It's hard to believe I've finally arrived at my final blog post. When I started this blog, the end seemed so far away. Now there are less than 3 weeks until school starts and I leave my internships. I know I've said this so many times already, but it's mind-blowing how quickly time flies by when you're busy.

As much as I enjoyed this summer, if I'm going to be honest, it somewhat failed to meet my expectations. I thought working at THR would be a lot more dynamic than it really was. I'd hoped to do some writing and reporting, but in the end, all my days were spent in the office doing the same tasks over and over again. Contrary to what I thought at the beginning of the summer, the internship wasn't very interactive. Similarly, LA INC turned out to be a very stiff, aloof working environment. As much as I loved the work I did, I was only in the office two days a week, so I didn't get to do everything I could've done. I definitely regret that aspect of the summer.

However, I'm confident that I've added valuable experience to my repertoire. I was working on my cover letter for a fall internship application, and I realised that I have so much more knowledge to draw upon now. This summer was also important because it cemented my career goals: now I know I definitely want to work in entertainment/hospitality marketing, and that learning the skills required for such a job won't be impossible.

As I look ahead to the year ahead, I feel more apprehensive than excited. I feel burdened with a great deal of pressure: pressure to network, pressure to find an internship at a more prominent company, pressure to start looking for jobs, pressure to decide what I want to do after graduation, and, most of all, pressure to enjoy my last year in college. I look around, and all my friends have already completed internships I still dream about -- internships at companies like Fox, Universal, New Line, Disney, and Paramount; internships that have introduced them to very influential people. I love working for smaller companies, because it allows me to get more involved, but I feel I need to challenge myself with a more demanding workplace before I can really attack my job search with vigor.

So that's my goal for next semester. I want to study hard but work harder. I plan on continuing my job at Katsuya in hopes of climbing the SBE ladder, and if I can't find the perfect internship, I'll also be working on campus at the new Moreton Fig restaurant. Hopefully in between all of that I'll find time to continue my exploration of Los Angeles.