This goes out to all you millennials who have yet to enter the real world and are looking for some guidance with getting a start on this stage of your life. Well not quite the real world given the fact that we’re all still passing our weekends Satur-daging and eating bacon egg and cheeses with the best of friends. But regarding the summers, it looks like it’s time to make a transition with how they're spent. This new summer activity goes by the name of an internship, and is truly a scary thought without the proper preparation. For many of us, this will be the first time away from camp, first summer not spent entirely on the beach, or maybe the first time taking responsibility for a whole summer. Have no fear, some wise advice is here.

First step in this new journey is to make a resume. It might be mind boggling at first, constructing a document all about your own accomplishments in a format that you have never used before, but just dive in and go for it. Every school has a career center with the sole purpose of helping you get places in life, so use this resource! Just walk on in with some words on paper and you’ll get all of the guidance you could hope for. But if you’re not into this idea or need to polish off your resume before heading back to school (this regards pretty much only Delaware students still on break of course), consult an elder who seems like they may be somewhat knowledgable in this field. Whoever you choose to ask, I’m sure they'll be thrilled to see that you’re being the independent teenager they’ve always dreamed of raising and will be more than happy to help.

Once you’ve managed to throw together a stellar resume, it’s time to take the leap of faith and a actually put yourself out there. Start off with googling “[adjective that interests you] internships in [desired city]” and hundreds of results will come up. Don’t be scared off by the required cover letter for many internships, think of it as a way to help the company visualize you as a member of their team. It’s a great opportunity to explain to these people who have never met you that you have all of the qualities they are looking for in an intern. Even if a position comes up that seems interesting, but you’re unsure if you completely see yourself doing that in the future, your best bet is just to go for it. You never know, you could discover a job field that really appeals to you, or maybe get a better idea of what you’re interested in after being able to rule some options out. Chances are, you won’t hear back from the first internship you apply to right away, and in some cases not ever. So it’s important to keep putting yourself out there and chances are something will work out in your favor eventually.

So whether you’ve spent your past summers lifeguarding at your favorite beach, or can’t recall a summer away from overnight camp, taking a little step into reality will definitely be an adjustment, but one you will get through. Just accept the change, and dive in head first.