“What are your plans for summer?” “Do you have an internship?” “Will that internship give you a return offer after graduation?”
Ever since embarking on my university journey, the stream of questions like these has never stopped flowing. And personally, I find it crazy. I’m only 21 years old, and everything and everyone around me is telling me I need to find a corporate summer internship so I can be tied to a desk from 9-5 every day from May to August.
I can’t be too harsh because I, too, was searching high and low for an internship. I study International Relations and French and was applying for positions in finance, consulting, and simply anything I could find – no matter if it sounded like agony for a creative like me. I feel like the pressure of finding an internship or a corporate job after graduation has taken the dream out of finding a career you’re passionate about. And on top of that, the never-ending rejections that so many of us experience make it even less exciting. So I’m here to let you know that no internship = no problem, by giving you some tips and ideas on how to spend your summer without an internship but still productively. And these are all things you can do alongside a part-time or full-time paying job.
The first idea is something I’ve done myself and can be done alongside studies, or a job. It’s getting certified in something you are passionate about. In the digital age, we are lucky to have thousands of certification courses at our fingertips. I recently got certified as a NASM Group Personal Trainer, and the course was both affordable and easy to do alongside a packed uni student schedule. Spending your summer getting certified in something you’re passionate about – whether it be yoga, fitness, makeup, or hair – gives you a skill under your belt that you can later monetize, and be excited about!
The next idea is taking courses. Similar to the last idea, it gives you tangible results that you can also add to your LinkedIn or resume. It demonstrates that you are passionate about furthering your knowledge in a certain area. For example, one of our fabulous editors, Emily, will be taking a journalism course with Vogue this summer. Last summer, I took a French course in Toulouse, which I was able to receive funding from St Andrews for. Courses allow you to find something you are passionate about, and if you choose to take a course in a new location, can allow you to discover a new place, too.
The final idea is a bit bizarre, but I have had a few friends try it, and love it. Many farms, ranches, and permaculture gardens look for help in exchange for housing, food and sometimes even monetary compensation. On the website WorkAway, hundreds of people from locations like Greece, Spain, and even Montana post to find hardworking individuals in exchange for what’s truly the summer of a lifetime. All you have to pay for is the flight, and for a daily bit of work in a gorgeous place, you can have a fulfilling and fun summer.
Internships can be great, but they are not the end-all-be-all. Comparing yourself to other people’s trajectories will only derail yours. If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that doing something you love will take you much further than doing something you don’t. I hope these ideas will allow you to take a deep breath and think, “What do I really want?”, and spend your summer in a way that is fulfilling, fun, and still productive.