Taking a Diversion
As a second year economics student, heavy emphasis is placed on securing valuable work experience over the summer, with the aim being to gain those loveable ‘transferrable skills’ that will see us through life without any issues. Somewhat naively I interpreted this advice as relating directly to the internships offered by big financial and consultancy companies, causing me and many others to scramble around finance and careers fairs grabbing as many leaflets as humanly possible.
Much to my horror, applications were a rigorous and efficient process and were very well suited to eliminating those with any doubts in their minds about their future. I managed to survive through application forms asking me what my greatest achievement of all time was. Unfortunately I squirmed through telephone interviews attempting desperately to remember an example of when I’d overcome problems caused by a ‘difficult’ colleague and my awkward telephone manner saw me swiftly eliminated. Indeed, it appeared internships of this sort were incredibly difficult to secure judging by the number of my fellow students who had failed to secure a position by early spring.
Naturally my narrow minded point of view had removed all hope of a productive summer at this point, but it was then that through a tenuous link I heard of a non-profit economic development project based in a small town in Massachusetts, USA. Four months later I find myself coming to the end of a fantastic four week journey that has presented me with some unique opportunities and excellent contacts for the future. Moreover, I was shocked about how simple the whole process was.
Volunteer organisations are always eager to find young and enthusiastic individuals who are willing to work and will be happy to help you with accommodation and all the issues that can so easily complicate work experience. Put simply, the best way to start is just to ask, as the response will almost always be positive. If you want to venture to a particular location or into a particular area of work, there will almost certainly be somebody, somewhere just waiting to give you a chance to experience it. The power of Google greatly reduces the difficulty in finding somewhere tempting.
With a little negotiation, these volunteer positions can even turn out to be a relatively cheap option too, despite the lack of a wage throughout the duration of the role. Volunteers are in their very definition almost always attempting to improve the lives of others and it is often possible to secure a host family for any extended period of time away from home. Some may even offer support with travel costs, although if not this problem can always be resolved by looking a little closer to your home town. In any case, with our epic summer break of 14 weeks, a placement of 4-6 weeks can always be paid for through regular employment in the intervening period.
As powerful as structured internship programmes can be, it does create this immediate restriction on where you can go and what you can do. It detracts from the ideology that everyone can find something enjoyable and useful to do over the summer independently just by searching around to find something truly unique. There is something very egotistically satisfying about organising and embarking on a path not already travelled by other slightly older carbon copies the previous year, granting the ability to feel part of a really positive experience and not a system or process.
In no way am I trying to discredit the more traditional programmes that offer so many fantastic opportunities to the students of today as I would have jumped at the chance to secure a spot at many of the major companies. My point is merely that these are neither the be-all nor the end-all and should not divert attention from launching into an adventure of unknown proportions. Perhaps these less conventional placements look less impressive on a CV than a two month assault course at a major firm but as another recent Nouse article pointed out, since when did the sole objective of university become a good looking CV? Reach out into the unknown and the rewards are waiting, ready to be enjoyed by those who take the first steps.
So for those who have not yet tackled the challenge of finding some truly rewarding work experience, remember that the options are far greater than those initially presented by traditional avenues. Below are just a handful of possible avenues to explore, although in truth all you really need is a search engine and a broad sense of where you want to go or what you want to do. A phrase I have picked up during my time here has been to ‘connect the dots’, linking together all the different components to get to where you want to go. With just a little bit of exploring, it is more than possible to find a truly sensational way to enjoy your summer.
UK political/volunteer internships: http://www.w4mp.org/html/personnel/jobs/list_jobs_ref.asp
Main Streets Program USA, the basis of my work experience: http://www.preservationnation.org/main-street/
Dedham Square Circle, the specific organisation I volunteered for: http://www.dedhamsquarecircle.org/
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