Internship Journey

When I woke up today, I realized that I haven't shared anything about my internship. Although I didn't have anything planned for this week, I've had a rough week and I am still on recovery. So, why not share my internship journey? I've been interning for five months now, and it has been an enjoyable and educational experience, filled with both learning and unlearning. It's funny to think that initially, I didn't want to pursue a career in human resources. If you've read my first newsletter, you would know about this, but I'm glad I JUMPED off the cliff.

Exposure

During these past five months, I've had the opportunity to explore various aspects of HR, including labour relations, training and development, HR administration, and recruitment. It has been a journey of learning, unlearning, and navigating different aspects of these topics. While I have enjoyed all of them, labour relations has been particularly fascinating to me.

Team

I've been fortunate to have a great team that has been incredibly supportive of my journey. One valuable lesson I've learned is the power of having a helpful and supportive team. From conversations with friends, I've heard stories about managers who have trained many people and have lost their spark. Annnnnnd you come enthusiastic and eager to begin your journey, only to encounter someone who is unwilling to guide you (because he has done it thousand times). If you have someone under your wing, extend a helping hand to that young star. When we start, most of us are confused, and we quickly realize that the reality is different from what we've learned from books. We need to unlearn certain things and apply the knowledge we've gained through hands-on experience.

Growth

In the few months, I've experienced tremendous growth. Over the past three months, I've been actively involved with the training and development team. It's truly amazing to witness the number of individuals who have received training within our company. There's an incredible sense of fulfillment when you see CLEANERS  being empowered through education. I absolutely love it!  I've learned a lot and have been particularly engaged with tasks such as B-BBEE submissions and WSP-ATR submissions. Oh, and did I mention that I successfully delivered my first boardroom presentation? I'm proud of how well it went. Starting on the first of June, I'll be joining the HR administration team, and I'm eagerly looking forward to achieving some goals.

Joburg

As for Joburg, it still remains the scariest place for me. However, I've managed to go five months without being mugged, which is a relief! There are moments when anxiety creeps in, and I find myself scanning the surroundings for someone I instinctively trust to walk alongside until I feel safer. Fortunately, I've been punctual with my bus timings for the past few months, thanks to my RELIABLE bus driver. However, he was on leave this week, so I had to wear trousers and boots to work just in case I needed to run after the bus (Lol).

That's it. That's been the journey so far. I'm grateful to my company for the courses and support they've provided me with over the past five months. Let's see what June has in store for the Labor Relations Magnet.