Jack’s Takes: Dear Intern

To quote one of the most prominent poets and intellectuals of our time: “Everybody makes mistakes/everybody has those days/everybody knows what I am talking about/everybody gets that way” – Hannah Montana.

Yes, everyone knows that to err is to be human, but for some reason, making mistakes at work can make you feel like the world is coming to end (boy do I know that feeling – I have made many a mistake in my working days).

Thankfully, the mistake is always never as bad as it seems in your head, and companies are (usually) very forgiving of “work oopsies”.

It’s refreshing to see that, based on a tweet from HBO Max about a recent mass email mistake, even big companies are willing to forgive beginner mistakes:

We mistakenly sent out an empty test email to a portion of our HBO Max mailing list this evening. We apologize for the inconvenience, and as the jokes pile in, yes, it was the intern. No, really. And we’re helping them through it. ❤️

— HBOMaxHelp (@HBOMaxHelp) June 18, 2021

This revelation on the part of HBO Max prompted other Twitter users to share their own professional mishaps in solidarity with “the intern”, and the results are downright hilarious:

Dear Intern, I was using my desktop calendar to make a monthly note of when I started my menstrual period, but after several months I realized I was making that note on a calendar I shared with all of my colleagues company wide. I was 37 years old.

— Caissie (@Caissie) June 18, 2021

Dear Intern,
I once didn’t recognize then-VP George HW Bush and almost didn’t let him into a meeting…in the Cabinet Room. Of The White House. Where he worked. ??‍♀️
He was actually as gracious as HBO Max Help appears to be being…you’ll be fine.

— ͏Postcards4USA (@postcards4USA) June 18, 2021

Dear intern,

I once sent out a 1-900 sex hotline as a conference call number for the Women's National Democratic Club, the average age of membership was about 78.

Shit happens.

— Rae Pickett (@RaeRoca) June 18, 2021

So it just goes to show you: accidents happen, and your employers are more willing to forgive than you might think. Mistakes are great learning opportunities! Just try to avoid them as much as possible…