Finding California

The most difficult step in finding an internship is not even step 1, it’s getting to step 1. I initially did not know where to go for my internship. I had to force myself to sit on it and literally write down my thoughts about it.

First and foremost, aside from having an internship as a requirement for my course, I don’t know what my other objectives are. All I know is I have to make the most out of it. But how do I do that? When I did not know yet what else I was doing it for. Writing it down was a tedious process. It was hard to begin.

I assessed my performance in culinary school and determined my challenges. I’m an international student so my concerns are quite unique compared to those of my classmates. I realized that I have 2 major obstacles to deal with: limited information on the US Food Service Industry and limited knowledge on products and produce.

The orientation from Career Services really helped. The sessions opened me to the vast number of opportunities in the industry, a lot of which, I never heard of. The course on product ID made me curious about what else is out there. A lot of the things that we use in the kitchen, I touched and tasted for the very first time. That makes it really difficult for me to work with them because I had no idea how they react to temperature, how they should be stored, what they go with well, what works and what does not.

Aside from being an international student, I’m a career changer as well. I gave up so much and invested time and money to make it to America, to Kendall College at that so I seriously have to make the most out of my internship.

I’ve decided that my goals would be:

1 - Read up more about the US food service industry and decide on where I really want to go. This didn’t end up becoming too difficult. I want to work in the kitchen. I want to work in a restaurant. So that narrows down my internship sites to Restaurants.

2 - Educate myself on American products and produce. This helped me determine the general area of my internship site: California

California however is huge. Where in California? I had to consider my logistical issues. Most if not all reputable restaurants in California do not pay interns, much less house them.

This is another big challenge, but I decided to worry about it later and prioritize finding an internship site and then figure out how I can work around my logistical issue. But somehow I had to work fast so I can switch plans in case my housing options (which are mainly staying with friends in the area and offering housekeeping and cooking services) does not work with the internship site that I’ve chosen.