Internships.
Everyone always says that internships are a huge part of gaining a “real life job.” Or at least I’ve heard it enough times that the summer after my sophmore year, I knew it was time to find one. I always thought that I might want to go into politics one day (to be fair, I also thought I was going to be a lawyer, fashion designer, and psychologist). When running across an ad on the UMass Career Services (which is a great resource, by the way) to intern for Deval Patrick’s western office, I knew I had to apply.
After a scary interview and a lot of nerves I was given the job. I was so excited to try something completely different. I had worked in a supermarket for five years and a clothing store for two. While I had loved both jobs neither of them seemed to be helping me towards a career. This was my chance to see what politics was all about.
My internship had ups and downs. Downs were that I found my work wasn’t as meaningful as I had hoped. The ups, however, were that I met some really amazing people and got to see some really amazing things. The women who were in charge of my program were lovely, giving me many lessons to take away. My fellow interns had all come from different schools and backgrounds, each with a new perspective. Finally, I got to see a lot of places that I never would have been able to before. I got to see the inside of the State House and behind the scenes of government offices. It was an experience I am forever lucky to have.
More than anything though, it made me realize what I really wanted to do. I would have held onto the idea of politics until it was too late. With this, I could change my major and figure out a new path. So always give it a try, you never know what will come out of it.