Most NYU students spend their summers doubling up on summer internships since their schedules have freed up without classes. I don't think most people think too much of it when someone says their summer plans involved running errands for Rebecca Minkoff, checking out artists for Universal Music Group, or working the summer training camp for the New York Giants (by the way, I know people in each of these situations). And being the quintessential workaholic and busy bee that I am, I'd logically fall into this mentality, too... right?
Well, here's the thing: I didn't. I didn't take on a summer internship, and I don't regret it.
Sure, I applied for them. I had offers at radio stations in New York City and in my hometown. I had connections at publishing companies from other friends. But I didn't jump on any of this. I turned down the offers and the favors and decided I wanted to focus on me this summer, not my role in someone else's project that would have me memorizing Starbucks menus more than doing anything to better myself. My resumé didn't need the padding.
Instead, I decided to finally finish editing the novel I finished writing at the end of last summer. I re-read and re-read it until my corrections turned into minuscule internal arguments with myself that weren't changing the plotline in the least. I also started the query process to find a literary agent for the book. It was a learning process in itself.
I also continued to work at my college radio station. College radio is an interesting beast in the summer because it offers more opportunity. I took it, hosting two news shows a week. I also went out on a limb and contacted some of my favorite authors for interviews -- and they, miraculously responded. Instead of scheduling interviews for someone else (which I would've been doing at an internship), I was actually chatting with Elin Hilderbrand, queen of the summer beach read, and Jessi Klein, head writer on "Inside Amy Schumer."
And I relaxed. Yes, I know my generation is a little lost on this concept because we spend so much time running around and trying to advance our career paths as our student loan debt and the ever-struggling economy breathes down our necks, but we tend to forget about the possibility of burning out. I didn't want to get lost on what I'm actually striving for. That's not to be an employee at a radio station, or to work in a publishing house. It's to read, and write, and become a more interesting person. I needed to remember that this summer before I start my second half of college.
I don't regret not having had a summer internship. I got what I needed -- mentally, emotionally, and future-wise -- out of this summer. When I go to apply for graduate programs or jobs in the upcoming years and I have fewer lines on my resumé than my peers, I'll also have an interesting story to tell behind it. No, I can't tell you anything about Microsoft Office or the door codes at a major media corporation, but I can sell my novel to you and know it's grammatically correct after tips from Mary Norris, copy editor at the New Yorker. The personal growth should equate to just as much as the desk experience.
