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We've all experienced being an intern in some way, shape or form. Sometimes it comes in the form of running errands for your boss: like picking up their coffee or performing other miscellaneous tasks that, in the end, don't benefit you at all. In other forms, you actually get to be a part of the career that you paid copious amounts of money for, all while spending countless hours ingesting an unhealthy quantity of coffee as you try to write a paper on the sociology of man so you can graduate with that degree.

But we all know that much. What really makes the interning process different for each individual person is the way they perceive their new work place. 

After you've been accepted by the company of your choice to go and offer free labor at the price of experiencing real work (sorry, Career Day at the local elementary schools), you inevitably find yourself wondering what the first day is going to be like. There's the worry that you're going to screw up the first day, that something terrible is going to happen and the head honchos are going to send you packing with no experience gained (well, you'll have learned something but it won't help you in the future). When that initial worry passes (or at least dissipates for the time being), the works starts to come in and you find yourself involved with projects you could only dream about while drooling into your calculus book.

The people you're going to work with will both astound you and subconsciously overwhelm you. Let it be noted that they don't do it on purpose (most of the time), but because of their norm being that of the fast-paced, dare I say, cut-throat world of business, they're more prepared for the bigger work loads than you are. And that's nothing to be ashamed of! As an intern, you have to remember that asking them to explain something, to go over something in a little more detail or even sit with you on something you aren't completely sure of isn't a bad thing. You're learning just like they did once upon a time, and any person with a shred of human compassion won't punish you for that.

So, fill up a notebook with questions for the future and helpful tips to keep you grounded, and, when it seems to be too much somedays–and believe me that will happen–take a step outside, count to ten and tell yourself that you deserve to be in that office working with those professionals.

Eventually, you're going to walk into the office with your premium blended coffee and donut decked out in sprinkles, sit at the desk they've given you to work at, and stare at the blank computer screen until something in your mind finally clicks that yes, this is real, that your hard work has brought you to this point. Don't daydream too long though, because after you blink and come back down to the waking working world, they'll be pulling you into meetings, asking for your opinions on projects you're not even a part of simply because you have that talent that they value.

The mind of an intern is sometimes scattered and filled with worry, but it's also overflowing with creativity and a passion to be a part of something bigger, and under no circumstances should it be taken lightly.