What do you do if your sustainability internship experience feels unfulfilling?

Before exploring outward, reflect inward. Where does the feeling of unfulfillment come from? Is it the work itself? The team you're working with? The methods/approach? Often, when it comes to social impact/sustainability a lot of new graduates are often surprised of the "boring" parts to the job: project management, research, benchmarking, spreadsheets/data entry... It's the skills/knowledge you need to know how to do in the beginning that sets the foundation for the career path. If the topic (for any job) itself is the root of the unfulfillment, the "boring" part will always feel unfulfilling. Just know that it's okay if sustainability is not your thing and it's okay to pivot in life when it isn't working for you.

Just because you're an intern doesn't mean you're not a valuable contributor to whatever team you're serving. While seeking feedback is important, in the case of feeling dissatisfied with your internship, it's equally important to provide feedback as it is to seek it! Be brave and talk to your supervisors about your hopes and goals for the internship. Some interns just want to build their resume by being physically present and not rocking the boat, but you'll gain so much more by diving in and ensuring that you get the experience for which you were hoping!

Reach out to your supervisor or mentor to discuss your concerns and seek constructive criticism. Ask for opportunities where you can contribute more meaningfully. Schedule regular check-ins for feedback. Express your eagerness to learn and grow.

Proactive Growth: Seeking Feedback in Your Sustainability Internship Initiate a dialogue with your supervisor if your internship falls short of expectations. Discuss your tasks and express eagerness for greater involvement. Proactivity demonstrates commitment to learning and may lead to more challenging projects. Embrace feedback as a means to enhance performance and contribute more effectively to the team.

If your sustainability internship experience feels unfulfilling, consider proactive steps to enhance your and make the most of the opportunity. Talk to your supervisor or mentor about your concerns and express your interest in more challenging or meaningful tasks. Seek out additional projects or responsibilities that align with your interests and career goals. Network with professionals in the sustainability field, participate in relevant events or workshops, and seek opportunities to learn and grow beyond your assigned tasks. Reflect on what aspects of the internship are unsatisfying and use this insight to guide your actions towards making the experience more rewarding and beneficial for your personal and professional development.

Evaluate what you hoped to achieve and establish clear, achievable goals. Communicate these goals with your supervisor to align expectations. Write down specific skills or knowledge you want to acquire by the end of your internship. Ask for projects that align with these goals.

Turning Internship into Opportunity: Setting Personal Goals in Sustainability" Transform your internship into a career stepping stone by setting personal goals. Identify skills to develop or knowledge to gain and integrate them into your internship. Seek relevant experiences, such as workshops or shadowing, to align with your objectives. Clarity in goals enhances the internship's value, paving the way for career growth in sustainability.

Una utilidad que he implementado es tomar cursos en plataformas digitales (muchas de ellas te dan beca completa) de temas sustentables, dentro de esos programas desarrollan proyectos que pueden ser implementados en las empresas donde se realizan las pasantias. Dando como un plus a la empresa y se tiene el respaldo de profesores expertos en el tema que te pueden apoyar en el desarrollo del proyecto, aumentando asi la experiencia profesional.

Networking is arguably the #1 focus of any internship and it's completely within your control. Learn about the different corners of the organization you're working with, talk to the people who have been there forever about what they love about the company, and talk to senior leaders to understand their challenges and priorities. This is how you can find opportunities for full-time roles, but also if you want to stay at this company anyways. In an internship, you get to leave the classroom and talk to working professionals. Learn as much as you can from them and don't let this opportunity go to waste. These are your future advocates, mentors, and support system, but it takes intention to build.

Use this time to build relationships with professionals in the field. Networking can open doors to more fulfilling opportunities and enhance your understanding of the industry. Attend professional meetups or sustainability conferences. Connect with colleagues and industry professionals on LinkedIn.

If your mentor is not checking in to make sure things are going well, that is an issue. But, keep in mind that managing interns can be a heavy lift when things are busy. Expect some downtime here and there. Not all internships are fun and glory and sometimes you ah e to take the good with the bad. Please don’t work for free. Unpaid internships are exploitive.

Periodically reflect on your experiences, what you’ve learned, and how it aligns with your career path. Adjust your approach as necessary. Keep a journal of your daily tasks and what you’ve learned from them. Revisit your expectations and compare them with your experience.

Internships are learning experiences, whether for good or bad. The bad experiences are just as important. Take stock of pitfalls to avoid, the types of people you want to work with (or don't), and use this knowledge when you seek your next internship or full time job.

In any sustainability role, or just role in general, those who seek and create opportunities will always outperform those who wait for opportunities to come to them. Especially with new sustainability strategies, we often find ourselves as intrapreneurs, pitching new opportunities within organizations we work in. Your role in any organization is to add value and as a sustainability professional, you will find yourself constantly finding opportunities to solve new challenges with new innovations to add value.

Take the initiative in seeking out tasks or projects that interest you, or propose your own projects that can benefit your team. Propose ideas for sustainability initiatives. Volunteer for tasks that others might be overlooking.

Explore different aspects of sustainability outside your immediate role. This may help you find areas that are more aligned with your interests. Ask to shadow professionals in other departments. Take online courses to gain knowledge in varied areas of sustainability.

Persistance: Sometimes it takes time to see the impact of your work, especially in sustainability. Flexibility: Be open to a range of experiences; finding what you don’t enjoy can be as valuable as finding what you do. Vision: Remember the bigger picture of sustainability and how your role, however small it seems, contributes to larger goals.