I have had two internships during my college career. One, I loved, and the other was torture.
For some background, I’m a Marketing and Management major with a double minor in Global Business Studies and Digital Media Art. Although three of my majors/minors are in the business school, I really don’t want to pursue a career in the business world. Along with not wanting to live the rest of my life deep into the business world, business schools and professors don’t allow a lot of room for creativity in their classes, events, and advice. You go to the career fair, and it’s accounting, finance, and construction management. There are never any opportunities in arts and humanities, what about managing an art museum? What about marketing for a record label? I can’t stand the cookie-cutter business opportunities they have to offer.
When I got my first internship, I was ecstatic. I had spent months applying to so many different internships and finally got one I was interested in. It was a Fashion Week internship with a company ‘where brands and creators connect’. Not only do they organize and produce a fashion show every season, but they also create promotional events and resources for brands and creators themselves. When I started working for the company in August, some other girls from around the country and I started working on getting ready for the upcoming fashion week. Finally, I had found something I was interested in.
I went to Brooklyn for the day to attend and work at the casting for our upcoming show, and it was truly an amazing experience. During the weeks that led up to the show, it was prepping and preparing everyone and everything for the few days of the show. I spent the whole day of the show telling hair and makeup where to set up, showing people to their seats, taking BTS photos, and networking with people in the fashion industry. When November came around, I felt as though I had gained a lot of experience in a field I could actually see myself working in, along with many new connections.
When it was time to get another internship, I was hopeful I’d find the same internship I would love to work at. After applying to a ton of different roles, I ended up getting a response from a guy at a recording studio. It was a more structured business role within the studio but the fact that it was a recording studio itself was exciting enough.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good fit. I’m creative and smart and capable of a lot more than the work I was given. I was doing work I could have done in high school. That, on top of my two-hour commute there and my two-hour commute back, wasn’t worth my time. I did make one good connection before I left but the good didn’t outweigh the bad. Although it was more aligned with the discipline I am studying and earning my degree in at college, my heart wasn’t in it.
I share my experience to show that taking the role that you feel pressured into based on your professors or what you study isn’t always what’s best for you. Experience is experience no matter how on point it is with your major. I was able to work in a show during New York Fashion Week, something that didn’t necessarily align with what a traditional internship for my major might entail. I ignored things I thought I had to look for in an internship, and ended up landing an experience that has altered my view on what I could do in the future.
Don’t get stuck in the box college and your major put you in; feel free to branch out and do what you love, or you’ll really start to hate what you do.