Interning Downtown

Back in September, I accepted a part time internship. I was a bit worried over the summer about finding something a little more reliable than the movie theatre (and something that paid more as well) when we came back to Kansas City. So I applied a few places through my university’s internship network, and received a couple of call backs. When I met with my now boss for the interview, I was very nervous. It’s a very large company in downtown Kansas City, with pretty high security (everyone needs access badges and I was escorted around). I was a bit intimidated because I had never worked for an organization anything like this before. It just seemed very out of my league.

But apparently not because I got the position! It was definitely an answered prayer, because I would be working less than last semester (I worked approximately 35 hours a week on top of my studies) and would be earning more! I have nights and weekends off and a set schedule, which I had at neither of my previous jobs here in KC. That also means Andrew I will have evenings together. The internship runs for a year, so I could stay until next August if I chose to, but I will probably only stay until I graduate in May. Seriously counting my blessings, guys, that I have a steady income until graduation. Most internships are only for a semester.

I am interning in the billing department, which is somewhat relevant to my finance degree. As it is an internship, I’m doing some more of the “entry-level” duties, including answering the phones and handling incoming emails with inquiries about invoices, etc. But I don’t mind. I also sync updates between the two programs the department uses, manage customer accounts, and credit card disputes (those are always interesting). It’s not super exciting, but I’m actually enjoying the responsibility. There’s occasionally down time, too, so I can work on some homework, which is really nice! Somedays I do all of my homework at work and can come home and relax. :)

My coworkers are fair. They are always helpful when I have questions, but most of them aren’t super friendly. I am okay with that, though.There is another intern and her and I get along really well. She’s very sweet and friendly – it’s really easy to strike up a conversation w with her. We actually have a class together! I’m really glad that I have a friendly face that’s my age that I can talk to.

The commute isn’t too bad. Our apartment is right by the highway I take so it’s only about a ten minute drive. It takes a bit longer for parking since I have to park in a garage but parking is paid for by my company, thankfully – parking is never free downtown!

Downtown KC
The view from my desk!

I have my own desk and name plate (it has my name on it!), but I think what I love most is that my computer has two monitors. I haven’t worked with two screens before, and oh my gosh it is phenomenal! I want two screens at home now. It is so convenient to be able to have more than one application fully pulled up and to not have to switch every time you need to look at something. I’m a believer now. #twoscreensforever

Before this internship, my previous “internships” I had received through connections; one was my Sunday School teacher from church, another our youth pastor’s wife, another a lady that my mom knew, the last one a friend who had previously worked there. So this is my first internship that I’ve earned based on my own qualifications and merits. It feels good guys, it feels good.

10 thoughts on “Interning Downtown”

  1. That is so awesome that you were able to get that. Its great that you have those hours and its going to fit in so well with study! Not only that, the fact it is paying more is a huge advantage. I hope that you will really like it there. :D

  2. Yay! Sounds like a great deal to me! It’s always great when you get hit with a great job opportunity and then taking it, it turns out to be a decent experience! :3 Especially since you’re working less hours and getting paid more. Woot!

  3. I’m actually thinking about HR! You should definitely come to Texas. I actually knew a girl who went on a trip abroad with me and she’s from St. Louis. She goes to Wash U. That internship sounds really fun. I got my internship by myself too. I just emailed the training director and I interviewed with them and they said I could intern there. But I’m also doing it for class credit. I like having my own ID, it makes me feel special. The bad thing about it is I can’t get a job with my internship because most of the people have Masters Degrees or know Spanish. I don’t know Spanish. :/ (But I should learn) But I hope I’ll get another job after I graduate! :)

    I remember you posted about your trips abroad on this site. I love to travel too but I haven’t been as many places as you. I’ve been to Canada, Mexico, Hungary, Romania, Israel and Scotland. I have wanderlust and a travel bug. And then I’m a book nerd as well. I’m a Ravenclaw.

  4. First off congrats! =3

    It sounds really awesome! I love when hours are somewhat steady. It took me years to get somewhat steady hours. They vary sometimes, but for the most part they are. Sounds like a really awesome internship. You should be proud of yourself!

  5. Congrats on getting the internship! That’s great that it’s more pay and the schedule is more stable :) I’m glad you have another intern you can talk to too. I had an internship once where I was the only intern on the team. It felt kind of lonely and boring! That’s also a really nice perk that work covers your parking, especially since it’s downtown.

    Great view from your desk! I hope the internship continues to go well! :D

  6. Congratulations on the internship! (And late congrats on your marriage!) I hope this is a paid one–I really dislike the idea behind unpaid ones. I’ve only ever done one internship–and I don’t even know if I can justifiably class it that, even though that’s what the program is–and I stayed on for 3.5 years before I was basically forced to quit. It was pretty lame and not at all related to my major, anyways. Really glad yours is going better, and more helpful to you too in the long run!

  7. Sounds awesome to me, and about Bark Box, it depends on the number of months you get. I’d recommend you check it out. You can get coupons on your dog’s birthday and the boxes often go on sale. It really depends honestly. But I’m glad you found an internship for you! Great experience honestly!

    It’s sad, I used to live in Lawrence, KS, but I moved back to Texas a while back. Boo :(

  8. i had read some blog posts about internship before and some weren’t really enthusiastic about it. i think the setting in my country and yours are different (from what i know). here, we work as interns with no pay but we do it anyway since it’s a final requirement before graduation. or it could also depend on the employer. yours seemed like a dream internship! sure, your tasks may not be that thrilling, but you are learning about the basics as well as experiencing an office setup kind of work (since work at home has been trending lately) and getting paid for it! you have a lot of benefits for an intern and i know you’ll keep doing well! :)

    oh by the way, i also have two monitors on my workstation.XD it’s fun, isn’t it? there are instances where i miss having another monitor when i use my laptop at home!

    1. I think it just depends on what field you’re going into because we have a lot of unpaid internships here, too. But I didn’t want to do those because I didn’t really need the experience (from previous internships) so I looked for something that paid.

      It really is working out really well and I’ve hears so many internship horror stories! I’m very thankful for it!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.