A step into the real world is always shocking; especially in an unfamiliar city. Traveling to Washington DC to participate in an internship program was one of the hardest decisions I've made. First, it would mean spending the summer away from my family. Second, it's the summer before my last season of competitive college golf and I've already learned that I won't be playing much here. Lastly, this is an unpaid position. This was a huge factor considering I am 99% financially independent. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay I realize that this is supposed to be a reflection of the internship, but I feel that these facts show the atmosphere around the internship when I was just starting out. I am in an unfamiliar place and I am very unsure of my decision. Even now I wonder if it was the right choice. The first day on the job I was thrown straight into the fire. My supervisor and I spent 20 minutes touring the office, then I was shown to my desk where I was assigned the task of underwriting a loan for a loan renewal due at the end of the week. My task involved analyzing a financial statement from the balance sheet to the cash flow statement. During a meeting with my supervisor later that same day (to clarify that this is still day 1), I put together a report that talked about a company's financial stability and explained the reasons for my review. Attached to this report was a risk assessment worksheet which I was also tasked with completing. She wasn't happy with what I brought back. We spent the next hour talking about how wrong I was! I think I started to realize what I already knew: This was my first day and I didn't know much about the lending industry. He continued to teach me more about what to look at rather than berate my efforts. The second time went a little better and I think she was more satisfied with my work. The first week was a bit tough. I've heard of friends of mine who got lucky and worked with other interns or left early. Meanwhile I was stuck in my office 9 hours a day that first week, with strict deadlines to get reports. I was exhausted and dejected, and at this point I completely regretted my decision. The first weekend I spent a lot of time in prayer asking for help and encouragement. One morning my phone lit up and it was a group text from the other LCU interns. Someone said we were supposed to go to dinner for my birthday, which I completely forgot about. We spent the night having dinner together, walking the National Mall, and visiting the monuments along the way. My perspective changed that night. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and it's about time I started acting accordingly. I stopped worrying about how summer would ruin my budget or how much work there was. It will be a challenge and that's what I live for. The quest to push myself is why I chose LCU in the first place, or played golf, or chose the accounting field, and ultimately why I am in Washington. With that new perspective, I saw my internship as another level to complete in this game called life. I started seriously looking for answers and looking at deadlines as something fun to try to accomplish instead of something stressful. Now I want to know everything about the industry.