By: Renee Radzom, DePaul University graduate, former University Internship Program (UIP) assistant

DePaul Diaries is a day-in-the-life blog series written by DePaul students. The series unveils DePaulians’ experiences as interns in their field of choice. Students share their honest thoughts about their experiences, what they learned as an intern and advice for students who are interested in the same field.

While working in the DePaul Career Center as a receptionist, Alex Nguyen, DePaul University mathematics major, was given an advancement opportunity to assist with the overall operations of the Loop office. This opportunity gave Alex more responsibilities and allowed him to further his professional development while helping students do the same.

Alex said he has the opportunity to oversee and create the schedule for the receptionist team and train new staff. “I assign daily tasks and give them regular feedback as to how they can improve their customer service skills.” The managerial opportunities have proven invaluable to Alex who “never thought it would be something [he] would be good at.” Along with supervising and training, Alex keeps inventory for the Loop office.

During the internship, Alex decided to take a UIP class offered through the Career Center’s University Internship Program; Alex took the class titled UIP 250: You, Your Work, and the World. One of his favorite aspects of the class was that he created his own career portfolio, which allowed him to think about what professional skills he already has and which ones he wants to work on. “The class encouraged me to go outside of my comfort zone and think about what other capabilities I have within my current internship,” Alex said.

The biggest piece of advice Alex has from his experience: “…Step out of your comfort zone and responsibilities and see what else you can do. Just because it isn’t in the job description, doesn’t mean you can’t take initiative and give yourself more opportunities.”

Alex’s story is an example that you can gain new responsibilities and even move up to a new position at an internship when you work hard and push yourself above and beyond your daily routine.

Want to learn about DePaul’s University Internship Program? Check it out, here, or send inquiries to UIP@depaul.edu. Need help finding an internship? Visit depaul.joinhandshake.com, or come into DePaul’s Career Center to meet with an advisor.