Although I am only a senior in college and have not started a career yet, I have recently had an experience that has taught me what the phrase, “if you love your job, you won’t work a day in your life,” truly means and why it is so important. To actually love what you are doing with people you want to surround yourself with each and every day you get up to work, is something extraordinary.
During my Fall 2018 semester, I interned at a very reputable and high-end fashion retail brand based out of Brooklyn, New York. I was so excited to start working there being that I love fashion and it was a paid internship, which is not always guaranteed. I considered myself lucky and was genuinely excited to meet new people, learn about the industry, and learn about corporate culture in a way in which I was fully immersed. When the first day came, I was early (as usual) and ready to begin any task they were going to put me to work on. I very quickly came to realize that I was not there to be welcomed into the work day but rather to just sit there and do my job. My mentor seemed very bothered that she had to deal with an intern and didn’t even say hello to me before noon, but would walk past me constantly. I felt very unwelcomed, very bothersome, and frankly I was not learning anything at all since the entire team was not opening up to me and showing me “the ropes.” As that chapter closed, another one opened.
Spring 2019 I was accepted into the Make-A-Wish NJ internship program. Although I was never interested in working in the Non-Profit sector and it is an unpaid internship, I was still super excited because anything was better than my last internship. My first day rolled around and I was not expecting too much since I was so disappointed in my last internship, however, I was blown away. They welcomed me with open arms as they were just as excited as I was. They showed me every single room in the building, introduced me to every single staff member, and told me everything I needed to know. In addition, they made me feel like I could come to them with any question I could possibly have.
The difference between these two internships was not the salary, the proximity to my home, or even the work that they asked me to complete. The biggest difference was the work culture and the staff because without them my time working would have been miserable. I can honestly say I couldn’t even get up to work during my Fall 2018 semester due to how dreadful it was to go to work but now, each week I get up excited and ready.
The saying “if you love your job you won’t work a day in your life” is very true, trust me. The environment in which you work and how comfortable you feel makes all the difference in the happiness in your life and your work ethic. I was fortunate enough to figure this out early on but I am here to remind you to always follow what you love because if you love it, you won’t work a day in your life.