Internships and Your Summer of Opportunity
Much has been written about the lackluster work ethic and the diminished motivation to succeed of the “millennials”; however, little emphasis is placed on the societal pressure young students face today. Our generation is chasing accomplishments with a voracity and at a speed that previous generations never did. The compulsion to engage in activities that can, in some way, be tied to forging the perfect résumé is relentless. Summers, once the bastion of lazy days filled with bug bites, sweltering heat and blessed boredom are now viewed as an essential component in the all-consuming need to get a professional leg up.
A summer internship can be a great experience. They offer the opportunity to develop your technical and career-related skills, and if it is paid, it can give you a boost in saving up for your upcoming tuition payments. Most students would leap at the opportunity to be an intern, and indeed, many spend hours refining their résumé filling out dozens of applications. Many students pin their hopes on bagging a summer placement. Unfortunately, things don’t always go according to plan. Just one internship will receive hundreds of applicants; they’re super competitive, and places are but a few.
It’s not the end of the world if you don’t get the internship that you set your heart on. There are other doors open to you and alternative paths to take. In fact, not getting that summer internship may just be the start of a summer of opportunity.
A few years ago, New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote about the distinction between résumé qualities and eulogy qualities. Brooks writes that, “Within each of us are two selves the self who craves success, who builds a résumé, and the self who seeks connection, community, love — the values that make for a great eulogy.” And while I know that, as in all things, there must be a balance, I want to be an exceptional person more than I want to have an exceptional résumé.
Take this summer to develop yourself. Cultivate a new skill (or hone an old skill) and put yourself into situations that will force you outside of your comfort zone. Whether that means volunteering at a summer camp or travelling to a new country, make a conscious effort to keep yourself busy with activities that will enrich your life and enhance your character.
Self-improvement may seem unrelated to your academic or career success. It probably doesn't even seem like it factors into your job or internship search or interviews or at networking events. But, self-improvement has a crucial role in all these situations. How you conduct yourself in various scenarios, your personal knowledge, life skills, interests, friendships, self-awareness and confidence all play different roles in determining how others perceive you and, in turn, determines whether or not you are offered certain opportunities in life.
As I watch younger students, some not even out of highschool yet, vacillate over next summer’s plans, I wish I could tell them that there will be plenty of time for professional mastery, and ample opportunity to get sucked down the rabbit hole of work. I wish I could tell them that at this point in life, connection, community and love are more important than deftness at any particular craft.
Enriching your life is more important than enriching your résumé.
By: Rana Al-Fayez