The search for an internship can be stressful and exhausting. When you finally find a company to intern at, be grateful! Or at least, that’s how I felt when sometimes fussing about my internship. I should be happy that I even got the spot! Don’t be difficult, you are just an intern and so easily replaceable… Well, my dear fellow students, please do not feel like this! This will only hinder your progress as an intern.
When I first started my internship at The Dutch National Ballet, I wanted to be the best intern there was. I said yes to every task they handed me. This led to me having way too many tasks. I could not excel in any of them since I had to work up to deadlines. Eventually it came to a point where I did not have fun at all, I also felt like I did not learn new things and was just working to get things done quickly.
I knew I could not continue my internship like this and went to have a conversation with my internship supervisor. I told her that I had too many tasks on my plate because I was scared to say no. It was a good decision to have this conversation. My supervisor assured me that she was happy with my help but that she could see that it was taking over the fun part. We decided to replace my attention towards a few bigger tasks instead of the many small tasks. She told me to say no to any other tasks I was offered from other colleagues, so I could learn that it was okay to say no. At first, I found it difficult to do so, but eventually I saw what great things a no could lead to. I was appointed to be the lead in two ballet tours, which is a demanding task. Saying yes to other smaller tasks took my attention off this project. Eventually my overflowing yesses became no’s. The tours I was assigned lead to were doing amazing. I felt like I had a concrete goal again. Later, I took some smaller tasks back on because I felt like I had the head space for it again. I kept saying no to things I felt would not improve my skills, and exactly that is what made me flourish. My no’s tremendously helped my progress at my internship.
So, dear fellow students, do not be scared to say no, because this no will lead to the greatest yesses of your carreer.