My STEP Signature Project involved attendance at an internship for most of the summer. I commuted to Dublin Ohio 5 days a week for the 3 months stated in my project proposal. At this internship I learned many trade-specific practices that will be useful in my job hunting process post-graduation next spring.
During this STEP project, I was able to get my first look into how the business world plays out real-time. I was able to learn a ton of information pertaining to the retirement and wealth management areas of finance with the firm I interned at. This internship allowed me to gain lots of information about these fields, as well as giving me more insight into the areas of Finance I want to explore more when I am looking for jobs. I was also able to get a good look at what my life will look like when I am employed in a job full-time.
The biggest event that changed my perspective during my STEP project involved how my life changed once I started working full time as opposed to being a student. The process of getting up and going to work every day impacted all of the other things I enjoy in daily life. I had to go through a long adjustment period where I had to get my mind and body acclimated to this change. This was much harder than I anticipated, and my workout routine, sleep schedule, and overall physical and mental health varied greatly during this time. It was only when I was used to working the job full-time that I was able to finally get back on a good healthy sleep and exercise schedule.
I also learned a great deal about myself during my STEP project. I learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses, and about how these strengths and weaknesses can play out in a business environment. One notable strength that I was able to use to my advantage was my ability to form relationships with coworkers and clients. I was able to have meaningful conversations with my coworkers that led me to feel very connected to the work-space and to the overall company. This had a very positive impact on my motivation and allowed me to produce higher-quality work in a more efficient manner. I also noticed that one of my weaknesses was my ability to adapt. Learning new skills and changing my every-day environment was difficult for me. I had to spend lots of time asking questions about tasks I had been trained to do because I was not able to internalize the information fast enough. I will have to work on that before I take on another full-time position in the future.
Finally, my STEP project was my first real look into what it feels like to be an independent and self-sufficient adult. During the summer I lived on my own, and was responsible for all of my own work inside and outside of the workplace. I had to work constantly to ensure that I was meeting deadlines while still doing household tasks and chores. I also had very little interaction with my college friends during this time period as most of them were either home for the summer or were working jobs of their own. Because of this, I learned a great deal about what it means to be truly independent. I was able to (after a long learning period) adjust to the process of taking care of myself by myself. I believe that this skill will be extremely useful to me in the future, and I am happy to know that I can live by myself and still perform in a working environment.
This transformation brought on by my STEP project is valuable for my life in many ways. First, the professional experience I gained will help me to further my career and will help me to decide what are of Finance I want to work in. I also gained a lot of experience in working in a business environment like the company I interned at. Secondly, I learned about my strengths and weaknesses, and about what I will need to change about myself in order to truly succeed in my career in the future. And finally, I learned a lot about independence and about how to take care of myself while still performing in my career. I will be using those skills when I graduate school and work towards a more permanent position in the future.
