It happens to me way too often that things are over before I even realize they’re happening. And that I stumble from one chapter of my life into the next without taking the time to sit down and think about what’s been going on. And why. And what for. And especially what I can learn from it. So here comes an attempt to avoid making that same mistake again.
A short note for general understanding: I’m currently about to finish my Bachelor’s in Media and Communications Consulting. And since noone (including me, for that matter) quite knows what’s behind this title, I usually just say that I’m studying Marketing. That’s a term you’ve heard of already. A word you can nod to and consider the question regarding my studies as answered. And if someone is still interested, I mention that I’ve specialized in Event Management and Public Relations. Depending on one’s familiarness with „the branch“ and seriousness of the interest, that is followed by further questions or a fake-understanding nod after all. But that is actually a whole different topic.
Anyhow, I had the opportunity to complete an internship in the course of these studies. And for several reasons I decided to do so on Gran Canaria.
Since I’ve already written the introduction (prologue and beginning) as well as the main part (challenge and routine) of this story, all it needs is an ending (and an epilogue, maybe).
Actually, not that much has happened since my last report. My spreadsheets, my working café and me continued to live our daily routine together. Occasionally, it was influenced and reorganized by visitors, travels and my Bachelor’s thesis – later on by intensive surfing and enjoying my last weeks and days on the island. All in all, it was all quite unspectacular, but nice. Basically, this internship was everything I had ever wished for. And as suddenly as it had begun, it was over again.
Apart from three months of wonderful island life, also the a bit more „serious“ expectations concerning my time on Gran Canaria have been met. I wanted to find professional orientation there on the one hand, and give the „Digital Nomad“-concept a try on the other. The latter is a topic I still want to dedicate a lot of time, thoughts and a proper blog post to soon. So for now, I will only write about if and how this internship has helped me to gain clarity about my future „career“. Quote, unquote, because I highly doubt that I will ever have anything that would require this label. (Note: „Career“ originates from the French word „carrière“, which roughly translates to racecourse – so thanks, but no thanks!) But that, too, is a topic that I’ve been thinking about a lot for quite some time and that I’ll hopefully write about soon.
So, what did I learn about my professional future through this internship?
Neither my back nor my head are made for sitting still and concentrating all day. I am pretty sure that this – as pretty much anything – is something you get used to after time, but to be honest: It’s something I don’t even want to get used to. Because: What for?!
This is why, above all, my internship made me put another item on the „What I definitely do not want to do“-list. Whatever my professional future may look like: It cannot consist of an office job and/or spreadsheets. At least not exclusively.
However, writing an offer for an internship in a hotel always made my heart smile. Less so because of the writing itself (first of all, it’s not exactly breaking news that I love that and second of all, these offers were hardly masterpieces of literature). It was more the described internship that fascinated me. In fact, my interest in the hotel industry isn’t all that new either (my first internship at a hotel was seven (!) years ago), but apparently it’s still just as strong. So it comes in handy that somewhere between spreadsheet no. 327 and 328, I unexpectedly got the acceptance letter for the „European Master in Tourism Management“, that I had only applied for that I wouldn’t have to blame myself for not even trying later on. I may still not have a job title to answer grandma’s „And what are you gonna be then?“, but at least I have a plan for the next two years. And since I still firmly believe that everything somehow falls into place, this is just as much professional orientation as I need for now.