The Friday before Labor Day is usually the last day of the summer intern. As you make the rounds, saying your goodbyes, also keep your promise to stay in touch.

If you had a great experience:

• Maintain contact with people who would love to have you back.
• Express interest in coming back next summer.
• Keep them thinking of you for future job openings.

If it wasn't the best internship:

• Stay connected with people who made it tolerable. Those connections may be valuable resources who could help you find a better internship or job somewhere else.
• Find out who is at fault — you or them. Some agencies just don't have great internship programs. They don't know what to do with you. And if you're content to sit and hide all summer, they will let you. So for your next internship, do your homework and find out about the structure of the programs and goals they have for you. Now if you saw great assignments handed out to other interns or saw them offered extended internships or jobs, then it's time to have a talk with your supervisor. Find out where you need to improve next time around.
• Check yourself. Internships are also a time to explore and figure out your career direction. Maybe it was a bad internship, because you really have no interest in the work. Time for some soul searching and plot a new course.

So it's never "goodbye." We work in very small social circles. You will see or hear from many of them again, so make sure it's a positive experience.