Work: Week 1

I survived! For all my stress and sleeplessness, I made it through the first week of my internship! And, while I feel a little sheepish admitting it (given the extreme nervousness that pervaded my last post), it was a great week. I lucked out with an interesting summer project that combines my editorial background and my newly honed business skills. And, I really like my supervisor, the company's VP of marketing. Oh, and one other thing ... I have an office! For a former cubicle dweller, this in and of itself, is a big deal.
But before I let the office situation get to my head (hah!), here are a couple things to note about Week 1:
First, with just 10 weeks of work, orientation is minimal and a lot of the training is on-the-job. For me, this meant jumping into project work on my first day and drawing up financial projections on day 2! Initially I felt a little overwhelmed, but once I opened up Microsoft Excel, I realized I actually knew what I was doing ... such a relief.
Second, returning to five day a week, 10-hour days takes some adjustment after a year in school. By day 3, I was definitely in need of a reading day! (Maybe this is why second years seem so much more appreciative of the Darden experience ... )
Third, once I got over my reading day withdrawal, I realized how much I enjoy working on projects that will actually be implemented. Fun as it is to debate and discuss within the classroom, this is what I came back to school for: the opportunity to bring exciting new ventures from launch to implementation.