Three Alternatives to the Elusive Summer Internship

There is so much pressure these days to gain as much experience as possible before you graduate from undergrad. Even positions labeled "entry level" seem like they require years experience. With all the competition, summer internships can be hard to come by. However, here are three options to get the experience you need.

Volunteer

While you may have volunteered in high school, the key to make volunteering an effective alternative to an internship is the focus. In high school, you may have volunteered at the local animal shelter. While that is a worthwhile cause, it may not be relative experience for an accounting major. Instead, check with your local chamber of commerce to see if they have bookkeeping courses for new business owners that you could help with. Graphic design majors could call local non-profits about updating their logo or website. These could stand in for internship because they give you a chance to gain experience while still benefiting the community.

Complete a Special Project

This option is good for students that are interested in pursuing an advance degree or a career in academia. A special project could be anything from research to a community service project. Summer is a great time to read more in to a subject that caught your attention during the semester, but you did not have time to pursue. Writing a paper about what you find shows graduate programs that you have the initiative and discipline to be competitive at the next level.

Start a Business

Starting a business may be intimidating at first, but there are plenty of great resources available on the internet. The business could be service or product based, depending on your talents. An example of a service based business would be an education major offering specialized tutoring, a dance major offering private lessons, or an athlete running a summer training camp. If you are majoring in an art field, such as ceramics or painting, a product-based business offering paintings or unique works of art may be a better direction. This would give you a chance to enhance your skills, gain publicity, and earn some money. Entrepreneurship is one of the under-rated skills that is useful across all disciplines. You will learn things such as marketing, sales, and management. Many of these skills aren't learned skills many internships, so aquiring this skills by starting a business makes you attractive to employers.