This summer, Stahls’ ID Direct™ has implemented its first internship program, with 10 college students gaining real-world experience in the heat printing industry. This is part of an ongoing series of blog posts by our interns, discussing their experiences.
by Sha’Nell M., Intern
 |
||
| Sha’Nell, planning her career and not saying no. |
Every Thursday the interns have lunch with someone who plays an important role in the company. At one of the lunch-and-learns, we had the pleasure of meeting with Leslie Miller and Jennifer Joseph; they are on the accounting/finance side of Stahls’. I enjoyed talking to them because they gave us words of wisdom on how to advance in the professional world.
They both gave us useful information on stepping into the career world. Leslie spoke on the difference of between a job and a career. A job is the day-to-day 9 to 5 work period, going in to do your work and having the pay check at the end of the week, while the career goes with you beyond the clock-out time. I have never thought about it that way. Personally I want a career, something that I love doing and when I get up in the morning I am actually excited to go to work. Doing something that you love is always better than just doing it for the money, because you will be passionate about it.
“No isn’t an answer!” This is a phrase that Leslie likes to use. Most people do not like to be told no – imagine saying no to your boss. It just looks bad. In the professional world, being open and doing what’s asked of you is key.
This brings us to Jennifer. Jennifer spoke about how she advanced to the position where she is now because she wasn’t afraid to step outside of her job description. This gave her opportunities to do things she never would have imagined doing. Being versatile in a company and having knowledge about things other than your specific job gives you the opportunity to advance in the workplace.
This was a very informational lunch-and-learn because it gave us an understanding of what to expect as we progress into other internships and jobs. Leslie and Jennifer were easy to talk to and they were just full of information. Stahls’ is an amazing place to work and I’m enjoying my time here as an intern.