It’s not easy being the new person in the office and there can be moments when you doubt if you want this career anymore.
At some point in your life, be it fashion related or not, you may have felt like quitting. There are a variety of factors that contribute to this, such as imposter syndrome, feeling unfulfilled or even the long hours.
Believe me, almost everyone you speak to will confess to having felt this way too. I’ll even share this secret – The Pepper Your Talk founder, Dior Bediako, admits to quitting an internship just 2 weeks into it! So trust us when we say “You are not alone!”
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Beat the boredom
If you love diving head first into your list of jobs for the day, there may be a moment when you’ve finished every task and begin to feel bored. As an intern, there are times where you will feel that there is only so much you can do. Worst yet, you may think that your constant questions are annoying the people you are working with. Bosses actually prefer to be asked, instead of watching an intern sit still doing nothing at all.
TOP TIP: Treat your first two weeks in the office as an investigation! Look out for small jobs that aren’t being done! Show this list to your manager and ask if you can be in charge of them. That’s just one small way to avoid boredom and become a true asset to the team.
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Say ‘yes’ even when you feel like saying ‘no’
Most of the time, once you’ve said YES to a challenge, opportunity or invitation, it is followed by new learnings, a great sense of pride and a lot of fun.
For example, if you’re someone who enjoys going to lunch alone but is asked to join the team for a lunch date, say YES! You may already be feeling shy and insecure in the office, so spending an hour alone will only make you feel more isolated. People’s moods over lunch are generally a lot more relaxed and you’ll find yourself building personal relations over cans of diet coke and coffees!
TOP TIP: Suggest fish and chips on a Friday! Nobody will be able to resist a good #FryDay
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Get friendly with the other interns
If you still aren’t feeling good about your internship, get friendly with the other interns in the office. They’re just as new to the business and environment as you. They’re the perfect people to understand why you’re thinking of quitting your internship.
It’s also a good opportunity to get networking with like-minded individuals. Swap details, create a whatsapp group to share tips and tricks and stay in contact. 2 years down the line, you’ll all be in jobs that you love and will come up in the industry together.
TOP TIP: It may be tempting to pour your heart out but avoid being overly negative or mentioning specific names.
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Contact someone level-headed for their opinion
It’s easy for us to say “Don’t quit” without knowing the finer details about the internship and what your experience has actually been like. The final piece of advice would be to reach out to a former lecturer (if you’re still in contact). Or perhaps speak to someone you know from the industry or a relative/friend to weigh up the pros and cons. They’ll know you and your capabilities and will help you make a decision based on all the facts and not just temporary feelings.
Internships don’t always go to plan, but it is advisable to think everything through properly before leaving. Quitting an internship doesn’t make you a quitter! And you never know, you could be hating it one day and the next day you’ll be thinking:
“Why did you even consider walking away from such a great opportunity?”
