Forced Reflection

As is the case in my life, I seem to always get sick at the most inopportune times -- here, in Madrid, is one of those times.  Last Saturday I woke up feeling a little under the weather but, in total, good enough to get by.  Intrax had scheduled a day trip to Toledo and there was no way I was missing it, despite having only gotten three hours of sleep from the night before.  Although I'm very glad I went (Toledo is an amazing city and I highly recommend it to anyone), it ended up shoving me off the cliff into a full-blown sinus infection, my signature illness.  I'm feeling better today, even if a bit congested still, but the infection is gone.  It did, however, force me to a day leave from work, giving me a lot of time to think.  This internship has been the most important professional experience I've had.  I've realized a couple important things. 

Lesson 1.  Networking really is important.  If you're like me, then your well-meaning parents have pushed you to approach your teachers and get your name out there.  The more people who know you and like you, the better off you will be.  This is true.  Yet, to me this felt awfully similar to sucking up.  It was.  If you viewed it with the mentality I did, it is.  Networking never really works well this way.  The real key behind networking -- and not just networking, but I guess life, too (prepare for a revelation) -- is being genuinely interested in other people.  Get to know people, who they are and what drives them.  No matter how many teachers, bosses, or colleagues you introduce yourself to, people will be able to tell if you're just out for gain.  If you want people not only to remember you, but to like you as well, to say things like, "I want that guy working with me, he was a good guy", then you have to come with the attitude that you're out to make real friends.  If people feel like they have made an impact, not only as business partners but as people, they'll be far more likely to remember you.  Besides, at least as far as I can tell, you only limit yourself by viewing people in terms of what kind of professional advantage they can afford you -- you might be missing out on one of the best friends you could ever make.  

Lesson 2.  Your bosses will notice if you're working hard.  This seems pretty self-explanatory, but I still feel the need to mention it.  If you work hard, you'll end up getting better projects and doing better in the end.  People above and around you will see your dedication and the quality of your work, and that's how you'll make a name for yourself.  As a personal example: I began my internship doing the most mundane things I can think of, things that needed to be done but no one wanted to do.  Since then, I've seen a steady increase in both how entertaining and how important my work has become (stress, too).  My last assignment went straight to the top guy in our branch.  I got a significant mention and a majority of the credit.  I feel pretty good about that.

Lesson 3.  Life does not reward the timid.  Being shy and hesitant to approach people (a problem of mine, I admit) doesn't cut it -- you need to get out there and ask for what you want, especially in a professional setting.  If you have different ideas about how a project should be done, you need to say it.  If you want more responsibility, you need to ask for it.  If you want something, you have to go for it.  Although I mean this in a more business-oriented setting, I'm sure it somehow relates to other aspects of life, too. . . Maybe.