What You Learn as an Intern... In Technology!

Starting out your professional career as an Intern definitely has its benefits. You quickly learn that a 7am start is normal, Microsoft Outlook is your best friend, time management becomes your worst enemy, coffee evolves into your new diet, reports become your life and amongst all of that, you won’t become MD overnight.

However, the amount of knowledge you gain in a short few months is astounding. Knowledge is king and as an intern you are given the opportunity to see an organisation thrive from a different perspective. Having this advantage allows you to take on several daunting tasks you never thought you could accomplish but as each day goes by, you soon realise that this is what the real working world entails.

Being an intern in technology was more than just a daunting task, it was probably the most terrifying environment I have ever stepped into where terms such as ‘Cloud’, ‘OS’, ‘App’, ‘CPU’, ‘Firewall’, ‘Processor’ and ‘Browser’ constitute as “normal conversation”. If it wasn’t for the struggle of constantly trying to understand what my colleagues were talking about, I wouldn’t have stumbled across my new found love for all things tech.

Now, fluent in “geek speak”, my morning fix involves reading the latest news on Tech Central and My Broadband as I avidly await the coolest tech updates from Aki Anastasiou and if I happen to catch Simon Dingle on the ZA Tech Show, it’s a complete bonus! Between gaming and tech I am torn between two worlds of geek… and loving every moment!

An internship can be rewarding, as you learn one of the most important facets of life, the things you love and the things you hate. In my case, it allowed me to find my passion first rather than spending time on something I didn’t ideally enjoy. I am now able to explore my love of technology through my daily activities of writing, reporting, managing communities and engaging on social media platforms.

The hard work has certainly paid off. Now, as an Account Executive in the technology portfolio, I am grateful I completed my internship. I learnt a lot about the working world, the communications industry, people and technology, but most importantly myself. Find your passion and pursue it. That’s the only way to succeed in life.