Lately, I have been very down on myself for not being able to get an internship for the summer. It seems like everyone in my LinkedIn circle has been posting about their amazing new internship programs, and I am stuck with nothing. Of course, that might sound like a great summer to some people, but as a rising senior in college, this is very stressful; I’m graduating in a year, and I expect myself to have a job lined up once I have my diploma.
The problem is, beating myself up over not being able to find an internship when we’re still technically in a pandemic isn’t going to help me either. My parents and friends have been trying to tell me the same thing, saying that I did the work and applied to the internships but unfortunately didn’t receive an offer, and that’s ok. However, it’s difficult to tell myself that that’s ok when I feel like I failed. But instead of sitting around and feeling sad about it, there are still many other things I could be doing to make my summer feel accomplished, and maybe these tips will help you as well.
For starters, I can get a “regular” job in my hometown. Many shops and other businesses hire for the summer since it gets busier with tourists where I live, so that is definitely a viable option to make some money and save it up. The second thing I can do is thoroughly organize my applications for fall internships; I will have more time to carefully craft and go over cover letters, resumes, writing samples, and other required materials since I am out of school. Lastly, because I am a creative writing major going into her senior year, I can even start planning and working on my capstone writing project. If you aren’t a rising senior, maybe there are some other projects that you have been wanting to work on.
I hope this advice will help you stay positive over the summer if you couldn’t find an internship—I promise it will all work out eventually!