Congratulations! You finally picked that college that was seemed like the perfect fit for you. Your college might have been picked because they specialize in your major, known for the best dining food options in the state, or maybe its far enough away from home. However, I for one am skeptical if you chose a college solely based on needing work experience before you graduate. So in any manner, let us talk about the glamorous and fulfilling sneak peak into the real world through the experience of an internship.
Let me start off by telling you that I was unaware that I needed not one but three internships before the time I graduate. Maybe I should have paid more attention to the promotion and marketing of my college but I guess I got distracted by the exquisite campus and the private beaches they offer. Boy was I sure bamboozled when summer orientation came around and upperclassmen gave reasons as to why they loved the college so much; all the connections they made and opportunities explored. It truly didn't hit me until I got my schedule and they had put me in a pre-internship class so all freshmen had professional help to acquire an internship. At first I thought it was the worst that I had to complete three internships in four years but overtime it eventually grew on me. All of the adults in my life kept on reiterating the same idea that internships give you a competitive edge when applying for a job and you can actually see if you like what you are doing with your major instead of imagining life after graduating. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that even if you don't need to fulfill college requirements for an internship; I highly recommend you do.
Tips & Tricks With Internships
1. Start Early If You Are Planning On Applying to Big Name/ Big Corporations
I know it seems absurd to be applying to places in the fall if you want an internship the following summer. Please trust me on this one because places like the F.B.I. , Google, and Facebook have million of applicants to sort through.
2. Winter Vs. Summer
My advice is if you live in New England or any place that is likely to get a snowstorm during the winter, then try and do a summer internship. Your winter intercession is pretty short and one or two days of missed internship due to weather could make the whole internship inadmissible for college credit when needed to hit certain hour quotas.
3. Family Friend Or The Unknown
I know it seems scary to go out and expose yourself to businesses and bosses when you have the option to sit back in comfort with a friend of the family. However, you were able to make it in college so you can also make it in a real work place. Have faith in yourself and if you don't then maybe you shouldn't be doing an internship in the first place. Don't ruin a relationship with the family friend because you are yet up to par with an internship's expectations.
4. Paid Vs. Unpaid
Truthfully, if you have no prior work experience or are just a freshmen or sophomore then don't expect to get paid. There are far more things you need to learn and why you are going to college to learn them. Your arsenal of skills and comprehension of the material aren't fully there so why pay full price for half the merchandise.
5. When Offered An Internship, Don't Agree Immediately
My biggest mistake when accepting an internship was that I agreed to intern with the company on the spot when they offered me the position. As soon as I agreed, I had no leverage with them and couldn't renegotiate the hours I worked when realizing i needed to make money during the summer.
6. Ask For Help
Luckily, my school provided me with a class, counselor, and career center to help assist me on finding an internship. If you happen to have any of those or even an advisor; be sure to ask them for help. Sometimes getting ahold of the alumni database and calling someone up is enough to get your foot in the door.
7. Have Patience
I honestly struggled on finding my first internship. Nothing seemed right because I didn't have enough experience or they were asking for too many hours when I needed to make money during the summer. It is going to take time and a lot of effort on your part. My counselor offered additional help outside of class to make cold calls to companies I applied to weeks ago; just to see if they taken time to look at my application yet.
