Ahh, internship season. The season where people get their dream offers or get tons of rejection emails sent to their inbox every week. Sadly, most of us fall on the short side of internship season and don’t get an internship for the summer. But you don’t have to spend your dog days in your robe binge-watching Grey’s Anatomy. There are many substitutes to a summer internship that you can do instead. By the time the next internship season rolls around, you’ll be able to brag about how much time you didn’t waste this summer.
1. Get a Job or Shadow
This is the next alternative most people settle for after not being able to receive an internship. With a job, you are able to learn the basic skills you would need when completing an internship: thinking quick on your feet, customer service skills, and teamwork. Don’t be picky when it comes to your summer job as each job brings you a different skill and experience. Shadowing is also an option as many jobs will allow you to shadow someone who is working in your desired career field. View this as a miniature internship.
2. Volunteer
Future employers would like to see what you do outside of the classroom and work environment. Volunteer work allows you to assist in something you are passionate about. Employers value this as this shows loyalty. Volunteering also shows leadership and compassion.
3. Take Summer Classes
Who says the learning has to stop just because it’s summer? It never hurt to take a class or two during the summer months. This will allow you to either get head or stay on track with your degree. The less classes you have to take allows for more opportunities during the school year, such as being able to study abroad or take on an internship.
4. Brush Up On Resume Building Skills
Based on number three, learning doesn’t just have to be from college classes. Take the summer to learn new resume skills. You can easily get a certificate in Google Analytics or AdWords. Lydia.com is free for college students and can teach you skills such as coding, Final Cut Pro, photography, and many more. To focus on the skills you need for a certain internship, look back at the job description and see what skills they require that you are missing.
5. Start Your Own Project
Summer is the perfect time to start your own thing. This shows employers that you’re a self-starter. You can easily start a blog, podcast, YouTube channel, or even a business. Allow yourself to start a passion project. You never know what career opportunities can come out of it.
The summer is filled with many possibilities. Go out and do something worth talking about.