The summer internship. You’ve worked your ass off trying to get it, sending in resumes, cold calling, spending hours in your school’s career office…and now you’re about to start. Nervous? Feeling strangely and suddenly unqualified? Packing to move to another place? This second installment of Summer Do’s and Don’ts tackles the sometimes fun, sometimes insane, experience of working for little to no pay.

• Do be prepared to know nothing initially. As Miss Control Freak USA, I hate being clueless, but it’s usually the case with internships. You’re hitting the ground running, being expected to learn everything in a day or so, but you can’t know it until someone tells you. Allow yourself to sit back and acknowledge the fact that everyone has first days, and no one is very good at them.

• Don’t get discouraged during your first week. Well, I mean, you can, but don’t let that discouragement psyche you out. Things will get better and become more familiar the longer you stay and the more open you are to putting in good work. Everyone has first days, and everyone also has first weeks. You’re not the only one who’s eaten alone on day three by the fountain in the middle of Madison Square Park, fighting off pigeons and some weird three-year-old kid who won’t stop talking about sharks. Read More »

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?

Read More »

Where did this year go??? We are just a few weeks away from summer break and you know what that means- Time to get a J. O. B.. I don’t know about you, but my days of throwing on the green schmock at Starbucks are over.

You can take your double, venti, low-fat, half-cap, light on the drizzle, frap-a-whatever and shove it up your a@%!!!

I need a real job… something that excites me… something related to my future career - know what I’m sayin’???

Well if you do, Then Katie Couric Wants YOU! Katie and CBS News are offering a once in a lifetime opportunity to work directly with Ms. Couric and the CBS News Staff through a new internship program called Springboard.

“SPRINGBOARD invites aspiring print and broadcast journalists to provide a unique local perspective to a global topic, and submit the print or video result for consideration by the journalists of CBSNews.com and CBS News. CBSNews will post the best submissions online, and award one entrant with a summer internship at CBS News in New York City.”

Sounds pretty cool, huh? Sure beats barista-ing.

Click here for more info.

What are you doing this Summer?

SPRINGBOARD invites aspiring print and broadcast journalists to provide a unique local perspective to a global topic, and submit the print or video result for consideration by the journalists of CBSNews.com and CBS News.

SPRINGBOARD invites aspiring print and broadcast journalists to provide a unique local perspective to a global topic, and submit the print or video result for consideration by the journalists of CBSNews.com and CBS News.