Grab your Jefferson’s Manual and break our your thank you cards. It’s time to talk regrets. 

Lots of D.C. interns finish out the summer wishing they’d done more. 

HOH reached out to congressional staffers at all levels and from both parties to ask about their intern experience and what they would change if they could do it all over again.

The No. 1 answer was “get paid.” While unpaid internships on Capitol Hill could soon be a thing of the past, congressional badges, networking and handwritten notes might never fade away.

Asked to fill in the blank with one regret, here’s what staffers said.

When I was a congressional intern, I wish I had …

“…taken my congressional ID off before going out after work.”

“…sent more handwritten thank you notes.”

“…a chance to learn about all of the things college doesn’t teach you, like how to budget, network, and strategically plan my career moves.”

“…made more of an effort to actually understand House procedure & rules.”

“… Uber, google maps, apple pay, bikeshare, Netflix, twitter, Spotify, TSA pre-check, brunch, the phrase ‘woke,’ as well as any phrase that ended with AF.  Because interns today have no idea how good they have it.”

“…kept up with everyone I met.”

And the most common answers? “…been paid” and “…gotten paid.”

Watch: Hire Many Interns and More Tips for Making the Capitol More Inclusive