Post 7: Have I met my goals?

In my second post of the Summer, I outlined two goals that I had for my internship. The first was to sharpen my writing skills, and the second was to gain insight into if I actually would want to work at a non-profit organization after I graduate from college.

Unfortunately, I do not feel like I have done enough writing for CityClub to meaningfully improve my writing skills. I know that I need to work often and consistently on my writing (like I do in an English class or a writing seminar) to really gain skill and expertise. At CityClub, I have written very sporadically. I a post for the CityClub blog early on, I have been producing a little bit of website content each day, and I have done a little bit of social media writing, but it is not enough. At past internships, I have done writing projects such as writing a grant proposal and writing a lot of blog posts/articles. Those two gigs are examples of the kind and quantity of writing that I need to engage in to get better at the craft. 

I've used my time at CityClub well, but I have not spend that much of it writing. I am as accountable for this as they are. It is and has been within my bounds to go up to my supervisor and say "hey, I'd really appreciate it if you guys could give me some more stuff to write," or "I'd love it if I could do another blog post," but I have been content with the work that I have been given, and I felt no need to do that.

As for the second goal, I am still unsure of whether the non-profit sector is for me. I do not think that I could work full-time at this non-profit. I am not passionate enough about the work being done to stay motivated. However, I have seen the passion that my best colleagues bring to work every day, and I have seen how dynamic a person fueled by that passion can be. The executive director of CityClub leads passionately. She works long and hard (I don't think I've ever seen her take a lunch break). She has been at CityClub for longer than anyone else. She shows no sign of slowing down. And, she accomplishes a huge amount for the organization. There is not anyone else at CityClub right now who could lead the organization as successfully as our executive director does.

I am pretty sure that if I could find myself a place that makes me feel that passionate about my work, then I could accomplish incredible things. So, I'll keep my eyes peeled for a non-profit that fires me up in a way that I cannot ignore. I still want to work in the non-profit sector. At the very least, this internship has shown me what I will need in a non-profit to really thrive as a full-time employee of it.