The summer internships continue, and a couple weeks ago I met the CEO of Emmis Communications, the company that owns Indianapolis Monthly.

One thing I love about Emmis is how the company cares so much about the audiences of its media. While magazines and radio are typically considered more "traditional" media, this company has managed to make them cool and accessible.

I think that comes from the focus on giving the audience what they want AND need. One of the company's commandments is "Take care of your audiences and your advertisers – think of them and you’ll win." Emmis anticipates what people want before they want it, something increasingly more difficult to do in the Internet age.

So I was excited to try it myself when the Indianapolis Monthly interns teamed up to create "20-things for 20-somethings to do in Indy," a guide to our favorite things for our age group. It was a ton of work, but we really got to know each other and what it takes to create information with a team. Plus, we got to present the finished product to interns in the other Emmis departments and the CEO of the company, Jeff Smulyan, as well as our advisors.

As we showed the process on the screen behind us and talked about all we learned, I realized just how much you can take away from an internship. Sure, I know a ton about the ins-and-outs of a regional magazine. But I also know about working with an art team, the best ways to communicate (both on a team and to the public), and how to work on a deadline. All valuable things I can take no matter where I end up in a year (#thatsterrifying).

So thanks, IM internship. I may only have four weeks left, but I promise to make the best of them.

So, now I want to know: what valuable things have you learned from an internship or a job?