The Truth

As the beginning of my internship comes to a close, I admit I am as scared as

someone who is about to apply for their first job ever. Even though I would not actually
go through the process of vigorously searching for an opening or vacancy and undergo
the whole process of passing requirements and interviews, the pit in my stomach existed.
Only it turned out that the institution I’m going to work for was not ready for us. Come
second day, after the orientation, I started easing in to the task and responsibility handed
unto me or us, my co-intern.

The internship began with the simplest tasks like file organizing, running errands,
keeping records of Senior High School students’ OJT information and assisting parents
with their concerns. However, the simplest tasks became more complex as the guidance
and counseling office also handles the preparation and dissemination of different forms
for graduating and transferring students. Additionally, aside from handling cases that
involves the students the office is also in charge of letting the parents and guardians know
about their children’s academic performances. I drew the illustration to portray the
reality, the truth of the job most of guidance counselors face in the country. They often do
things that are out of the scope of their profession, things that should have been done by
other concerned department, staff or even faculty.

Furthermore, the office that handles responsibilities out of its professional

coverage is undermanned and is housed in a small space just under the administration’s
office. My experience and realizations throughout this internship made me appreciate and
understand more the reality of the imbalance in the work load of employees in the country
particularly the profession I will belong in, specifically in the educational setting.

This experience surely did not only introduce me to the umbrella of work I may have to
face as I pursue a career in the mentioned setting but also readied me for the fact that it
would not be that easy to adjust into a system that is not fully organized and coordinated.
Couch

Moving forward to another setting may have been hard for me for it came in with
some serious family problems. But the real thing that made it hard for me to cope up with
in the clinical setting is the reality of unpreparedness and uncoordinated the internship
program was. At first, I thought being enlisted as one of the few interns to a national
institution such as the National Center for Mental Health would be great for an experience
and inspiration for me to pursue a career in the clinical field of psychology, but I was
wrong. Though it also came with pleasant experiences and connections with the patients
I have handled, the way the internship goes through with time was surely comparable.
I have chosen the Couch as a symbol of this setting because I believed that the
interviews and deep talks we had with our patients served as a haven for them, a moment
that had let them blow off some steam and ease them what they were carrying like one
person does when he or she sits on a couch, at home, relaxed. In my own perspective,
the couch does represent the supposed clarity, relaxation and rest the patient should have
achieved having been able to share his or her concerns mentally and psychologically.

With all the honesty, I guess the most important thing I realized in this setting and
experience is that one can never really reach their full work potential when there’s no one
clearly guiding them, even in the simplest things of providing the actually needed
protocols for us interns to do our jobs right. The experience could have been a lot more
comprehensive learning opportunity if there was a moment in the orientation that we were
informed that things around the center and the internship program itself would not be in
accordance to the situations we will be facing throughout the program.

Furthermore, in the past, I never actually believed the advices of the elders to find
a good or friendly boss rather than search for a good paying job until I have experienced
it here. Even though the experience and the certification of the institution seemed to have
been worth it, I was not able to fully enjoy and exercise the lessons and teachings I have
with me from the university just because there wasn’t enough rapport between me and
my supervisor that I think would have made a big difference if he or she was a little bit
more honest and accommodating not only with me but the rest of the interns he/she was
handling.
This is not to sour the views of anyone who will read this to the institution or its
programs but just to convey the reality of my experience under a short period of time.
The Bridge within the Woods

Looking forward to a better experience, I was very positive as I count the days after
I have submitted my resume to this institution that had me feel like I’m actually at home
regardless of its distance from my actual residence. I admit receiving compliments during
the phone call interview that followed suit after a week of my resume submission made
me feel confident that I will fit in just right in this new setting that I will encounter.

The first day I had was eventful enough that I had been dubbed as one of the
‘fruitful first day’ interns. And as I dive into the internal processes of the company I finally
felt the purpose of my existence as an intern in the company. The care for the welfare
and the feelings of our applicants swelled in naturally. With my skill to actually remember
and familiarize names with their faces, I actually found the right spot in the hiring
process/department of the company.

I believe that the Bridge within the woods actually represent the whole experience of this
internship I am undergoing. Being one of the front liners and Coordinators for Applicant
Recruitment Experience (C.A.R.E Team), the bridge actually signified my tasks and
responsibilities as I basically assist, tend and lead our applicants to their concerns and
needs during the whole application process. Since the company have a one day hiring
process, the waiting time, anticipation and anxiousness may take its toll to our applicants,
especially our STADS (Starters and Adapters), who are new in the Business Process
Outsourcing (BPO) Industry. These people are the ones I picture to be the exploring the
woods and we the interns together with the rest of the hiring team serve as the bridge to
their destination, the job offer.

I can clearly say that this experience and the friendships I have earned throughout the
span of time I had and will further have with this institution can contribute to my growth
as a professional in the field of Psychology and as an individual.

As the company exhibits respect, integrity and acceptance, so shall the people that
works in it.