“Just get an internship!” says every person ever who has ever existed on the planet earth when you are approaching graduation. I promise you. Every person I have ever met on my journey throughout college has at one point said to me those magic words. Going to school in New York City, internships seems to be at everyone’s fingertips or on everyone else’s resumes. They are apparently the key to post-graduation employment. While working for free might turn people off, internships promise the glory of payment to come whether in connections or in an eventual job. So throughout my college career I have been fortunate enough to have established a love-hate relationship with internships. My experiences have come to teach me a lot of things about myself, about what I want to be and when it’s appropriate to walk away.

An important lesson, one of the key ones I have taken away from being an intern, is that it is easy to be taken advantage of. As an intern it is important to be eager, say yes and be able to complete any task that is given to you. Can you stay later tonight? Can you pick this up on your way in? Have you found the cure for cancer yet? The tasks that are asked of you can keep coming and coming, so it is important to know your limit and communicate that. Do not let the promise of whatever they have offered you let you forget that you are just an intern, student, there to learn.

When you start to receive real work without actually being an employee, it makes you feel valuable and important. It is every intern’s dream, but as both a student and a part-time employee somewhere else it is easy to get overwhelmed, I can promise you that. Be sure to organize your time and tasks, so that you don’t find yourself sacrificing yourself too much. The experience may be invaluable, but there comes a point where enough is enough. Do not stay later at the office if you have things that you need to get done, their connections they can give you mean nothing if you never graduate. Do not wake up early, to go out of your way to pick up that thing they need if you have a long day and need that extra hour of sleep. Sacrificing yourself for free work does not make you a hero, it makes you irresponsible.

I have come to respect myself and trust myself so much more when I have walked away from an experience where I was not learning and was being taken advantage of. The desire to be helpful and prove your helpfulness can be a road to disaster, especially if the person really needs the help. The most crucial thing I have learned is that it does not make you a bad intern for saying no if you feel like too much is being asked of you. It is okay to say no. It does not give you a pass to be lazy, but it is important to protect yourself. I love interning and getting the chance to learn in a work environment and explore, but I have also been able to learn lesson about myself and that’s something I really grateful for.