Where do I start in regards to internships?

Career Opportunities & Internships
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<p>I'm currently studying at a community college and my goal is to transfer to one of the UCs in a couple years. I am dead set on majoring in English despite its' lack of marketability compared to other majors (well at least the ones that generally pop up in this forum such as computer science, economics, business, etc). It's the only subject that I have an intense passion for, and I would love to apply any critical thinking and writing skills that I acquire in the next four years to the workforce. I know that there is a big chance of being forced into retail once I graduate, but I am hoping that getting a high GPA and wisely interning will make me more attractive to employers.</p>

<p>But where do I start? The career center at my community college is bogus and we definitely don't have the kind of job fairs that a university like UCLA would hold. I'm looking for an opportunity to get my foot in the door. I need to do something to show that I'm not just a full-time student. Be it something involved in technical writing, editing, publishing, etc. (maybe I didn't mention a variety of things but my knowledge of what I can intern for is limited) I need experience.</p>

<p>My biggest worry is that I will only have the opportunity to intern by my junior year (when I transfer) and that two years is not enough time to get a lot of experience by the time I graduate. I know for sure that I'm really going to have to step things up in regards to networking at that time. The opportunties to socialize at a community college are very limited.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

2

<p>Scout out internships on the websites of newspapers (local, state, national, issue-specific or not) or of publishing companies. Almost all news services and publishing companies have interns–I know folks who have done internships in both fields.</p>

<p>Also keep in mind that even if you major in English, you don’t have to do work in that field–feel free to branch out into other areas like federal government, big business, law, etc. Very few people work in the field of their undergraduate studies.</p>

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<p>^Right. I’m not trying to limit myself to working in that field, it’s just that I don’t have a clear idea of what I can do (although I’ve always had an interest in taking part in a political campaign).</p>

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<p>If your school has a student newspaper that would be a fantastic place to start, its accessible experience and the faculty supervising school publications usually have connections in the journalism and publishing industries. Becoming a part of that community could land you quality internships.</p>

<p>While you look for an internship opportunity, you should start to develop your own projects. You could start a blog that showcases your writing skills, or try to get short works out there by entering writing contests or submitting to student specific publications. These kind of side ventures are great to highlight on a resume or bring up as a talking point in an interview.</p>

<p>Being an English major you will be fighting an uphill battle in terms of desirable employment, your bachelor’s degree won’t exactly be in high demand, but you already know this. That’s not to say its impossible, there are some good opportunities out there for English. A friend of mine got a lucrative full-time job straight out of undergrad as a writer of research grant proposals for a local university. I would definitely encourage you to emphasis coursework in public and professional writing. Best of luck!</p>

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<p>I agree with ForumMod, just look for small clubs to help build up your resume, such as the the school newspaper. You and I are pretty much in the same boat, I’m an English Lit major myself, and I was also worried about internships/experience.</p>

<p>First and fore most Junior year is a great time to start looking for internships because you already have some experience with your major under your belt. On your resume you can put some of the classes you’ve taken to help let the employer see how good you are for the position, so even if you don’t get an internship before Junior year, it’s still okay.</p>

<p>This is what I am currently doing. I’m a junior and I just finished my first internship with a program that focuses on teaching kids about writing (it’s a great program called ArtsBridge and I recommend it to anyone who just wants to start building their resume). </p>

<p>The beauty about being an English major is that you’re schedule will have more flexibility so you can even take an internship during the school semester if you really want to. Many of my friends are STEM majors and it’s hard for them to get an internship unless it’s during the summers. </p>

<p>Now, does your school have any literary magazines you can write/edit for? If so I think it’d be a good idea to look into, if not you can simply create your own (and that’s something that shows a lot of initiative and leadership ability, so that might be a good route to take as well).</p>

<p>Are there any other clubs at your school to help give you some tips? Maybe a club about Technical writing? (If not, you can make one yourself as well).</p>

<p>But, to back up a little bit, two years is plenty of time to gain experience through internships, and again, we English majors have a leg up because our schedule’s are not as grueling as say, and Aerospace Engineer student’s. </p>

<p>So I would suggest trying to do at least one thing that counts towards your field every semester (say an internship in the summer, and then starting a literary magazine in the fall, and then writing for the school newspaper in the spring).</p>

<p>I hope this helps.</p>