you r internship in relation to your career. Sometimes we have to get creative in seeing out to benefit from certain opportunities. In addition, I can understand how learning about children and how their brains work would help working with them. Children can be confusing sometimes, so using knowledge to build that foundation is important. Your advice is so important. I especially felt that this summer working and interning 12 hour long days in not for the week. Balance is so important and it felt like a sign reading this post. Thank you.
Hi Micaela, the Las Vegas Natural History Museum is a really cool place. It's great that you got to intern there. I am interning at a museum also and am having a great time. It's interesting that your psychology classes ended up paying off when you were working with children. I liked how you ended up finding that the museum really helped you hone in on hospitality skills even if you don't want to continue working in museums.