Lately I have been putting tons of stress on myself to prepare for heading back to school within the next few weeks. Crunching in last minute shopping for apartment decor and trying to finish up the book I am reading currently are only a few minor causes of this stress. Most of my stress lies with the application process for my study abroad in the spring and finding an internship for next summer when I come home from Italy.
Why look for an internship now? Well, in you weren’t aware, competition for good internships are at an all time high in the spring months, and since I won’t be in the states during that time I’ll be at a disadvantage. I figured getting ahead and looking for one now, or at least getting my name out there, will be more likely to guarantee me a position in the summer.case Thinking ahead and factoring in the entire year isn’t necessarily something everyone needs to do, but it’s always good to try and get ahead.
My first thought was, where to apply? I looked online and on social media, and it was actually amazing the amount of opportunities that popped up when I decided to seek them out. Free People’s Snapchat story one day read that anyone interested in an editorial writing internship could email them at the given address, and Vogue Magazine tweeted about Ford Models having an opening at their base in NYC for a graphic design intern. These were all things I have an interest in, and I applied to both within the hour of seeing them. Although competition is high, you will never know unless you try!!! I plan on applying to numerous other agencies and companies this summer, too, and although it’s stressful I’m confident it will pay off.
Connections are another factor. Knowing people, or knowing people who know people and so on, can be extremely beneficial to getting the position you want. I knew no one in the graphic design world when I decided in high school that I wanted to go that route, but as time went on I met several local designers, had the opportunity to shadow quite a few designers, and met wonderful professors who wanted nothing more than to help me and the rest of my classmates to succeed.
The nerves come with the territory. Applying for an internship or job is never easy and the pressure is on for you to prove your skills and competency the second you walk through the door. But practice makes perfect, and if you work hard and get your portfolio to where you want it to be, you will likely be just fine. I’m going to try as hard as I can to land a position for the summer within the next semester and I’m extremely excited to see where things go from here!
