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You've Got This!

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Dear Carlos,


Congratulations on the offer and acceptance of your internship this summer with Oasis technologies!  The team at Oasis is so excited to work with you.  This is a big step for you as you will be learning all kinds of new things.  Some of these things will be technical in nature.  Specific skills directly related to coding and programming.  Some will focus more on professional skill building.  You know, those things that we all need to be able to model if we are going to be able to be a successful teammate and employee.  In order to help you succeed, below I am outlining a couple of strategies that you might find useful.

 

Technical skills.  We are all impressed with how you have self-taught yourself many of the foundational skills you will need to succeed in this workplace setting.  Of course, the team at Oasis will provide excellent training when you first start – I have no doubt.  Having said this, you might find it useful to go back and look and review some of the knowledge you have already gained.  I think many of these skills will apply and it might make your transition go more smoothly.  Perhaps gather together your notes and write out a list of essential skills you have learned prior to your internship.  You have 4 weeks before your start date.  I would suggest spending time each day reviewing – practicing – rereviewing – and repracticing each several times over the next four weeks.  Be sure to mix up the different skills and practice each skill for short periods of time at different intervals.  You might want to consider mixing up the topics.  Think about how these skills will relate to your new work environment.  How will this new application be different?  Consider practicing with these new contexts in mind.  Going through this process will allow you to hit the ground running!

 

Professional skills.  Oasis functions in as a highly collaborative, team-driven environment.  This can be a hard transition for someone who has not had this experience and I know that you will do a great job!  Before the start of your internship, think of a time when you worked collaboratively on a project.  Write down a detailed description (as detailed as possible).  What did you learn from this experience?  What did you enjoy about this experience?  How would you do it better next time?  I know it sounds weird but truly – write it out!  Thinking about this experience will help you understand how you will best succeed once you are in this situation again at your internship.  Other important professional skills important for this internship are dependability, communication, and giving/receiving feedback.  Think about how each of these elements connect to your life now.  What examples can you think of each of these skills that you engage with in your everyday life?  Over the next four weeks, try to practice each of these skills every day and notice and reflect on how it felt when you had succeeded?  Equally important, what happened when you weren’t as successful?  If it helps to write these experiences down, go for it.

 

I am sure that this will be a powerful experience for you this summer and am excited to support you through this process!

 

Best, Sarah 

 

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