InternBR: My Experience and the Best Way to Improve Your Professional Development

Over the summer I had the incredible opportunity to participate in the inaugural session of InternBR. This is an initiative from the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) designed to provide area interns with professional development and training.

I was lucky to have been selected as one of 30 area interns to participate in this program, which took place over a 10-week period. We met every Friday for lunch-and-learn sessions at various places throughout Baton Rouge, and had a different guest speaker each week.

Through this program we learned important professional development skills such as, email and social media etiquette, business dinner etiquette, leadership styles and development, personal branding, crucial conversations, and interview preparedness.

I've always been a firm believer in the importance of internships, but this program showed me how equally important it is to participate in professional development and networking.

For those of you still in college, this could mean joining clubs on campus that relate to your major or intended job, holding leadership positions within that club, and participating in programs that cater to interns and young professionals, like InternBR.

If you're nearing the end of your college career or newly graduated, I highly recommend searching out formal and informal networking opportunities in your area. This can be through professional organizations that cater to your field, such as the Public Relations Association of Louisiana, or attending events hosted by community-focused organizations, like the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. You can also look into joining organizations such as Baton Rouge's Forum35 and the Junior League of Baton Rouge. These organizations give members a chance to build leadership skills and relationships through community events and service work.

Networking and professional development is so important in life and in business today. You never know who you're going to meet, what you could learn along the way, and what exciting opportunities are in store for you!