As my time at Curator comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on some of the most important things I’ve learned here. Internships are hard work, but they can be incredibly rewarding if you give them your all. Here are the key takeaways I got from my internship, and some advice on how you can succeed in your own:

Be curious

The whole purpose of an internship is to learn, so never be afraid to ask questions. However, there is something to be said about figuring out the solution to a problem on your own. Be resourceful and genuinely curious, because you can learn a lot when you give yourself the opportunity to do so.

Put 100% effort into everything, even the small stuff

As an intern, sometimes you might feel like you’re being given all the work that no one else wants to do. But remember that being an intern is all about building upon your abilities. Show that you can succeed at the small stuff so that you are trusted with the bigger stuff. How you handle the less fun tasks is the truest reflection of your work ethic.

Be adaptive

Throughout your internship, but especially in the beginning, you might be asked to work on a project you have zero background knowledge on. When this happens, you have to be willing to learn. If you don’t do your own research on the front end of projects, your outcome won’t be very good. Friendly reminder that Google is your best friend!

Celebrate your successes

You’ll go through a bunch of different projects in a given day, and just like you might make a mistake here and there, you’ll also do some awesome things. When you’re told you did a good job, be excited about it! Be aware of both your weaknesses and your strengths so you know what to work on and what to be proud of.

And last but certainly not least…

Be detail oriented!!

If there was just one thing I took away from this internship, it’s that the details matter the most! Correct your typos, fix your formatting, and keep your projects organized. You will be dealing with a lot of moving parts throughout your internship, so keep it all straight so you never miss anything. Being detail oriented is THE key to success.