I'm trying not to be disappointed.

[DemureRose]

I'm a sophomore at college right now and I have made a total of one friend my entire time there.

On the advice of my therapist and my parents, I applied for this internship that is on my career interests, thinking it would be a great way to both socialize and build my skill set.

Somehow I managed to get the internship, but during an informational meeting I just had, I learned something disappointing.

The internship is 100% remote. -_-

UGHHHHH. Freaking COVID.

Like...this internship is amazing and sounds like a lot of fun but the whole reason I applied was to maybe make some new friends!

I'm at a point where I'm unsure how to feel. I'm excited about the internship, but so disappointed it won't be happening in person. So so disappointed.

And I don't even want to tell anyone that I got it because I know they'll be all excited...until I tell them it's remote. Like it's embarrassing almost.

At first I thought it wouldn't be so bad. Like maybe we just do our projects by ourselves but then collaborate to go over stuff. NOPE. That's done over the internet too.

What makes it worse is it will likely be somewhat time consuming, so I don't even think I can volunteer or work anywhere else at the same time.

I'm trying so hard to stay positive but the disappointment is nearly crushing it.

Any advice?

[b1b1b1]

Well, most jobs now are done remotely because of covid. Try to feel pleased that you got the internship. You may also make some friends remotely and then be able to meet in person when you are all vaccinated.

[kvolm2016]

It is easy to understand why you are disappointed with the remote aspect of the internship if one of your goals was to develop friendships through it. Still, you are to be congratulated on being selected for it as that speaks to your capability. How long does the internship last? If it is a short-term situation then maybe you can just power through it by focusing on the work aspect and the skills and workforce connections you are developing. If it is long-term, you probably will end of developing friendships over the course of time which will be accessible in person at some point. Honestly I feel like we are getting to that point of being able to return to socializing pretty quickly now where I live. What about in your area?

[DemureRose in reply to kvolm2016]

The internship is from this summer to the end of next school year (so next May).

And I had honestly thought things we getting better here, my university even said things would be “back to normal” next semester. Clubs are meeting in person now and everything. So that’s what really shocked me about this internship being remote.

[kvolm2016 in reply to DemureRose]

Since it is long-term did they indicate that the whole time it would be remote or just that it is starting out that way until the company can fully reopen? And maybe once you get to know your supervisor and some of the other coworkers you can bring up the possibility of working together in person?

[DemureRose in reply to kvolm2016]

They indicated it would be remote the entire time.

It’s for an organization on campus so maybe that’s why? But they’re really the only ones not in person. Everyone else has started meeting in person (with masks and social distancing of course).

[kvolm2016 in reply to DemureRose]

Got it. Well if they begin to realize that they are the only organization choosing to operate this way, maybe it will change as the semester progresses and as the mask and distancing guidelines become less restrictive. I hope so since it sounds like a good opportunity for you!

[Kainan]

Hey way to go securing that internship! That's a big deal. You never know what could happen. You might make a few connections fairly quickly in this internship. I think it's important to be ready for anything👍😉