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.

Rachel Taylor

I had two incredibly formative field placements during my internship that have had a lasting impact on my career. One was in Colorado, where I worked at an elementary and middle school, and the other was in Massachusetts at a Victim Services Outpatient program. These experiences gave me the opportunity to work closely with clients on interdisciplinary teams, which was invaluable in shaping my understanding of clinical practice and teamwork. Read more>>

Charlyn Stanberry

My first job on Capitol Hill was as an unpaid intern with a Congressional Caucus. The kicker was that I was a 29 year old recent law school graduate who already had a Master’s degree and years of professional experience. When I started interning, my job was to answer the phones, deliver and open mail, stuff envelopes and set up for meetings. I approached each task with humility and joy. After several months, when there was an opening in the office, I was offered a job and that was the start of my advocacy career. Always know that no task is too small or insignificant. Read more>>

Jeffrey Mathews

I think that often times our childhood sets us up for our work ethic and entrepreneurial aspirations for our future. Growing up my parents kept a tight budget and it was rare for me to get anything simply asking for it. I would be at the grocery store and ask for a quarter to go play the video games and my parents would tell me to just play it. When I was young pretending to play on the game was fine. As I got older playing the game machines without any money wasn’t fun anymore. One day while my mom was grocery shopping I asked for a quarter for a gumball and of course the answer was no. So I went to go play on the machines. 8 years old a few moments of boredom and I noticed the screws on the back of the gum ball machine. I unscrewed them and popped the back off. To my dismay, I saw rows and rows of quarters. I took one out and got a gumball. I took another one out and played the video game. I then took all the quarters and put them in my pocket. Very proud of what I had discovered I went back to my mom. Pockets full of quarters and a ching in every step. Read more>>

Krysteena Wilson

My early experiences in the field were undoubtedly the defining moments for me in my career that I have today. Although I didn’t know it at the time, my hardships of getting to a place where I had some relative stability in my career have become the biggest motivator in supporting newer therapists who are often mistreated, underpaid, and overworked in this hard job of supporting others. Read more>>

Brittney-jo Bassham

I began my tattoo apprenticeship around 9 yrs old and was taught how to use the machine, how to learn the weight of the machine and overall feel of the equipment. I progressed and used a regular pencil through the base of the machine to do my homework and learn the weight to build my hand. By the time I was 17 in 2014, I got my license as a professional artist and began my journey! I only got paid $10/a day for my apprenticeship which sucked. But I learned along the way the rights and wrongs of running a shop and being an artist. Read more>>