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.

Lucie Robinson

During my time at university and in law school, I intern at many different law firms. These positions helped me see the day to operations of not only different law firms, but different attorneys in various practice areas. There are many pros for interning, and depending on the type of firm where you complete your internship can teach you a lot about running a business, interpersonal relationships, and client management. Having the opportunity to work in a smaller office, you get a closer look at the inner workings of the business side of the law firm and are easily able to closely shadow attorneys. Read more>>

Sarah Stafford

Back when I was an apprentice, I had landed my dream job. I was working under my former coach and mentor at the sport specific facility I had trained in. All the stars were aligned, what could go wrong? I was a fresh college graduate, and my boss had high expectations of me, as he should have. I had hours of programming every week, sending spreadsheets back and forth, having to defend my program’s quality. He would critique every part, from tempos, to rest periods, to the order of each exercise and why I had decided on that particular order. Unfortunately I took his critiques personally, rather than a learning opportunity, back then. I did, however, take hundreds of pages of notes and absorbed all those critiques like a sponge. Those endless hours of programming helped me be more self-critical and capable today, as I continue to pave my own path. Read more>>

Patreese Walker

I am a firm believer of in order to lead you must follow. Interning & apprenticeships is the core of my success. Because people believed in me, saw my potential, and wanted to prepare me for my next level. Mentors have helped me in so many ways. I have also found a field I wanted to work in and I went and worked under them. I told them day one my plans, what I wanted to do, & how I wanted to learn from them. I shadowed under their business, and they poured into me like no other. I ensured the situation was beneficial to them as well by working for little to no money in the beginning. I volunteered at certain events, or would just say whatever you see fit. The opportunity was greater than the dollar. By having this mindset, I was able to see the ends and outs of the job, gain the knowledge I needed to run my own business, & gain the tools I needed to be successful. The knowledge I gained during those times are things I still use to this day. It’s forever, so in my eyes it was priceless. Read more>>

Kayla Eickmann

I had several internships before evening starting culinary school. When I was a senior in high school, I seeked out places to do internships with no pay because I wanted the experience. Nothing really happened during those, but when I got to my internship in culinary school, there were some struggles. I never gave up and it’s the start of how I got to where I am today. I wouldn’t trade it for anything else, because I love what I do. One thing that I remember is having my first unhappy customer with a cake. The cake wasn’t at all what she wanted, but I did what was on the order from. Read more>>