When the going gets hot.

About a month into my internship, it is time to observe the work I have been doing and decide whether I am managing my time and efforts effectively. I have mostly been collecting data as part of a rigorous market research and I am now looking at the data I have been collecting to figure out whether I am covering enough ground. I really only needed to skim the data and talk to a few people to figure out where the wind is blowing, but in order to build a solid case to support my claims I am trying to exercise caution. In a new work environment, figuring out the best rationale to present and how to present it is actually rather tricky. Truths are not absolute and you may realize that your convictions, i.e. regarding which companies are strategically the bigger threats, are more subjective than you thought.

Even in an environment that truly allows and challenges one to innovate such as Dell, it is not easy to understand how far can you stretch it. If you argue false convictions, how much of it counts towards your learning experience and how much of it reflects on your lack of experience in your role, the industry or both?

When the going gets hot, the hot still enjoy Texas very much, despite the blazing heat of 105. My fellow interns and I have gone hiking and swimming and other things outdoorsy. This weekend we spent a full day at Six Flags Fiesta Rescue near San Antonio. It felt good spending the entire day out of town, and it felt great to be able to do that with such a large group of friends. It is far too early to say whether I can expect to meet any of them again next year. I guess that right now we're all just trying to live in the moment as we figure out whether this could be the best place for us.