I have a little claim to fame.

Well, let’s not kid ourselves—I have lots of claims to fame, some not fit for print—but this one has both made people shake their heads at my ridiculousness and saved me valuable time and energy. What is it? Why, my habit of working one day at a new internship and then promptly quitting.

Yes, it’s true. In fact, I just did it again two days ago.

And I’m glad.

It seems strange to work so hard for something, namely, a summer internship, and then leave after a day. But I’m here to tell you it’s not strange or lazy, provided you’re doing it for the right reasons.

I was pumped about this internship. It was with an organization I respected, was involved in exactly what I want to be involved in once grad school ends and the Loan Monster starts nipping at my heels, and the people connected seemed great. I was optimistic that the last summer internship of my life would truly make use of the talents I’ve been spending thousands of dollars to foster.

But alas, on the first day, it became clear that this was not to be. The morning started out with menial tasks, and the literary manager—someone I thought I’d be working for—hardly looked in my direction except to ask me to address an envelope for him (why the presence of interns make people forget how to do the simplest tasks, I’ll never know). Five hours into the day I was walking around New York, lugging huge packages across midtown and deciding just how and when I’d say goodbye.

But wait! You say, couldn’t that just have been a case of the First Days?

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