A lot of students may be hesitant or have doubts about doing an internship. I’ve had those doubts before, but through my experience I’ve found that internships can be highly beneficial. I am a senior at UVU studying digital marketing and in order to graduate, I am required to do an internship. Now that I’m in the final chapter of my bachelor’s degree, the light at the end of the tunnel has become exceptionally bright, except for the fact that I was having a hard time finding an internship. I applied to a couple different places, but to no avail. Luckily, a friend of mine from class told me that his employer was needing another intern. I jumped on the opportunity, and for the last couple months my internship has turned into an incredible learning experience. I’ve found there is a great deal of overlap in what I’m learning in class and what I have been asked to do at my internship.

I had never heard of ATL Technology, so I did a little research on them before my interview. I found that ATL Technology provides engineered interconnect solutions to device-makers around the world; utilizing connector-specific engineering expertise, we design, develop, and manufacture specialized innovative connector-based devices and systems. Customers get an end-to-end solution, first by connecting to expert engineering resources and ultimately with scalable manufacturing. I have learned so much in such a short time about this very niche industry that I was unfamiliar with before. Our team is lean, but we get a lot accomplished by using marketing best-practices and powerful digital tools. Overall, what I have found is that this company values quality, humility, accountability, and transparency.

Going into this internship, I really didn’t know if what I learned in class (or what I was supposed to have learned) would apply to what I would be asked to do in the real world of business. The day I started a couple questions came up, such as, “Will they ask me to do a ton of Excel spreadsheets?”, “What if they ask me to do something that I put on my resume, but I don’t really remember how to do it and they block YouTube!?”, “What exactly is business casual? I have never understood it and it might be too late.” During the first day, I found answers to most of these and I felt at ease asking my manager about other questions— I still don’t know what business casual is, and I don’t think anyone knows. Throughout my internship, I have gained an understanding of the importance of managing expectations, focusing on results, and prioritizing time.

This internship has been a great experience for me; I have learned a lot and am grateful that I was obligated to do it. With all the things I have learned here, I feel like I am just scratching the surface of the world that awaits me when I become an official graduate. I hope this helps other students in their quest to decide whether an internship is worth the time— I know it was worth mine. I wish you luck in finding the right internship!

Do you have an internship experience you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email [email protected] with your experience and some pictures, and you could see your story featured.