Monday, January 23, 2012

Entry Level Judges Your Intellect (aka Intern vs The Map)

As a representative of the entry level, you have had the distinct pleasure of watching interns come and go.  Semester after semester. Year after year. They grow up, graduate and move on to bigger and better things; while you, my friend, remain in the exact same place.

It's sad. I know. Kind of makes you want to find your professional jollies wherever you can. Right?

Luckily, in addition to making you feel stuck, misguided and old; interns are always good for this too.  Because the fact is... no matter how deflated you've become since you entered the workforce... no matter how many pegs you've been knocked down... That old intellect of yours is still in there somewhere... And you can still judge those who clearly don't have any.

That brings me back to my original point: Interns.  This particular intellect judgment moment was brought to us by my summer intern, his lack of knowledge about U.S. geography and his lack of sense that one should not wonder about stupid geographical musings aloud.

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Intern vs. The Map

It was a sticky August afternoon around 3pm. Just the time of day, when your lunch is starting to kick in and you find yourself searching for excuses to get up and move, so that you won't fall asleep at your desk.  Luckily for me, my intern was feeling that way too. So, he pulled himself up out of his chair with a groan and sauntered over to the huge U.S. map on the wall of our office.  You know, the one right behind the boss's chair. 

He proceeded to stare at said map for an exceedingly long time. Five full minutes or so. Too long. This was no longer a front. Something was up. So, I - the entry leveler in shining armor, as per usual - decided to step in and see what the problem was.  The following conversation ensued:

Me: Hey, Dan. Whatcha lookin' at?

Dan: Did you know that Atlantic City's not in Atlanta?!

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Now, there are only three more things you need to know:

1. His name wasn't really Dan.
2. He was totally serious.
3. I judged him. Hard.