From Fast Food to Fast Growth—The Difference an Internship Can Make

As an intern at Diodes Incorporated (Diodes), I had the opportunity to experience working with the IT Security team at a global semiconductor company. This differed significantly from my previous work experience, which included babysitting jobs as a teen before transitioning into retail and fast-food service.

In the latter, my objective was to simply learn how to do my job, do it, and then do it faster. Now, instead of seeing how fast I could make a burrito or pizza, I could improve my critical thinking skills and acquire new responsibilities and knowledge every day. Instead of learning how to do the same thing faster, I was learning many different things, and how to assimilate and apply them more strategically.

My internship spanned four months, with my daily work being a mix of research, team meetings, analysis, and presentations. It sharpened skills I already had and taught me new ones that will help take me far. Most importantly, it gave me three new insights that elevated how I now approach my career. I hope they do the same for you:

1. There are always more things to learn

Within the IT Security team, I worked with diverse groups of people in ways that tested my knowledge, problem-solving skills, and communication acumen. I was drinking from the proverbial fire hose and expected to be learning constantly.  What I didn’t expect was to watch those in the group with thirty years of industry experience gain new knowledge alongside me, albeit in smaller quantities. Still, most of them learned something new at least weekly.  The phrase “you learn something new every day” is especially true for interns but certainly is not limited to us.

I realized the most important thing I could do when learning so much in a short period of time was to ask questions. Taking the time to ask questions amplifies how much you learn. If you take advantage of the surrounding knowledge, you will find even more value and satisfaction in your work.

2. Don’t limit yourself

Many people tend to limit themselves when doing things, they haven’t done before. I believe that though it may be normal to worry about new responsibilities, we must be willing to still see them through to grow. 

One of my more challenging tasks was to present to the Information Technology Leadership Team. I spent a great deal of time preparing, rehearsing… and worrying. Afterwards, I realized that I didn’t need to worry because of my thorough preparation. It showed me that most things aren’t as hard as expected and that I can accomplish much more than I initially believed.

3. Communication is essential

During my internship, I witnessed how nothing gets done well without near-constant communication.

When good communication projects are completed on time and on target, expectations are met, and people feel informed and engaged. Strong communication skills allow teams working across the globe and multiple languages to collaborate and ensure that objectives are completed when and how they are needed.

Our team worked with people from eight countries with varied languages, cultures, and customs. The content of our communication, the level of detail covered, and who was included for direction or for awareness was important. Paying attention and treating it strategically made the difference between success that was noticed and simply completing the project.

I am grateful for how much I learned from my team members, manager, research, and day-to-day work. It taught me that learning = growth, and that is true for interns as well as those who are more experienced. I’m confident that continuing to learn more every day will lead to further success in my career and life, regardless of where I work.