Online Interning from Home

Many students have either had their internships transferred online or canceled altogether. Most rising seniors had big plans for their summers, but everything changed overnight when COVID-19 hit. My plans, for example, completely fell apart. I was sent home early from my study-abroad trip in Italy, and my internship for AmericasMart-Atlanta Apparel in Atlanta became completely online. I would no longer need to go to Atlanta because meetings were to be held on Zoom and communication kept through email. Hearing this news at the end of May, especially after being home since the end of February, was devastating; I was looking forward to getting out of my house and living in Atlanta for the summer.

I can’t even begin to try to understand the disappointment of students who had their internships and study abroad experiences completely canceled. This reminder allows me to look on the bright side: I was fortunate enough to spend six weeks in Italy with twenty-two amazing girls and return home to start an online internship a few months later. In this article, I will continue my series documenting how I have been spending this time at home; I encourage you to look at my previous articles on this topic as well!

1. Have a daily routine

Working from home takes a lot of self-discipline. It becomes common-place to sleep till noon, sit around, eat, and maybe workout. This was especially true because I did not have daily meetings to attend for my internship, but instead had two each week to check in with my boss by relaying our progress on tasks. Some days I did not change out of pajamas because I didn’t have to dress up for a Zoom meeting. Even on meeting days, I would put my business casual on only from the waist up. I learned early on that I need to be productive, even on days when I did not meet with my boss. I got up every morning around 10:00 a.m., checked my email, replied to text messages, read the news headlines, made breakfast, and began completing tasks for my internship.

2. If you say you’re going to do something, do it!

I work alongside a co-intern, and we split up tasks that are required to be completed promptly. It is beyond frustrating to wait on someone to achieve something they said they would have done by then. I did not encounter this problem with my partner due to any bad work habits on either of our parts- we worked very well together and were quick to complete tasks! However, because we are in different states with differing time zones, we still had to wait on one another. From this, I learned the importance of turning in my best work and being efficient when completing tasks.

3. Communication is key!

I have a great relationship with my boss because I previously worked for her as an Atlanta Apparel Brand Ambassador during last season’s market. She knows my personality well and is familiar with how I work. From the beginning she encouraged us to ask her any questions we might have through a text, call, or email. She knows that my co-intern and I are both familiar with market, so she gave us creative freedom, which I have enjoyed. Due to her openness to us asking questions as well as the freedom we were given, successful communication with my boss was of utmost importance. It is just as crucial to have excellent communication with your co-intern(s) or other coworkers. My co-intern and I worked from different locations, but we were constantly texting to ask questions and check in on the status of tasks. I also had everyone’s email address through AmericasMart, so I used that to communicate with my co-intern, our bosses, and others that work for the mart.

I am truly forever grateful for this internship opportunity. It did not go as expected, but I still learned many valuable things that I will carry with me into my career. As I am in the last two weeks of this internship, I cannot wait to see if there is an opportunity for me to work for Atlanta Apparel once I graduate in May of 2021.