Interning After College: Why I Loved It!

by Jennifer S.

I bet there are a lot of you out there who recently graduated and are out there trying to find your first “real” job, full-time, benefits and all that jazz.  Not having any luck?  Why not through some internships into the mix?

Yes, even after graduation you shouldn’t be ruling out internships while searching for a “real” job.  I had two internships before landing my first full-time job and I started my second internship almost 6 months after graduating.  Here’s why I enjoyed having an internship post-college.

I had more time to commit
My first internship was about three months long, and besides my 20 hours/week there I was working part-time, going to class and commuting to my internship (2+ hours one way, depending on the traffic).  It was great, but hectic.

With my second internship, I felt that i could commit to a longer internship (ended up being there for 6 months) and it felt like a lot calmer experience.  I was still working part-time and commuting, but I wasn’t trying to finish that paper at the last minute anymore.  I didn’t have to give up my weekends to study.

I expanded on my first internship
My first internship was very focused on public relations and was at a much larger nonprofit.  I gained great online writing and editing skills from this, but it was very focused.

With my second internship, I was still doing public relations and communications but, since it was a much smaller organization, I got to do a wide spread of projects.  A little bit of graphic design, helping out with events, fundraising and even Google AdWords campaigns.

I’m still involved with them!
It’s been a year since my second internship ended and I’m still involved with them  It might just have been great timing, but towards the end of my internship they started up a social media volunteer committee.

Have you done a post-college internship?  Tell us about your experience in the comments!