My Internship Report

This my internship that I passed to my teacher as part of the requirements for our On-the-Job Training (OJT) this past summer. It's full of insights that I'd like to share to y'all. So, here it is (this is very raw as I haven't had the chance to edit this):

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Two hundred hours working in an actual government office will change you.

This change may not necessarily be drastic, but I assure you, you will not be the same person when you’ve left as when you’ve started. You are exposed to a totally new world, away from your comfort zone. And that discomfort could turn you from a boy/girl to a man/woman.

My first day as an intern in Dep Ed was one of the saddest days in my entire life. I was literally alone for most of the day. The saddest part of this sad day was during lunchtime where I ate alone – something I haven’t done in a while (outside of home, at least). Then there’s that feeling that every newcomer probably feels during his/her first day on the job: that ugly feeling where all eyes are on you and you have no idea who to befriend, who to avoid, who to fear, and so on.

Despite of all this, I got to learn a number of things that could come in handy both in the near and distant future. Most of those lessons are values in life such as patience (and in my particular case dealing with high school teachers, A LOT OF PATIENCE), humility, respect, obedience and generosity. Not that I was unable to learn these qualities prior to my internship. It’s just that this is the first time I had a chance to put these qualities in to practice, in a place, and in a circumstance I am not used to.

Aside from the moral aspect of the knowledge I’ve acquired, I have also learned some useful office techniques. This includes using the paper cutter, making a mimeograph stencil, using a printer-scanner-photocopier, using an old carbon-printer, receiving important documents and the like. These may sound pathetic and useless and insignificant. But not everybody could honestly say “I’m good at making a mimeograph stencil” or “I’m an expert at using the paper cutter”. And really, it’s not about the number of skills one is adept at. It’s how one uses those skills that matter.

A saying goes like this: HARD WORK BEATS TALENT WHEN TALENT DOESN’T WORK HARD. And that probably is the best thing I have learned during the 200-working hours I’ve spent at Dep Ed. Always. Work. Hard. Even if I’m lazy most of the time, I could honestly say I worked hard during my internship. And I’m sure my superiors would back that up. The OJT is not only a training for students, it also gives them a chance to impress potential future employers. Impressing my superiors with hard work was crucial because, even though working at Dep Ed isn’t exactly my top priority, they could still refer me to other companies/agencies where I plan to work for some day. Also, laziness is not an option because my superiors gave me their trust, their confidence and their food. The least I could do to show my gratitude is give my 110% in everything I do.

My stay in Dep Ed was only 50% work. The other 50% consisted of food. I was fortunate enough to have had very generous superiors as they always share food with everybody in the office, including their “timid” intern.

For five weeks, I barely spent my money on food, as there was an (over)abundance of free food, courtesy of my bosses and seminars.

They say you learn something new everyday. My experiences at Dep Ed prove every bit of that statement down to the period. The knowledge and experience I gained during my internship is priceless. I know in the long run, they will help me develop into something useful. The summer of 2011 was a special one.