As you get into your internships you may love working for your company or you may not. You may determine that this company is not the right fit for you or you may want to move into a full-time role post-graduation. I was able to sit down with a student who determined that her internship this past summer was not the right fit and this is what she has to say. In this blog post, neither the name of the student nor the name of the company will be disclosed for the sake of Academic Freedom and Non-attribution. 

The Beginning

Immediately, the student realized she was doing roles that were not in the job description. She waited for a while to see if anything would change but it didn’t. She decided to reach out to her advisor to inform her of what was going on and to ask for advice. "She [the advisor] advised me to stay with it for a few weeks to see if anything would change and to see if my company would change my role and to express [to the company] how I was feeling. "

The Continuous Downfall

The student decided to inform her employer that she was unhappy and the employer said they could tell. The employer worked to put her in a role that would better suit her. Once she started that role she realized that she still wasn’t a good fit for the job. No role they could put her in could make her happy. One night the student went home and wrote a letter to the company about how she felt and her advice to the company because she felt like everything was very unorganized and the overall employee morale was extremely low. "I didn’t give them the letter but it was more just to give me peace of mind about how I felt." She carried the letter with her for a week in preparation to resign and it made her feel like if she needed to quit any day then she could. 

Resigning

Eventually, the student decided that she needed to resign. She told her supervisor that she was unhappy in advance so that the supervisor would be prepared. "I am not a confrontational person." Finally the day the student decided to leave she told my supervisor who sent her to talk to their supervisor. They told her that they had a feeling that this internship would not work out because they knew that they were not ready for an intern. They offered her two weeks but understood that she didn’t want to take it because she was so unhappy in her role. "Now I’m in an internship where I’m happy. I know that I’m a good fit because I know my employer values me, I enjoy the work that I do and I can see myself there long-term. "

Advice to Other Students

You may find yourself in a similar situation as this student. If you do keep these five things in mind. (1) Keep your advisor In the loop (2) Write it down (3) Reach out to older students (4) Let your employer know you are unhappy (5) don't get discouraged, there is a place for you but this just might not be the one.