There is no doubt that acquiring a stellar academic career while retaining enough time to socialize and do the things we enjoy is a balancing act. Especially the part-time and full-time jobs students hold while completing their studies.

Requirements for school can be daunting while in the process of earning a degree. One of those requirements for many students is to complete an internship. Internships are often viewed as a burden, or just one more step towards walking across that stage to receive a diploma.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work for Wyoming’s United States Senator John Barrasso in his Washington D.C. office during the summer of 2013. It was an incredible experience both in the office and out.

From working the front desk, giving tours of the Capitol Building, working with his press shop and many other things I found myself in unfamiliar territory constantly. I will not sugar coat it and say it was easy but it was a great opportunity.

Students can have internships that they truly enjoy. Try not to look at it as one of those requirements for graduation but rather a foundation for a professional career. Put that burden feeling to rest and find an internship that you will truly enjoy.

Be ambitious, apply for something biga��engage in an intern program a person can be proud to be apart of. This will make a person feel essential, important and makes the work feel valuable. Even if it seems impossible and that hundreds of other people are applying for the same internship go for it. As said in We Bought a Zoo, “all you need is ten second of insane courage.” Submit your application and let fate decide what happens.

Expect everything out of your internship. Take the good and the bad, but also show up and take the bad with pride. Of course a student’s dream internship is not to be the coffee go-getter or the copy maker, but at the same time those small tasks can help the functionality of the office. In doing those small things well without a fuss shows your employer, supervisor and co-workers that you care about the position you hold and are more likely to be asked to help with more important tasks.

Struggle hard but learn harder because after the struggle we are stronger than we were before it. Struggling can come in many forms like homesickness, stress, overbearing bosses or co-workers among many other things. Making light of the situation ultimately helps the one suffering as well as creating a better atmosphere for those around them. Struggling is hard, but learning to struggle makes it easier because it turns something from bad into something good and learning to overcome those struggles is a tool that is beneficial to have in one’s life-tool-box for the rest of their life.

An internship can be challenging and demanding on its own. As a requirement to graduate a student should be putting their studies to work, but should also be learning practical skills, learning about themselves and experiencing the world outside of academics. Thinking of an internship as a requirement sounds much worse than thinking of it as an opportunity.