The cheese shoppe

08/30/21

The college internship is quite like being in a cheese shoppe.

You enter the store when you begin your internship program. The shelves are stocked with all different kinds of cheese. The cheese you buy is the career pathway you decide to commit to after graduation. The cheeses are all quite large, meaning that you'll have to commit a significant amount of time to consuming them, most likely from a few months to a few years.

You think to yourself, there's so many cheeses, and they are all so large. How do I make sure that I buy the right cheese?

You can decide on a few external metrics, such as the popularity of the cheese. But since you're the one eating the cheese, you'll most likely want to find your favorite type of cheese. Now that's where the magic of the internship program comes in.

Let's say you get to sample cheese 6 times before you have to buy something. Many people tend to sample the same types of cheese for all 6 times, perhaps because those are the popular cheeses or they are afraid to try the other types. However, you'll get the greatest exposure if you go for as much variety as possible. Even if you think you don't like a cheese, you may be pleasantly surprised when you actually taste it.

To those who ask me how to make the most out of college internships, my recommendation is to try as much variety as possible, since I feel that this is probably one of the only times where you get to try different cheeses quickly without having to buy large blocks every time.

Do varied work, in varied locations, in varied industries.