A Lesson from My First Two Weeks as an Intern at The Company Cebu

To say my first two weeks were nothing short of walking down the yellow brick road would be an understatement; because it has been a colorful journey so far. Starting my first day was truly exciting, especially with how kind and enthusiastic Ate Nickie was in onboarding us. She gave us a tour and introduced us to the office. It was exciting, although I felt dumbfounded and nervous about interacting with the staff or literally anyone in the company because I couldn’t distinguish the clients from the employees. Nonetheless, I was eager to become the best intern I could be, so I tried my best to ask for tasks and offer assistance. However, things didn’t go as expected since Ate Nickie wasn’t our direct supervisor; as she was from HR. Ate Ruthie, on the other hand, our actual supervisor, was still on leave because she was sick.

The first week, which was technically just three days since we started on a Tuesday and Wednesday was a holiday, served as my initial impression of the company. My first impression was that everyone was incredibly friendly, to the point that even my seniors or full-time employees treated me like an equal. This was far from what I had seen in movies where interns were treated as if they didn’t deserve respect. Compared to my previous internship at a news outlet, where I sometimes felt boxed into a single role, this company offered a different atmosphere. While my previous internship was still a great learning experience, I wanted to explore different roles and understand how various departments connected. Here, thankfully, we were encouraged to explore and try different things, which was a refreshing change.

Like any yellow brick road, my journey wasn’t entirely smooth, it had its fair share of obstacles, just like Dorothy faced on her way to the Wizard. During my second week at the company, although the staff was friendly, we didn’t really know each other yet. Naturally, I couldn’t just barge in and act like we were all best friends, I mean who would do that? So, I had some reservations about interacting with people. At that time, we still didn’t have a clear list of tasks, so I found myself trying to keep busy or even pretending to be occupied just to avoid feeling left out in an office where everyone was focused on their own work. Any task given to me by Kuya Joseph or Kuya Lanz felt like a blessing, like finally, something to do! I was grateful for anything, whether it was scanning papers, printing documents, running errands outside the company, just anything that made me feel useful. Since I knew I would only be here for 200 hours (though that could change if I end up enjoying my stay too much), I was hungry for tasks, eager to avoid the guilt of not contributing anything.

Questions I Pondered Along the Yellow Brick Road

During my first two weeks, without a defined set of tasks (though Miss Ruthie gave us some to do in the meantime while she was constructing our task tracker), I took the opportunity for some self-reflection. Being in the office, watching everyone work, made me think about something that has been on my mind even before this internship. As a graduating BA Communication student, I have been asked countless times about my plans after college. Will I start working right away? Will I take a break? Will I stay in Cebu or go elsewhere? Will I get a job related to my course? If I had a peso for every time someone asked me these questions, I’d be rich by now.

I do know that I want to work in a corporate setting—going to an office, handling documents, traveling for work—but if you ask me what specific job I want, I honestly have no idea. Maybe such a job exists, and I just don’t know the name of it yet. Another concern is whether I’ll work in a field aligned with my degree. In UP, we were often told that if we pursued jobs strictly within our field, we might not earn as much. This was discouraging, and it made me wonder if I should seek a career outside my field.

When Life Gives You the Wrong Degree, Build a Website!

Just like how Dorothy met some of her companions along the way, who taught her valuable lessons despite barely knowing each other, I, too, had an insightful conversation with a client over the weekend when I stayed in the office to do schoolwork. Marty, or Mr. McLeod was kind enough to entertain my curiosity when I asked about his job. He told me he is a website owner who creates content to help people find answers to their questions. I was surprised, because he writes articles, something aligned with my field. Seeing someone like him in this profession piqued my curiosity, so I asked more questions. To my surprise, he revealed that his college degree was far from what he does now. He graduated as an electrical engineer from Auburn University and initially worked in a job related to his field. However, he didn’t enjoy it and didn’t see himself doing it long-term. That realization pushed him to shift careers and create something of his own. He started a website, writing articles about electronics, sound systems, DIY projects, and more. While his content is still somewhat connected to his background, I was shocked that he left engineering entirely just because he didn’t like it. Imagine studying for years for a particular field only to not pursue it after graduation. He also shared how tough it was to migrate to another country and start anew, but he focused on getting through each day and achieving small goals.

Meeting My Own ‘Wizard’

Just as Dorothy sought answers from the Wizard and later asked Glinda how to return home, she ultimately realized, thanks to Glinda, that the power to do so had been within her all along. Similarly, this conversation made me reflect on my own situation. I know my future is bright, and it’s in my hands to decide what I’ll do. I am determined, and whatever career path I take, whether it’s aligned with my degree or not, I will strive to be the best at it. Life is unpredictable, and change is inevitable. While preparing for the future is important, what I’ve learned from Mr. Marty’s story is that we can’t control everything, but only the present. We may not always be certain about what the future holds, but we can control what happens today, and those choices will shape what’s ahead. We might experience setbacks, or our studies may not directly lead us to our eventual careers, but we must continue moving forward and striving to live each day with purpose. Although this might not perfectly align with The Wizard of Oz reference I’ve been making throughout this blog, I just can’t ignore it, or leave it out, while writing this. As my favorite movie from last year, Memoir of a Snail, beautifully stated: “Life can only be understood backwards, but we have to live it forwards.” I highly recommend watching it, as it might just change the trajectory of your life.

And with that, this is what spending a slow day in my internship journey at The Company Cebu looks like, contemplating life, careers, and everything in between, all while having an existential crisis.