We are already at the end of the third week of the internship and I have already faced some problems. For this week’s post, I will write about such occasions when I was stuck. Hence, if you are an Outreachy candidate or intern who has also get stuck and is hesitant to reach out to get help, this post is for you! 😉
Small Steps Every Day
These first 3 weeks of internship are being impressive and at the same time horrifying. I’m discovering so many fascinating new stuff, which ends up confusing me sometimes. On top of that, last week, I had my first video meeting with my mentors. It was a pleasant experience to finally meet them, other than by email or chat. But, I was terribly nervous 🙇🏽♀️. See, my English is terrible 😳. Although I have already had an exchange in Dublin for a year, I have no confidence in communicating in English. However, to my surprise (and gratitude), they were incredibly kind and patient with me.
During the meetings, I made clear my issues and problems I was facing. And every time, my main mentor (Corey) reassured me and directed me to the right path. Which is great. However, I still sometimes find myself feeling confused and stuck in something 🤷🏽♀️. To get around this feeling, something that has been helping me a lot is to create to-do lists ✅. Sounds silly, but it works for me. Just the simple act of writing down what you need to accomplish can spark motivation and make you feel better and more productive. A valuable suggestion is to start with the tasks you like or are good at. That will definitely help you stay motivated.
When you are preparing your lists, break each task into smaller, apparently more achievable tasks. By performing each task, you will receive a dopamine boost. While this effect does not last long, it is a sufficient motivation to encourage you when you are unmotivated. It’s magic! With small steps every day, it will be more effortless to motivate, no matter how little you consider yourself capable.
Without Struggle…
… there is no progress! Overall, I haven’t had many difficulties coding on my project yet. Maybe because I already have some experience with the languages I’m using. However, many of the new methods I am using during my Mozilla Data Science project I have never heard of. Every time my mentor suggests new methods, I spend a lot of time studying them and trying to figure out how they work in practice 👩🏾💻. So I am struggling as I learn to put model analysis and development into practice.
The good side of the struggle is you learn and get out of your comfort zone. It may sound intimidating at first, but trying and discovering new things will eventually be worth it. If you are in a difficult place right now, be sure there are some valuable and powerful things you can take advantage of this situation. So try not worrying so much! 😄 Remember that even the most experienced felt and went through the same fight as us. Although we are still a beginner at some topics, the main purpose of this internship is to learn and improve each day.
DON’T QUIT
I am fully aware that starting a new job/internship/project is challenging. You need to learn, retain, and understand a lot of new information, concepts, patterns, rules, and so on. As hard as it sounds, I invite you not to give up. Regardless of whether your problem is small, medium or big, enjoy every moment of this struggle and learning opportunity. Stop focusing on results and enjoy the process. You can be sure the results will arrive on time. And remember:
Thanks for reading! 🙂
I hope this blog post has encouraged you who are struggling or you who are thinking of applying for this wonderful program. Feel free to contact me for any further questions. See you! 👋🏽
MOSS 