In April 2018, I was given the opportunity to leave my comfort zone and pursue my professional dreams. I attended a leadership conference where a recruiter approached me about an internship opportunity at GE Renewable Energy working as a software and validation engineer intern. Everything sounded great, but I would have to leave Texas and move to South Carolina in less than 30 days. Even though I knew no one out there, I decided to pursue this endeavor and take this leap of faith.
On the first day, I was a little hesitant because I would be working with people that have been working in their career for a few years, but that hesitation subsided once I found out that one of my mentors just graduated from Texas A&M University. She walked me through everything that I needed to know about the internship and company. Throughout my internship, she helped me with everything from technical issues to showing me what to do around town. On top of that, even though most of my team came from schools across the country, they all made me feel at home. They challenged me to work outside of my comfort zone on projects that reached outside of my realm of knowledge. My team gave me the opportunity to grow more in my technical and leadership skills and I am forever grateful that they guided me every step of the way.
Since I chose to do my internship out of state, my roommate and I were always on the road exploring the area. I had the opportunity to travel to many different states while I was in South Carolina, such as North Carolina and Georgia. With this in mind, our weekends were filled with amusement parks, tubing, museums, and more.
Living across the country not only pushed my professional boundaries, it also allowed me to experience things and meet people I never thought I’d be able to encounter.
Overall, moving across the country to expand my professional and personal development was one of the best things I could ever do. In the end, I am so glad I took this opportunity because it expanded my personal development and made me realize that my professional potential is limitless.
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