2 : 10

This is a blog post that I wrote for work... Blah Blah Blah


Two weeks in and ten more to go! I've decided that an intern should write a journal of sorts. It might be interesting to somebody out there who wants to know more about our experiences.

 

My first week at Mylan was full of ups and downs. After moving to Morgantown from my lovable hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, solely for this internship, I was eager to make friends and establish myself as a hard worker. Luckily, I've done just that; I found my old physics tutor working in an office not far from me as an intern, I made friends with my deskmate and fellow MTS intern, and I managed to make friends with a few tablemates at Mylan internship events. I have never really felt comfortable working in an environment until I know that people near me will be accepting of my ideas, which I realize that everyone is. That's one huge benefit of this new business culture. My time in the office has consisted mostly of sipping company-provided coffee, reading informational documents, taking notes, and calling the notorious 6800. On day two, I completed 25 assignments in MyUniversity, which surpasses the suggest twelve by far. When the system started glitching, I was forced to stop, much to the dismay of my sponge-like brain. Everything around here is very professional but casually easy, and somehow (with my mother's help), I've begun to gather a wardrobe that reflects this. Plus, I needed to adopt a more work-acceptable style. Even though I have been sitting at my desk for extended amounts of time, looking good is feeling good especially with the right attitude. For me, it has been interesting just to immerse myself in the varying plethora of new information flying at me from all directions.

 

Now for the downs... While on a mission to eat healthier, I unfortunately landed myself a trip to the emergency room due to a grapefruit and paring knife. I found out my house that I am subletting in does not have air conditioning in time for the 85 degree weather. I am too far from home to go see my adorable cat who has not been doing well for the past month or so. We've had many distracting discussions about whether or not it would be time to let my fury companion go, and I haven't wanted to miss a moment of her last memories here even though they probably include copious amounts of sleeping in the sun. Finally, my long Memorial Day weekend started on my way back home where I received a speeding ticket. After a cubicle how-to, I remembered tips on how to get off easier in this situation, I remembered to never let the officer see me cry. Rounding off, being in new places without familiar faces is quite intimidating, so the adjustment period is very real.

 

As for my second week here, I was exuberant to attend my first meeting. The way the meeting went was fairly simple: we were discussing how to improve the quality (a buzz-word, of course) of our department, but I was extremely lost in all of the abbreviations. After returning from the meeting, my fellow MTS intern and I were eager to find out exactly what these abbreviations meant. When we found out, it was all crystal clear. Since then, my time has been spent reading and learning from a variety of documents describing some Materials Engineering coursework directly applied to what we do here everyday in the pharmaceutical business. This science-y aspect is right up my alley, so I've been more than happy to read material that others my find particularly dry, which I would agree with only partially.

 

Additionally, I've made a rough draft of my goals for this internship:
1. Embrace an unapologetic and unconventional philosophy while constantly possessing enthusiasm for achievement rather than activity. -Panther
2. Demonstrate wisdom to step up, step in, and step out, and transform tradition into unique practice. -Owl

 

Now, you may have noticed that I paired an animal with each goal. I like to think about my goals as a very primal sense of survival and success, so I've given the goals an animal that reflects the particular goal. Panthers are relaxed animals, but also very fierce. As I work, I want to ensure my abilities to be eager are not too eager but strong without being a juggernaut. Owls are one of my favorite animals and embody wisdom to complete tasks in a particular and evolutionary way dependent on the mission. I hope to bring this to the unique and focused mentality to work with me everyday.

 

Next week I look forward to learning what my project is and determining how I can put my personal touch on my work.