All good things must come to an end!

It is coming up to my last week at Programmed and I am finding myself becoming rather nostalgic, as I reflect on how much I have grown over the last three months.

I find myself comparing my current self, to the person I was before this semester. In the beginning, I was confused, unprepared and lacking in the skills and confidence to make decisions about the direction I wanted to go in relation to my career. I was looking at postgraduate degrees as I wasn't sure I was ready to commit to venturing out into the real world, away from the comfort and safety of the familiar university environment.

These past few months have been vital in changing and building my 'career confidence.' This has become a term I invented to describe the real impact and value of completing the PR Internship unit at Curtin. 'Career confidence' is the outcome of real industry placements, as it provides the transition tool from university into the real world. The internship was vital in changing my perceptions and attitudes towards myself and my ability to function as an adult. I now have career confidence and realistic expectations on what it is like to work in the public relations industry.

I have gained valuable experience in internal relations, internal communications, stakeholder engagement, community relations and external relations activities. My knowledge over these key areas has allowed me the opportunity to do something I hadn't been able to do prior to my placement - answer a simple question that I have been asked a thousand times, that had a massive impact on the direction of my life. What do you want to do with your life? I have never been able to answer this question with a specific answer. My answer had always been - "Im not really sure, probably communications, or maybe marketing, I guess I will see."Now I can tell you that I want to work within community relations and development. I want to engage with key stakeholders, build relationship and work towards outcomes that not only improve the community which my employer company operates in, but improve the perceptions people have about my employer. I have learnt that I don't enjoy the publicity and media relations aspects of public relations, and therefore this will determine the types of jobs I apply for. I have also learnt the value of working for a company that has a clear vision and values, and ensuring these align with your personal views. Working for a company that complements and empowers you, makes all the difference in determining how well you do your job and the impact you have.

Working at Programmed was an amazing opportunity and I couldn't be more grateful. From my experience, I can offer the following advice to future public relations students undertaking their PR placement:

• Don't overthink it

When you are thinking about your internship, you will probably talk yourself into thinking various things, convincing yourself you are going to fail or that you aren't ready or prepared enough to succeed in a real industry placement. I promise you that it isn't as bad as you think it will be and after your first day you will realise that you had nothing to worry about. During your 20 days placement, you will not be asked to do anything that you haven't experience before during your university studies or in life. Most of your tasks will be common sense based and you will learn as you go! Its amazing how fast things come to you when you have to do them. 

• Ask questions

Don't be afraid to ask questions or ask for help. Your employer knows you are an intern and they wouldn't take you on if they didn't understand you are still learning and will have a lot of questions. So take the opportunity to ask questions and figure out the best process to do things. 

• Don't be afraid to share your ideas

Employers usually take on intern as they believer they will be able to help and contribute fresh perspectives. Don't be afraid to say what you think and offer your opinions. If you realise there is a better way to do something - say something. If you have an idea - share it.

• Make notes

This is probably common sense, but make sure you make notes throughout your placement - it will make your final report so much easier :) 

Hope everyone else has enjoyed their internships and learnt as much as I have!

Chloe