Learning How to Fail as an Intern

There are many reasons to participate in an internship: experience, networking, resume building and learning. As an intern I have learned and experienced many things I just simply couldn’t get in the classroom. But there’s one primary reason I think it’s important to participate in an internship before hitting the job market:

Learning how to fail.

Seriously. Think about the last bad grade you got in class. Who did that grade affect? Most likely the only person other than you who was affected by that grade was your mother. There isn’t much consequence to failing in college except your GPA may suffer a little. But as an employee with a company, failure has a much greater affect – it affects the bottom line.

Internships help students learn to bridge the failure-in-the-classroom and failure-in-the-workplace gap. As an intern, most students aren’t given as much responsibility as other employees. So when they fail, it isn’t as detrimental. But it does hurt both the company and the student. The intern can learn from this. And since most internships allow an employee to mentor the student, the student can get direct feedback on how to improve.

This has personally been a very important aspect of my intern experience. My boss has a rule that has helped me learn how to fail in the field of public relations without sinking the company: I am allowed to make mistakes, but not allowed to make the same mistake twice. Because of this simple rule, I have gained a skill that will benefit me as I move from student to work horse. I understand how to predict failure, what to expect when making decisions, how to measure my work and how to press forward when I do fail and fall short.

So remember, when considering how to make your education better, think about all the important aspects of an internship. Better to learn certain aspects of a job, like failing, in a somewhat forgiving environment than putting your first job on the line.
Thank you for reading.
Sincerely,
Parrot Tongue