Networking in Networking: Three Things I've Learned So Far as an Intern with Juniper Networks

I've spent the best first four weeks interning with Juniper Networks, and I'm eager to share with you all everything I've learned so far. This is my first internship, and it seemed minutely daunting at first. The many unknown factors when starting a new role, relocating to a city I'm unacquainted with, and stepping into a somewhat unfamiliar industry all contributed to this feeling. However, my nerves subsided as soon as I walked in on my first day, immersed myself in Juniper Network's welcoming environment, and understood that internships are simply meant to encourage growth and learning in a professional environment. There are a few things I've discovered that have helped me attain this positive experience and find success in my internship that I'd like to share.

#1 Make the most of your in-office time.

At Juniper Networks, we have the luxury of both in-office days and work from home days. As an intern, I absolutely love our in-office days because they allow me to meet other people working in the technology and sales industries, learn from others' strategies, understand the greater scope of the company's objectives, and provide insight into the value each different role brings. Being in the office is when I learn the most, and I also have the most fun. Even the smallest, seemingly most insignificant interaction with a coworker in the office can make a difference and prove worthwhile. For example, I met a coworker in the elevator during my second week who casually suggested I reach out to a Sales Engineer working out of our same office. I followed through by cold messaging this person, and they've since become a valuable resource to me in my internship by answering any questions I may have, including me in meetings, and helping me to build on my foundational knowledge of networking. Instead of having the mindset that we come to work simply just to finish a series of tasks, we could all benefit from shifting this mindset to a more social one. I think that we should come to work to not only accomplish our tasks that day, but also to learn from others, build our own personal network (the people kind), and share useful insights.

#2 Don't be scared to reach out and ask questions.

I knew there were a lot of acronyms used in networking before I started this internship, but I had no idea just how many were going to be thrown around in casual, everyday conversation among Sales Engineers. I'm currently studying for my JNCIA Junos certification, which has been very useful thus far in helping me to grasp some of these acronyms, as well as familiarizing me with the Juniper product line. Not knowing an acronym or a concept was intimidating at first, but I realized, it didn't have to stay this way. As an intern, I'm simply here to learn, and in order to learn, I must ask questions and reach out when I don't understand. Oftentimes, I'm not alone in my thoughts and others could benefit from my question, too. People are surprisingly receptive to helping out when asked questions. A theory I have for the reasoning behind this is that when someone answers a question or helps another, they learn from it and it reinforces their knowledge of the topic they are teaching. The people around me are all here to help, I just have to be confident enough to ask. As an intern, there's no need to feel anxiety over pushing that "send" button or reaching out because people genuinely want to help facilitate my learning, making my experience as positive and fulfilling as possible. 

#3 Take initiative whenever you can!

In sales engineering, activities often look different from day to day, even from an intern's perspective. Some days I have back-to-back meetings, and others, I'm focused on learning and implementing the Juniper product line, such as Mist AI or Paragon Automation, to solve a problem. On the days where work feels slower, I've encouraged myself to think outside of the box to try to create my own work! This is much easier said than done, but it's how I'm attempting to make the most of the short 12 weeks I get to spend in my internship with Juniper Networks. I've been working on turning some of my questions into materialized solutions, so that others can benefit from the answer, too. For example, I'm currently working alongside other interns to compile a list of networking and Juniper-related acronyms, designing an acronym bot from this list, and implementing it so it can be used as a reference across the entire company. Additionally, I've taken some of the questions that popped up about networking while studying for my JNCIA certification and designed related network problems that I can solve, myself, for practice. 

Fortunately, this is just the beginning of my internship with Juniper Networks, and I have so much more left to learn. I'm very grateful for the positive experience I've had thus far, and I can't wait to expand my knowledge of networking, and continue to grow and learn in the coming weeks.