By Kathleen Torio, a student at the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre
"I am completely lost," were the four words running through my mind at the speed of light on the first day of my internship.
I’m a student currently studying creative media at the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre. In order to graduate from the school, every student must undertake an internship with a local business. The internship offers students an opportunity to experience and enhance our knowledge and understanding of the world of work, helping prepare us for our chosen career paths.
Our internship placement is determined by our interest. We are simply asked, “What are you interested in?” Other students already know what they want to do, but when the career officer asked me, I panicked because I do not know what I want to do for a career. Quickly, I just thought of something and blurted out "marketing," even though I have little knowledge about the subject other than knowing it involves branding, photography, writing and advertising.
Before I knew it, Dart gave me an opportunity to work as an intern in its marketing and communications department. "Dart? Me? There? How?" I thought, and started panicking again. "How is that possible? Dart is such a well-known company here in Cayman."
Dart, I learned, has been offering internship programs for CIFEC students for many years now. This year, I’m one of them.
The first day was the hardest. I was timid. I lacked certain knowledge and skills like communication and confidence. However, as time passed during my internship, I was determined to break out of my shell, slowly but surely. During my time at Dart, I learned much, starting with the fact that marketing is much more than I thought. It made me curious and interested. My supervisor at Dart, Ariel Thompson, made sure that I improved my skills and got a glimpse of different areas of marketing and communications that may pique my interest. I slowly gained confidence with myself and with my work.
Others at Dart also encouraged me and recognised my hard work. Seeing them all work hard inspired me and made me realise what I can achieve in the future by working hard. I learned so much from all of them and they helped me expand my interest and introduced me to things that I could consider as a career path. I have now found some amazing role models.
My internship at Dart ends this month; however, it marks a new beginning: "I am no longer lost."