If you are in college you have heard the words “summer internship” get thrown around a lot these last few weeks. It is every college student’s nightmare: internship season. Many students will get internships at law firms, hospitals, banks, and more. But not me. I will be working my fourth summer at my childhood summer camp.
Since before winter break my friends have been texting about what internships they might apply to and their dream companies they want to work for, but I was busy filling out the same paperwork I have done for the last four years. I began to feel like I should be looking for a more “grown-up” job or an opportunity to begin my career. My parents were saying it, social media was saying it, and even my peers were saying it. For weeks I thought I was ruining my future career because I chose my summer camp over an internship that would gain me experience. However, I had a revelation.
My mom asked what my plans for the summer were; while there may have been slight undertones of hope that I would finally try for an internship, she encouraged me to think long and hard about what I wanted–not what other people think I should do. When I thought about summer camp in my head popped images of days spent working with my best friends, nights off spent at the lake, and spending time with campers I have watched grow over the last four years. When I thought about a possible internship I might do flashes of spending hours in business attire surrounded by four walls with barely enough sunlight to see my paperwork. While I know this is NOT what all internships are like, I did not want to risk it.
Internships can be extremely beneficial in terms of learning what it is like to work in a corporate setting or getting some insight into what your future career may look like. However, I decided that ultimately that was not what I needed to do right now. I figure I have my whole life to work at a job that I am sure I will love, but as of now, I will spend another summer working with my best friends under the sun.
Getting an internship is not the end-all-be-all. Some people may get their dream internship, some may shadow a prominent public figure, and some may be working at the same job they have had since high school. However, the best way to make future life decisions is to listen to yourself and what you want.