Disclaimer: Anything written in this blog represents the opinions of the author, and no one else. Each blog is written lightly, and is not intended to offend any of the mentioned businesses, locations, students, or staff.

I have hit a turning point in my internship. I had the most terrifying phone call of my life today.

Today began as a day just like every other. I picked up the phone to call some prospects in California around 11:15am (8:15am their time) as I do just about every day. I am greeted by a calm man, and I proceed to share with him why I am calling him. He allows me to introduce our firm and I feel a slight wave of relief as he listens without interrupting my pitch. As I finish my last sentence, I am taken aback when the man erupts into a fiery rage. He has gone from cool and collected to livid and hollering in about 10 seconds.

As I respond to his hollers rapidly with the responses I practiced in training, I can see my coworkers gather around me in anticipation. I continue to do my best to try to calm the prospect and hide my shocked reaction at the same time. Unfortunately, my face is already tomato red. My coworkers stare at me for the tiniest bit of explanation for my red face. To them, it sounds like I am having a productive phone call with an inquisitive prospect. Little do they know…

In another attempt to appease the executive on the other line, I hand the conversation over to a senior wealth advisor. The conversation continues between them – emotions still roaring – with no success.

I was left confused, offended, hurt, and very red from blushing in shock.

The experience has both scarred me, and empowered me. I still have no understanding as to why the man on the other line was so wild, and I probably never will. That’s not what matters though. For me, this served as practice to be on point. It reminded me how crucial it is to know your material, for any and all positions you hold, and to know how to articulate that material.

At the end of the day, the man on the other line earned nothing from his behavior. I, on the other hand, gained more practice and confidence. So, I move forward!

Disclaimer: Anything written in this blog represents the opinions of the author, and no one else. Each blog is written lightly, and is not intended to offend any of the mentioned businesses, locations, students, or staff.

I have officially chosen gas over mascara. As I stared at my online banking account, it was clear to me that I had to choose to spend my last available 20 dollars on one of these two necessities. My heart leaned toward mascara, but my brain knew that I wouldn’t be able to make it to work unless I made a sacrifice. So, I filled my tank.

This is only one of the many pivotal changes that have occurred this summer due to my new responsibilities as an intern. Below, I will list some others.

1. I no longer listen to Kiss 108 or 103.3 AMP Radio. The upbeat hip hop and pop songs that once represented long beach days and late nights now ring in my ears and seem to be limited to about 5 songs on both of these stations. Instead, I have resorted to 92.5 The River and Oldies 106.7 which calm me, and don’t remind me of my commute to and from work, filled with traffic and anticipation of my arrival home.
2. Emails are no longer a professional buffer and alternative to phone calls and texting. Instead, they are an everyday tool for communication between both people I know very well, and don’t know at all.
3. My collection of flats has transformed from cute shoes I wear with cropped jeans to shoes sitting at the floor of the passenger seat in my car, only retrieved as a functional shoe to wear while driving.
4. Weekends are no longer a time to hang out with whomever whenever, but are instead a time to strategically plan activities and people to see. My time has become more valuable and I certainly don’t want to waste the limited amount that I have free.

I am quickly learning that internships teach you more than how to be professional and how to write a signature on an email. This summer is teaching me how to manage my time, and how simple luxuries such as music and attire hold much more value as you enter the professional world.

On the upper hand, most of my work involves phone calls, which means that the people on the other line can’t see my mascara-less eyes, right?