From Dance to Mass Destruction: Internships are Key

Contributed by Kelsea Brennan-WesselsIf I could give any advice to college students, present and future, it would be this:

DO AN INTERNSHIP!

One, five, once a week, full-time, doesn’t matter. Not only do these gigs look good on your resume/CV, the learning experience is priceless (or in some cases, they pay you)! If your time is limited, intern one afternoon a week. The company will appreciate the extra help no matter how few hours you put in and you’ll get the much needed hands-on experience in your field. In addition, it is like a trial to see if you’re headed in the right direction. You may come to realize that you don’t like your field and need a career change… Better to know now that your true passion lies in accounting before getting that Art History Degree!I have personally done two internships and wish I had applied for more. I started last summer as the editorial intern at a alternative news weekly in Maine called The Portland Phoenix. I went in with no expectations, just an open mind and a desire to learn. During my first few weeks I spent eight-hour days doing listings: the dreaded intern task. It basically involves tediously typing in information (i.e. phone numbers, addresses, hours of operation, etc) that will show up in 2-point font under categories like “museums”, “jazz music” and “theater”. Just as my eyes were about to explode from staring at the screen, I was given my first assignment: a dance preview.

The difference between a “review” and a “preview” is that it is published before opening night. That said, I got special access to the dress rehearsal and got to interview the dancers. My summer internship suddenly got so much better. Not only did I discover a new favorite subject matter (I am a dancer myself) but realized that I had a knack for it too. Over the rest of the summer I wrote on dance and culture in the Portland area.

For links to my articles, click HERE.

Things have changed a lot since then. I currently intern at Vatican Radio and the subject matter has gone from dance to, well, mass death and destruction. In addition to covering Vatican news and Papal activities, the radio reports on worldwide humanitarian developments. Having to read the wire daily, research stories and conduct international interviews has taught me more than any of my previous International Relations classes have. I have also explored a different communication medium: radio. Before beginning my internship I was convinced that print journalism was the only way to go. Now that I am learning how to edit and mix sound, write for radio and voice reports, new doors are opening.

Click HERE for one of my more light-hearted reports, edited and voiced by me.

Don’t expect internships to just pop up. You need to do a little digging yourself and may even need to be pushy in order to get a company to respond to your initial e-mail. Ask your professors for suggestions/connections, apply to companies in your area even if they aren’t actively looking for interns, and aim high. It’s free labor, being turned down is unlikely.

But in the end, it will definitely pay off.

~ by kelseabw on March 13, 2008.