Fetching Coffee

So I was asked to fetch coffee the other day.

Really. I kid you not.

Michelle, you might be wondering, aghast, are interns really expected to do silly things like fetch actual coffee all the time?

I certainly hope not.

Amadito had its 4th birthday a few weeks ago!

As I was on my way through Wenceslas Square trying to locate a Starbucks among a crowd of people and not sneeze for the umpteenth time that day (I’ve sneezed approximately a hundred times this week – it’s so absurd that I have actually started counting), I started laughing to myself. I’m fetching coffee! This is the most stereotypical intern experience out there and it is happening to me right now!

Books in German, French, and English!

Beyond the initial hilarity and subsequent disorientation (actively looking for a Starbucks is never something I’ve had to do – they always appear just when I need them), I got the coffee and maneuvered around milling crowds to make it back to the event I was at without mishap.

Marcia Williams did an event at the shop last week and I got to make the sign!

Let’s get something clear right now: this is not a usual occurrence. I have never been asked to fetch coffee before in my life. In the shop we have our own coffee machine. There was a lull in sales and my shift was almost over anyway, so I got some coffee. Not a problem. Promise.

Some helpful tips for some of you intern hopefuls out there before we get more in depth:

• Do your research. On the job market you’re interested in entering, on the company you get assigned to, on the commute between your apartment and your job three times just to make sure you got it right. Research. There is no such thing as too much research.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. The only way I  landed with this internship is that I made it clear what I was interested in, despite knowing that it was a little out of the ordinary. That’s the kind of thing that makes you stand out to employers, especially if your interests are fine-tuned to a more niche market.
• In that vein, don’t be afraid of having interests that aren’t traditionally conducive to what you think an internship “ought” to be like.
• Don’t worry. Every day is different. Some days you might be asked to fetch coffee. Revel in the small break and keep track of the change you get. And do not be rude to Starbucks employees.

 

Michelle Robins is a Fall 2015 MOJO Blogger in Prague, Czech Republic. She is currently a junior at Augsburg College.

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