“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius
I love this quote. I’ve been an Intern in Southwest’s Campus Reach program, and am now lucky enough to have a full-time position as a Coordinator within the People Department (Southwest’s HR Department). I’ve been at Southwest a year now, counting my time as an Intern. My job still doesn’t feel like work, and my Coworkers feel like Family. It’s safe to say my internship experience at Southwest was not to be beat. So much so, that after the 12 weeks of summer flew by, I had an unrelenting determination to come back. Southwest had me hooked since day one of my internship, and has ever since. Why is it that I was, oh-so-determined to stick around? My internship at Southwest was a nearly perfect embodiment of the above quote. After multiple interviews, I finally landed a coveted position as an Employment Intern in the People Department last summer. It didn’t take me long to recognize the “Work Hard, Play Hard” mentality Southwest Employees personify. Not only did all my Coworkers and Fellow Interns have this unbeatable drive to succeed in their role, but you could tell they truly enjoyed being here. It was incredible how much trust my team had in me, even as an Intern. I was given opportunities to work on high-level projects with Senior Leaders. Southwest Interns have an unparalleled experience of working directly on real-world, meaningful projects throughout their internship. So, just a word of caution: If you want an internship centered on fetching coffee, filing endless stacks of paper, or starring mercilessly at the clock, Southwest isn’t best fit for you. All joking aside, I do believe there is a reason we now host nearly 400 Interns every year, and that reason is simple: Southwest has created an environment that draws you in completely from the moment you walk in the door. So while I love the Confucius quote, I’d take it a step further: I not only love my current job, but one better—I truly love my Company.