Internships and apprenticeships are a time-honored rite of passage in many industries. We’ve asked some brilliant folks to share some of the most important lessons they learned during these early experiences in their career.

Caroline Guntur

When I was a 15, I worked at my local record store as a summer intern. I had always loved music, but as a teenager, I naturally had little to no money to spend on records for myself, so it was the great way to listen as new albums dropped without having to buy them outright. I didn’t know it then, but this experience would gift me a great lesson in what not to do to your employees. Read more>>

Tobi Eckels

Instead of going to college right away after graduating from a small town in Wyoming, I decided to apply for a paid internship through Walt Disney World. Looking back, it was actually better than college in my opinion. Not only is it the most magical place on earth, but I met so many other people doing the same thing from cultures all around the world that became lifelong friends! It also challenged me to get out of my comfort zone by learning at a young age how to live completely on my own and how big cooperate Disney really functioned from the inside. Read more>>

Haley Garelli

I learned a lot during my dietetic internship, but I would say one of the biggest lessons I learned that has served me in my entrepreneurial journey is that it is okay not to know everything. When I started out I was afraid of asking questions and afraid to say “I don’t know” out of fear of looking inadequate. Interestingly enough one of my preceptors commented that I didn’t ask enough questions, which was eye opening for me and led me to be more openly curious. Read more>>