Over the past few months, I have been on the hunt for summer journalism internships to add to my resume as a broadcast student. While scouring through emails about internship opportunities, however, I have seen a few common requirements:
1. You must have a certain amount of experience to perform the required tasks;
2. The employer usually want juniors, seniors, or recent graduates;
3. The internship is unpaid.
If a student meets the above criteria, they have to ask themselves, “Would I rather work a whole summer and get paid at a job that has nothing to do with my career ambitions, or work in my field but struggle financially?”
The decision is a tough one, but there are some ways to figure out which is the best path to go about to make your summer productive.
Of course, if the internship is legitimate, the time and effort put forth into the position will pay off when you have ample references, experience working in the field, and more to put on your resume. But what can you do about not making any money?
If you find yourself only being able to afford a glass of water, a sliced lemon, and a packet of sugar when you go out for happy hour, you may want to consider this option:
Work an unpaid internship AND get a part-time job. This may seem impossible if your internship will take up much of your time, but it is doable. While gaining valuable experience, you will also be able to have some money to hold you over through the long summer months. Although this may require much time and energy, your resume AND your bank account will later thank you for it.
And, of course, if you are like me, a freshman with just enough experience to get yourself to sophomore year of college, going through a summer without an internship is not the worst thing in the world. Often times, part time jobs give you real world experience.
And, of course, if you are like me, a freshman with just enough experience to get yourself to sophomore year of college, going through a summer without an internship is not the worst thing in the world. Often times, part time jobs give you real world experience.
After working two summers at an indoor amusement park, I still learned how to work with other employees, how to collaborate on projects with my employers, and how to keep an organized work area and an organized mindset under stressful work conditions. While they may not exactly be the same as working in a production studio or writing on deadline, these are skills that I will take with me into my future career as a broadcast journalist.
If that still isn’t enough to put a smile on your face, think about this:
Although working at the local coffee shop, summer camp, or amusement park may have nothing to do with your career aspirations, at the end of the summer you will still have enough money in your bank account to buy textbooks for the new semester, or a whole fall wardrobe to treat yourself after a long, hard summer.
Happy hunting!
Photo credits (top, down):
FairfieldMirror.Com
Culpwrit.com
BestThinking.Com
PBS.org
RiseAndGrind.com