Undergraduate Blog / Career Development

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

My ten-week internship has come to an end, and the time is ripe to reflect on one of the best experiences that I have ever had. I didn’t know what to expect when I had accepted an offer to work in Israel, a country that I had never been to before this internship. This summer has truly surpassed my expectations. I have found the people in Israel to be extremely friendly, given their circumstances living in such an unstable region. I have found the food, especially the shawarma, falafel, and hummus, to be absolutely delicious. And I have found the country to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. Completing an internship in Israel has not only made me learn an immense amount of information relating to the work I have been doing this summer, but I have also learned about an entirely new country’s culture, business landscape, and political climate. This is something I would have never gotten to know if I had worked in America for the summer.

My suggestion to college students is the following: get out of your comfort zone. If you enjoy traveling but have to put that aside for a summer internship, I implore you to consider interning in a foreign country. I have friends who have interned before in Israel, England, Spain, China, and South Africa, and have learned a lot from working in each of those countries. Don’t constrain your internship options to working only in America; consider a country that you have never been to before. However, my advice is not limited to interning in a foreign country, it also applies to trying new hobbies and getting to know others around you. Be unique and embrace your dreams and passions.