I have one last week here in my internship. It is bittersweet having to close this chapter. Before the start of this internship, it felt as if this would feel so much longer than the program. But after the program, I will not be leaving right away. I am here for an extra two weeks. I will be driving around Ireland with my cousin who lives here. I have been away from home for three months, so I am excited to return but it is bittersweet. As my time here is closing, I am able to reflect on the growth and opportunity this has given me. 

This weekend I took a day trip to Cork and Cobh this trip was one of my favorites I have been on so far during my time here. 

In my specific field of work, success is measured in a different way from the rest. I work in live music and success is measured by how passionate you are about it. This is common between the United States and Ireland but some fields are different. In the United States, you need passion to start and then it starts to be measured about power and status in the industry. There is a sense of an authority figure that has the power over the other workers. This is where Ireland differs. From my experience, it feels like there is less of a power dynamic here. For the country of Ireland and the industry, success isn’t measured on a monetary level but how you enjoy it. There is a major difference in the purpose of working.

This made me question how I can be successful here in my internship. I found comparing this internship to my job at home. Being successful at home meant just finishing my long list of tasks for the day. But here I don’t necessarily have a list of tasks just to complete. I am not given clear directions when given one task and after I need to find other tasks to fill my day with. The styles of communication in the workplace here is very different. That is one of the biggest differences I have noticed between the two countries 

One of the behaviors that makes a successful employee is wanting to continuously learn and develop as a worker. A worker that is not open to learning will not continue to flourish in a workplace. Having that open mindset helps me to grow as both an employee and a person. 

Another characteristic of a successful employee is creativity. For an employee to understand that there is not just one way for a task to be done. Rather than there are several different ways you can approach a task. This is very important in my industry. In the United States having a stricter box on what you create compared to Ireland has been a difficult change. Having unlimited freedom vs Limited has its own set of limiting creativity that comes with it. 

In both countries, hard and soft skills are needed in order to be successful. The skill of communication and problem-solving are both needed traits of a good employee. There are many similarities between successful workers in both Dublin and The United States.