During my studies in military history, my professor (Klinkert, the kind of guy you address by his last name only) presented the statement:
“Time spent on reconnaissance is never wasted.”
Not that he came up with it himself; the quote has been attributed over the years to various historical figures like the renowned Chinese strategist Sun Tzu, the Duke of Wellington—the Brit who handed Napoleon his defeat at Waterloo—and the German general Erwin Rommel, whose military genius made the British sweat in the already scorching deserts of North Africa during WWII.
“Time spent on reconnaissance is never wasted.”
Whoever said it, it’s a clever remark.
And it’s relevant to internships as well:
👉🏽Finding an internship is a form of reconnaissance.
👉🏽Finding an intern is a form of reconnaissance.
👉🏽The internship itself is a form of reconnaissance.
Make sure you invest enough time in scouting the market; who are you looking for and what do you need?
Also, invest time in exploring the terrain where the intern will be working; the better you and the intern understand the goals and the obstacles you might encounter, the greater the chances of a successful internship.
Whoever came up with the statement; it holds true.
Understand that the student’s experience during the reconnaissance will shape your reputation when the student ‘returns to camp’ and reports its findings.
Prevent the next bad internship experience from becoming your Waterloo.