• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

You are here: Home / Career / No Internship, No Shoes, No Problem

No Internship, No Shoes, No Problem

May 7, 2015 //  by Lisamarie DiOrio

Shares27FacebookTweet

Advisors and professors always say that the key to success in the almighty post-grad job hunt is internships. Well apparently, I won’t be able to unlock that door, because I’ve never had an internship. As an education major, finding relevant work during the summer is nearly impossible (because no school…duh). Thankfully, a desk job, waitressing, retail or any work can be “relevant work” if you know how to spin it.

1. Get a cool story to tell.

giphy.com
giphy.com

Take it from Zack Downey, a math and economics major at Boston College. “Consider looking into a position you wouldn’t normally,” said Downey. Downey spent last summer working the Boston College Bands Office. The position taught him valuable communication and marketing skills, and gave him experience with a database software. “Learning a way of thinking can be incredibly useful and no matter what, you’ll have an interesting story to tell interviewers,” he said. Though none of his new skills are directly mathematical (no, he wasn’t solving equations all day), they’re all eye-grabbers he can put on his resume to make him stand out from other desperate grads. Most importantly, I guarantee that he snuck in some Facebook creeping while sitting behind a computer all day.

2. Play CEO for a bit.

giphy.com
giphy.com

Danielle Parisi, a business administration major at Anna Maria College, worked in a small, family-owned funeral home for the past two summers. Parisi worked as the home’s receptionist, though sometimes the lines blurred a bit. “In a small business, sometimes everyone is the boss,” said Parisi. She learned valuable communication and office management skills, and she was able to really learn the ins and outs of running a business, even though she has no interest in running a funeral home as a future career. “For me, any work in an office setting is worthwhile,” said Parisi. While the job itself may be a bit unsavory (closed caskets only, please), the experience and business skills you gain from a summer job can be a huge boost in confidence.

3. Be flexible.

giphy.com
giphy.com

In many cases, a summer job can completely change your career path. Justin Solle, a biology major at Boston College, said that his summer position at a non-profit is what caused him to divert from his pre-med track. He spent most of his time working with social workers in low-income hospitals but managed face time with medical professionals. Solle also gained first-hand marketing skills to put on his resume (priceless).

“I presented our outreach strategy as a pitch to medical professionals to encourage them to screen for food insecurity. I made ten presentations to over 200 doctors, nurses and social workers,” said Solle. How many interns can say they made that kind of impact in a company? Because the office’s primary language was Spanish, this job even forced him to flex his bilingual muscles. How did he manage to fit all this experience into three months when I can’t even finish Grey’s Anatomy in that timespan?

4. Talk to people.

tumblr.com
tumblr.com

Personally, I’ve never had an internship or job directly related to my future career. As a future high school teacher, I can’t really pursue that over the summer. Instead, I’ve worked at Stop and Shop, a local grocery chain, and learned so much simply interacting with people. You never know how people are going to behave: I’ve been yelled at more times than I can count for things that were completely out of my control. Despite this, I’ve learned to maintain a level head in crisis-like situations. If you think I’m exaggerating, then have a a lady yell at you for 18 straight minutes because her ice melted in the course of her two-hour shopping trip. In July! My experience communicating with other people will be completely invaluable in my role as educator. Working with people is not like working with machines: I can’t yell and hit them when they don’t cooperate with me.

5. Ace your future interviews.

huffingtonpost.com
huffingtonpost.com

Paulina Isaac, a junior at Temple, said that she actually had an interviewer recently ask her if she had any retail experience. “Because I have to cold call people to check facts, she said working in retail prepares you when it comes to talking to different people,” said Isaac. Plus, working retail gives you priceless communication and marketing experience, ensuring you nail that big interview. You’re selling things to customers, just like you’re selling yourself to interviewers (not literally, oh my God). When you’re working retail, you get really good at reading people. You figure out when to offer help and when to back off. Reading your interviewer can help you figure out exactly what to say to get them to offer you a position. Also, can you say employee discount?

We promise: internships are not the only way to gain valuable experience over the summer. So sit back, relax, and consider a unique opportunity this summer. You’ll surprise yourself (and future employers) with what you learn. And who knows, you might even have a little fun along the way.

Shares27FacebookTweet

Filed Under: Career Jobs & Internships

About Lisamarie DiOrio

Senior at Boston College. Future high school English teacher. I laugh, eat, and talk too much. My main loves include the Boston College Marching Band, peanut butter, pandas, country music, and Breaking Bad.

You May Also Like

All You Need To Know Before Diving Head First Into Law

Earth Without Art is Just Eh: The Struggle of Deciding My Career

Superwoman or Ada Ruth? An Interview with Auburn University’s Former SGA President

how to become a pastor

Sharing the Gospel: CM’S Guide to Becoming a Pastor

15 Key Interview Preparation Tips From Recruiters

If You Can Dream It, You Can Draw It: A Vibrant Q&A with Artist Kyle Feliciano 

Success in the Making: How to Start a Small Business Fresh Out of College

how to use linkedin

7 Ways You Can Use LinkedIn to Score Your Dream Job

boss

The Brightside of Being Judged: Surviving Your Next Performance Review

Top 10 Student Approved On-Campus Jobs at St. John’s University

Top 10 Things To Keep in Mind When Asking for a Reference Letter

Finding Yourself Through Professors and Pandemics 

Painting strokes image

CM Creates: How to Become a Professional Painter

5 Tips for Getting Your Social Media Ready for the Professional World

resume styles

College Magazine’s Guide to Resume Styles for Landing the Job

Community College Professor walks through the halls

Higher Education: Why Teaching Community College Makes the Ideal Career

College Magazine’s Guide to the Engineering Major

Writer

How to Use Your Creative Writing Degree: 10 Tips and Tricks

corporate

7 Insider Tips on How to Climb the Corporate Ladder

career development

How Your College Career Center Can Land You a Job During COVID-19

how to become a software engineer

College Magazine’s Guide to Becoming a Software Engineer

CM Guide Health Science

College Magazine’s Guide to the Health Science Major

Overview of three people at a desk working

Work in the Way? 10 Guilt-Free Reasons To Leave Your Job

10 Office Ethics Commandments That Apply to Daily Life

Previous Post: « Summer Internships: What’s the Big Deal?
Next Post: 10 Gifts Moms Actually Want for Mother’s Day »

Primary Sidebar



Trending Posts

dancing dreams
63

Saying Goodbye to My Dreams of Dancing

50

Stargazing in the Sand: My Trip to Terlingua, Texas

42

How My Childhood Bully Followed Me to College

9

Top 10 Covid-19 Safe Spots to Explore Near UCLA

Brass-colored 21 foil balloons inside a room.
8

10 Spots to Celebrate Your 21st Birthday Near UCLA

Featured Chapter: St. John’s University

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

Majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

Intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

Money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

Travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

Shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

Copyright © 2021 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.