As we near the end of the academic year and quarter at SCAD, many of our undergrad and grads are in the same boat, a sinking one at that. They are all wondering where the jobs are and how the hell they’re going to pay back student loans. With our great financial plan enacted by our current commander in chief, that shouldn’t be a problem. *Major eye roll* In all seriousness, the majority of millennials are freaking out from finals and trying to find any possible way to avoid spending another summer with mom and dad.
They said go to college it’ll be fun. They said get a job it’ll be easy. They said take an internship you’ll get experience. These things are all fine and dandy, but you have to eat and live. Trying to find internships with pay or lodging are few and far in between. In some universities/majors “unpaid” internships are required before graduation. Just because its categorized as unpaid, doesn’t mean you have to spend your summers bumming rent money from parents and surviving on ramen noodles.
Thanks to Air BnB and other housing sites at low rates living in cites where the cost of living is astronomical. Find a few roomies and you’ll have a thriving business casual co-op. If you aren’t lucky enough to find roomies there are families willing to take students in, especially for abroad internships, with a small fee or requests to help with household tasks. Colleges and religious factions also have housing for students that don’t mind bunking during summer semesters.
Another way to supplement income with an unpaid internship is a part-time job. An internship and job, I must be kidding. But it’s possible. With most internships only requiring 15-20 hours per week you can still tack on 15-20 hours of a job in your field. Don’t be afraid to reach out to those in the office or industry where you work for recommendations and possible job listings. You are there for experience, networking, and most importantly your future.
With that being said don’t be afraid to reach outside of your niche. It is important to have one, especially in college, because you don’t have time to explore all avenues of you major. Internships and “real world experience” allows for that. If you can get paid or get class credit while doing so, more power to you.
Another way to make yourself stand out from the crowd is “swimming upstream”, in other words, not following trends. The wave of “branding yourself” does not appeal to employers. You are a newbie. Despite your critiques and positive feedback from professors and peers, you still have a lot to learn. “Branding yourself” early on can limit your future possibilities and job offers because employers see this as limiting yourself to one market.
This doesn’t mean drop the business card and blog, it just means keep your avenues open. Keep the url, but spice up your feed and look every few months. Keep future employers updated with your professional happenings via social media. Don’t be afraid to send your dream company a DM, in this age of technology using it professionally and wisely puts you ahead of the crowd.
Now take a deep breath, you got this!