A College Student’s Dilemma

It’s been said many times, many ways, but most eloquently in the words of Parks and Recreation’s Tom Haverford. “Sometimes you gotta work a little, so you can ball a lot.”

As the summer approaches, I’ve been applying for countless internships across industries and state lines, and when balling isn’t a possibility due to little or no pay, and the “perk” of experience isn’t enough, the process can be draining.

Summer’s luster has worn off for those who have been in the workforce long enough, but many of us bright-eyed and bushy-tailed college students have only been working for a few hours here and there on weekdays, or for a few hours at a time when school lets out. The dreams of beach days and feckless fun haven’t died just yet!

Of course, there is the exception of those who have worked full-time in the summers. Last summer, I worked 9 to 5 while juggling an unpaid commitment right after that took up as much time as my job, if not more. I survived on lunch and Prozac for two months.

So when winter break rolls around, you’d think I’d be spending most of my time lounging around. I did that for a bit, made some art, and drafted some blog posts, but then I found out everyone around me was applying for internships and I was close to being behind. I searched for weeks for any position remotely related to Communications, PR, Editorial, or Social Media in the Boston area. Indeed was offering dozens of amazing internships… in New York. Luckily, the brainchild of fashion maven Sophia Amoruso, the Girlboss network, was teeming with young, creative entrepreneurs in need of assistance. Cold-emailing also did the trick to get my foot in the door with some local firms and publications.

I took one look at my resume and decided I hated it, so I applied for a few internships with the thing. Then it came time to apply for the internship I’ve wanted since I was fifteen years old. The old resume had to go. My Adobe Illustrator trial had expired months prior, so I fired up Canva and got to work.

After days of paring down my worthwhile experiences to a few bullet points in the smallest possible font, my pink masterpiece was ready to submit. Yes, pink. Thanks for the idea, Elle Woods!

Maybe I should just go back to my old office job, filing for seven hours earning just above minimum wage, and get no experience in my field until next summer. Besides, I need money for my semester abroad next year. But do I want to sacrifice getting experience in a field I truly enjoy? While experience in place of money isn’t enticing (or in my opinion, ethical) I may just have to submit to the rules of the corporate world if I want to stand out against my peers after graduation.

Am I worthy enough to be a coffee-ordering, note-taking, guinea pig at the website of my dreams? I’ll find out soon enough.