Key Takeaways From Summer ‘18
I had a very productive and hectic summer to say the least. I worked as a paid researcher at the Structures-Computer Interaction Lab which focuses on the intersection of soft robotics and machine learning, and also took a class in order to graduate on time. Another fun fact: I like bullet points and lists so I think making this post in such a format will help me structure my thoughts meticulously. Here are some very important lessons I learnt this summer.
I. Keep an open mind and make the best of less ideal circumstances
I was posed with a dilemma earlier in the year. I was not on track to graduate on time since I changed majors and paying to stay an extra year as an international student was going to be expensive to say the least. However, I did know the value that professional experience would add to my resume as well as to my personal growth. “Do you want to pursue academia maybe?” asked my dad over the phone one day. “I’m not sure if a PhD is for me, all that research and everything,” I said. And then it struck me. UCLA is a research university with some of the coolest labs and opportunities. I would get to take classes and work on a project at the same time and it seemed like a pretty sweet scenario, getting to enjoy the best of both worlds.
II. Ask for work that promotes personal growth or that you enjoy doing
These are the reasons I believe you should do an internship/summer job:
- Understand your interests: professional and academic
- Make a tangible impact on society, the product you’re working on or the company/lab you’re working with
- Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses; learn to leverage both
- Learn more about your field of work as well as yourself, especially in more difficult/challenging times
If after spending considerable time on the project you’ve been assigned, you do not find any of these things happening, ask for a change in assignment. Try your best to make one of the above happen. You not meeting the goals set out for you at the beginning may not always be a poor reflection of you or your work, but of the environment you are in. Stand for what you believe in. !!Stand up for yourself!!
III. Unpaid internships as a concept should cease to exist
Your labor should not be free. If you are being hired as an intern, there is clearly a need and demand for your skill set. It may not be a glamorous skill such as building rockets or writing code, it may even just be answering phone calls. But if there was no need for your skill, you wouldn’t be there. So do not do your job for free, especially if your employer can clearly afford to pay/fairly compensate you. However, if for some reason you find yourself in a position where it is hard/impossible for you to get paid/compensated, then do the job on your terms. You set the rules, you draw the boundaries and you negotiate your perks — within reason and in a professional manner, of course. STAND UP FOR YOURSELF.
IV. Ask for what you want and be cognizant of your value addition
If you think you deserve to get paid, get a raise, have better hours or reap a certain benefit that you aren’t currently reaping, ask for it. Even if it is not the norm, take a shot and ask for it first. The worst case scenario is that you get told no. Undergraduate researchers don’t usually get paid. However, LA is an expensive city to live in and UCLA is even more expensive to attend. I knew I was bringing a valuable set of skills to the table and hence asked my PI if it was possible to get paid; he agreed. Just because you are getting paid or working your dream job/for your dream company, do not lose sight of your mental and physical well-being. Stand. Up. For. Yourself.
V. Set professional and personal boundaries with coworkers; keep receipts of your contributions
Respect authority but draw clear boundaries. In my lab, there were only PhD and Postdoc students for most part and I was working on a project with a PhD student. Being taken seriously or having your professional/academic opinion being given any heed was a challenge. While I will take no names, a lot of times i would find the PhD student belittling me and my contributions to the lab. There were even occasions when she made remarks about my physical appearance. Hearing words such as “You should not have changed your major to engineering; you should’ve remained an economics major” to “You are not cut out for research” were definitely very discouraging and demotivating. While respecting authority is certainly important, standing up for yourself is equally, if not more, important. Not only did I keep receipts of all the work I did, but I also called her out on her behavior over the course of the internship. Yes, I was afraid of the repercussions, but no one gets to walk all over you, no matter who they are. Set boundaries. And stand up for yourself.
VI. An internship isn’t an end-all, it is a stepping stone
The worst thing that happens to you at the end of your internship is that you hated your job. I do not consider this a failure at all. If anything, knowing what you don’t like doing is equally, or more important than knowing what you like doing. In a world where anyone can theoretically do anything, the process of elimination is a powerful tool in learning about your goals, aspirations and also about yourself. Make the most of the opportunity and remember that at the end of the day, you’d been doing your job for just a few weeks whereas people around you have probably been doing it for years. You are new to this and will figure it out in due time. The employers clearly saw potential in you so do not be riddled with self-doubt.
In conclusion: there is time. Take a step back and breathe. Your goal should be to maximize your impact wherever and however possible. Be inquisitive and hungry to learn and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Stand up for yourself and your beliefs, and continue doing what you love; everything else will follow.
