The Final Leg in College

The exposure to the outside world where you get to apply the skills you have learned throughout your journey in college is both exciting and nerve-wracking. It's a bit intimidating to be in a professional industry where you consider yourself a newcomer and everyone is just staring at you.

My first somewhat "internship" program was in 2017. I took an Eco-tourism track for Senior High and we are required to work in a resort in my town. It's one of the most popular resorts anywhere in the country because of its uniqueness in terms of the theme and the ability to make visitors go back in time and experience how Filipinos live. I was excited since it was my first time to be in an industry where I got to work. Since our program has 4 different "courses", we are required to be in different areas to be able to apply what we have learned and learn more knowledge about it. It was fun at first since there are many opportunities and we get to see how employees do their job regularly. However, during that training in Senior High, I notice that most of the staff in the resort I was working on taking advantage of the "new people" that were added to their group. Not because their workload was cut off but they were the ones to say that these are the things that they do and then leave it all to us and do the smallest things in their job functions. I didn't have the time to speak up since I know that I'm not in the position to say something since I'm a nobody in that area and even if my mother works in that place and everyone respects her, I don't think that I should be saying something that will make someone feel bad.

Overall, I must say that I had a good grade since I did my best in everything. Not because there are people who are watching but because I know that it's my responsibility to do what is needed for the job. And I'm 100% sure that it's not because my mother was there but because I was into working at that time.

Even though we have no allowance or salary during that time, I was proud to work there. However, it is not the same in college.

Not because college is a different area of perspective, but because time has changed. The pandemic cut off most of our ways to be able to survive in terms of financial situations. There are times when, as one of the people "who work a day to produce the food for the day", my mother and I think of what we can put on the table so we can save some for tomorrow. My father is not a responsible man because we had to message him before he can even give us money. He is not living with us and whenever I look back, I'm just mad at myself for even asking him for money. But on the other side, we just really need every help we can get.

Going back, since I'm on my last leg in college where, besides the thesis paper and another major subject, I have to find an internship program in a company. It's kind of hard to now since unlike in Senior High where the teachers will look for the company you will work on, you have to do it yourself. Although I have companies who are emailing me, there are some somewhat red flags to it, including the following:

Full On-Site Work

• The curriculum says that we are only allowed to have limited "face-to-face" interaction with the employees and the company.

• Although this is a good set-up, this is not a good case this time because of the pandemic. There are still cases out there and it will be hard for someone like me who has no confidence in her immune system to get exposed to an area where I have to go through a lot. Although I am fully vaccinated, I'm not okay with that setup. Also, the main reason is that because of the school requirements, we have to be in a hybrid set-up.

• Full online work is a positive thing since the pandemic is still happening.

No Allowance

• Well, my intention in finding an internship program is to have the experience I need to use after college. However, it's not a good thing right now since I'm desperate for financial assistance. Also, my professor already said that it's an advantage that we have an allowance, even if it's just $10 every day, just so we can use it as a transportation allowance. It's also a good thing for my family to cut off some slack in terms of financial obligations.

The Emails are not Professional

• I know that companies are supposed to write formally. And the email that I received from one company seems like they are just texting me. And since I was desperate for the job, I keep on answering. But in the end, I just think that it's not a good sign since professional work requires a professional responsibility.

Anyway, you can help me by suggesting a company or providing a link so I can apply. Although I have an interview for tomorrow, it's always a positive thing to have options.