College v2

Instead of wasting away your summer vacations, why not make them work for you by getting an internship?  While an internship isn’t necessary to get a killer job after graduation, it can’t hurt your chances at all, in fact it’ll likely help them.  Even if you aren’t sure of what you want to do with yourself, you can have fun exploring different options through internships.  They give you a window into how the field and working world works, which will better prepare you for when the time comes for you to actually start a career.  So here are some tips that may help you snag a cool internship and maybe, just maybe, figure out what you want to do with yourself:

• Checkout your options – Check with your school’s career center; many already have a big old book of intership leads that can help you find something that fits.  Other places to look are online, and the Princeton Review’s Internship Bible which lists just about every internship program available.  Alternatively, if you have a specific company in mind, it might not hurt to check with the directly to see what they offer.
• Be prepared – some college internships are highly competitive, and others may not be.  Whatever the case, you’ll want to be prepared.  Just like when you apply for a job, you’ll need a resume, cover letter, and some references when applying for an internship.  Make sure you address your letters to the right person.  This may require an advance call to get the details.
• Think nationally, or even internationally!  Don’t let geography dictate your internship choices.  If you’re interning out of state, you can often shack up at a local college that rents out dorms (cheaply) for the summer.
• Realize that internships are not all glamour and glitz.  Sure, you might have landed an intership with MTV, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be going to red carpet events, and interviewing Jennifer Lopez.  More likely than not, you’ll be the office gopher, grabbing everything from bagels and coffee in the morning to runnings errands for the boss.  Realize that you’re paying your dues and one day it’ll likely pay off.

Interships can be a great way to find out if that career you’ve always dreamed lives up to the fantasy situation in your mind.  It’s better to find out now that you hate sports therapy or accounting, than spend 4 to 5 years working on a degree that you might not ever use once you find out how much you hate the work.  Plus, you’ll have lots of really cool stories to tell, and a whole lot of experience under your belt.  This can mean that you might be able to get better jobs, or beat out other candidates for promotions.