Reflections Part 1

The next two blog posts are going to be a sort of reflection on my time living and working in Brussels. I thought first that I would focus on the things that I experienced and learned through my work with Stenstrom Consulting during the time that I was there. Overall, I had a wonderful experience working while I was there. Through my work I gained many new skills and grew in a few different ways. 

Firstly, I think that I became way more comfortable in a professional environment through my internship. I came into my workplace a bit nervous and unsure of what to expect. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be an intense environment where I felt constant pressure or if it was going to be more laid-back. Luckily, I went into a work environment with a team that was incredibly understanding and open to questions and discussion. I was able to quickly let go of some of my anxieties that I came in with. I think one of the most important ways that I grew was by being able to ask questions when I was confused about a task, rather than struggling to figure out what I needed to do and taking way too much time trying to understand my tasks. I think that we often operate under the assumption that it is embarrassing if we don’t know something and have to ask clarifying questions, but I learned that it actually saves a lot of embarrassment in the long run. I used to be afraid to ask questions and it ended up creating situations that were much more awkward than if I had just asked in the first place, and I think that by the end of this internship I had learned that skill. 

I also learned a lot about creating my own work. If I had completed all of my tasks for the day but still had an hour or two left, I learned to look for ways to help my coworkers instead of just twiddling my thumbs when I was finished. I would peruse the news looking for information that was pertinent to our clients or go back through my emails for information on parliamentary policies that may not have necessarily been in our firm’s wheelhouse but that I found fascinating. I think that this is a valuable skill that I can carry on to future experiences. 

I believe that the skills that I learned while I worked in Brussels will not only help my future employers, but it will also help me gain a lot of knowledge from my experiences.