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This spring, an estimated 1,606,000 students graduated with Bachelors degrees (NACE, 2014). Though some of these graduates will pursue further education, many of the over one million members of the Class of 2014 are starting to transition from full-time students to full-time employees.

Armed with a degree and some prior intern experience, these new alumni should know all they need to be a successful employee, right? As a recent graduate, I, along with my peers, can only hope that our educations will serve us well in the coming weeks, months and years of work. In my past two weeks working as an intern for PAN Communications, I've noticed that there are some things I never learned in the classroom, and identified several key differences between being a student and employee that it’s hard to prepare for at school.

As college students prepare to graduate, many are stressed out about finding full-time employment in the fields that they studied. Finding a full time job after graduation is no easy task. Finding a job you love can be even tougher.

Coming in on my first day, there were a few things I knew for certain about PAN: a great reputation, a phenomenal view from the office, an enthusiastic president and a nice HR associate named Liz who gives me advice on restaurants to go to in Puerto Rico. There was also the desk receptionist, Kim, who gave me snacks every time I went in to interview and wondered aloud why PAN hadn’t hired me yet. Needless to say, I already felt at home before I had received an assignment.

After graduating this past May and landing a stellar internship at PAN, I set my college minor aside, packed neatly into a file labeled “Graphic Design” on the corner of my desktop, thinking I might use it for the occasional invite or birthday card—surely not in PR. But thankfully, I was wrong.

When I started at PAN I was offered a position as a summer intern. As a recent college graduate in a tough job market I was excited to be putting my degree from Quinnipiac University in public relations to use. On my first day, I met with Cathy, Vice President of Human Resources. She let me know that of PAN’s three portfolios: consumer, technology and professional services, I would be working mostly in the technology portfolio. After getting settled into my cube I was immediately blown away by the passion and expertise in the office. I was excited to be a part of the team and eager to learn.

I quickly realized how my internship at PAN was going to be different. At PAN, I was not treated as an intern, but rather another member of the staff. I was often asked for my opinion and input on projects for clients and new business. Of course, I was occasionally asked to complete standard intern tasks, like helping set up lunch for a meeting… which usually resulted in me getting a free sandwich, so I was never one to complain. I was able to touch on so many aspects of PR and working in a team oriented environment I was quickly able to pick up the PAN Way.