Summer is supposed to be the time to go home, kick back, relax, lay by the pool and take in the sun. Right? Yes, but it’s also the time to keep busy with a summer internship. While major cities offer a bunch of internship opportunities over the summer, it’s harder to find ones closer to home, especially if you’re living in the middle of nowhere. Here are some ways to find an internship this summer and gain some valuable experience, all while at home.
1. Find Something Close to Home
While the city is brimming with summer internships, it might be harder to find them closer to home. One way to figure out your at-home options this summer is searching for companies based in your overall area. This could be as simple as typing in a few words to Google. After finding out which companies are based close to home, explore their website for internship opportunities. You can usually find listings in the career section. Can’t find anything? No worries, just give them a call or shoot them an email.
2. Find a Remote Internship
If there is absolutely no one looking for interns in your area this summer, don’t resign yourself to a crappy summer job yet. Look for remote internships. With a remote internship you can work from anywhere with Wi-Fi. This way you can still have a meaningful summer internship without paying big bucks for housing in the city. Multiple internship sites, such as internships.com, allow you to specifically search for remote or virtual internships. So start searching!
3. Get Related Job Experience
If you can’t find an internship, find a job. Instead of finding an internship relating to your major, find a job that does. It might be on the smaller scale but it’s still something. Interested in writing or print journalism? See if you can find a job at one of the local newspapers. Broadcast journalism major? Try to find a gig at one of the local television stations. Looking for something related to communication disorders? Work at a local elderly home or at a center for children who have disabilities. There are a bunch of jobs out there that will give valuable experience, even if they aren’t your dream job.
Don’t let where you are this summer stop you from getting the perfect summer internship. Now is prime time for summer internship hunting, so start searching!