It's Not The End of The World: Why Not Getting A Summer Internship Is Okay
Elizabeth Anderson
It’s that time of year again where we all face the stressful process of trying to land an internship for the summer. We go through countless site searches and applications, only to get a few interviews. We then stress about these interviews, and once they’re complete, stress again until we get a response. We either get the job, or we don’t, and that's okay.
Getting denied an internship is a painful experience, and makes us wonder how we will get a full time job after college. The key is to not give up, and use the summer to your advantage.
Last summer, my internship was cancelled due to COVID-19. It was truly devastating because it was my dream internship, and I wasn’t sure where to go from there. I didn’t have any other jobs lined up, so I had to come up with other ways to spend the summer.
I found a few things to do that would be productive, resume-building, and further my education. Here is a list of things you can do if you don’t get an internship (or things to do on the side if you do):
Take summer courses. UIUC offers tons of 8-week classes that can fulfill major or minor requirements. A great idea is to get some of your harder classes out of the way as they are much easier in summer sessions. You can also use Transferology to look up community colleges nearby that offer courses that have transferable credits. Community college courses are typically less expensive as well.
Join marketing or advertising seminars. LinkedIn, Handshake, AAF, and AMA all have tons of workshops, virtual fairs, courses and more that can really add a boost to your resume. A lot of them are free as well.
Work on your portfolio. By building your portfolio, you can become a great competitor. Companies love to see examples of your work, plus it can be a fun thing to do. Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop are great places to start, if you want to create advertisements. If you want to start somewhere more novice, try Canva or Clay.
Volunteer! Volunteer work is a great resume builder, and giving back to the community is always a wholesome experience. Go to your local food shelter or community center, and they’ll always have things you can help out with.
Get a side job. Any job can teach you real-world skills.
The best thing you can do is stay positive. Like the title says, it's not the end of the world! As long as you keep yourself busy and can show how much you strive to better yourself and your experiences, you'll have a successful summer!