Unlocking Potential in Interns: A Guide to Effective Learning
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Chapter 1: The Dilemma of Overthinking
"You’re overanalyzing things," my intern remarked one day.
"What do you mean?" I responded, slightly taken aback.
"You. Are. Overanalyzing. Everything."
"But we’re engineers; our job is to think critically!"
This was a new experience for me. My background involved training non-technical individuals, successfully guiding around 80 of my students into engineering roles at Fortune 500 firms. Yet, I had never actually mentored a novice engineer before.
This changed six years ago when I welcomed my first two interns: one was a girl with minimal experience, familiar with the concept of being a beginner; the other, a recent graduate, was more of a challenge.
He was adept at academic learning, but my true test was teaching him how to learn effectively in a practical setting.
His typical method was straightforward: identify a problem, research it thoroughly until he found a seemingly correct solution, implement it, and then inevitably encounter new issues that led him back to extensive research. This cycle often left him stuck in analysis rather than action.
While this method yielded results, it was painfully slow.
After a few days of practice, we adopted a more efficient approach:
- Identify a problem.
- Attempt to solve it (even if imperfectly).
- Seek a better solution.
- Reapply the new knowledge to the problem.
Although the process remained largely the same, this iteration encouraged him to experiment and accept failure 70-90% of the time, with the remaining hours spent on research.
Learning consists of 80% action and 20% contemplation—where the thinking comes after doing.
How do I know this method is effective?
For starters, he expressed, "Hey, this is actually enjoyable!" More importantly, 2.5 years later, he progressed from intern to junior, then mid-level, and finally to senior engineer. Along with my other intern, they became the company’s fastest rising talents.
This approach can be crucial for your hiring strategies as well. Whether you're looking for editors, copywriters, or other employees, you have two choices: hire seasoned experts at a premium or invest in interns for less, with the potential to cultivate their skills into expertise.
"They're taking the hobbits to Isengard." — Jordan Parker
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Chapter 2: Embracing the Learning Process
The first video, titled "XXXTENTACION - You're Thinking Too Much, Stop It (prod. trbld boy)," explores the concept of overthinking and its impacts on productivity. The track encourages listeners to take action rather than dwell on analysis.
The second video, "XXXTENTACION - You're Thinking Too Much, Stop It (JR Edit)," reinforces the message of not overthinking and instead focusing on practical steps to achieve goals, highlighting the importance of action over excessive contemplation.