After spending about a year in the working world, at a marketing agency, it wasn’t exactly my plan to take an internship. But at age, 24, when I found myself working at Starbucks and throughly confused about my future, it became my reality.
I know what most millennials are thinking: A 24-year-old intern? And sure, while many internships are reserved for college students and new grads, they can actually help you get your foot in the door of a new industry, spark a decision about the career path you should pursue, or, if nothing else, provide a valuable learning experience — at any age.
If you’re considering an internship a little later in life, welcome to my world! To give you a taste of my experience, here’s my story of the year my career swerved off track — and the surprising way it helped me get to where I am now.
The Situation
In the beginning of 2016, I vigorously began searching for what would be my first full-time job once I graduated with my degree in public relations. Because I knew I was going to move back in with my parents, I began looking for jobs that would be a close commute. At the time, I did not have a car, so, finding a job that would be a close commute for my parents was also on the brain. Within a few months, I had an offer on the table and took it immediately because really, I had put all my eggs in one basket (which I now know NOT to do – always keep your options open). In June 2016, I began what I thought would be the beginning of my successful career. What I didn’t realize was that, what would come so easy the first time around, was something I took advantage of. Several months later, I found myself very unhappy with the work that I was doing. I was very unmotivated and a lack of a mentor made working at that job even worse. I was so unmotivated to come to work, it just did not seem that it was going to start looking up.
Finally, I made the decision to resign from my position without having another position set up, which left me unemployed. Although I was relieved to not be working at a place that made me so unmotivated, I was still…unemployed.
And so began the job hunting.
I applied to a decent amount of places, a couple of which were courteous enough to let me know that they had found another suitable candidate(s). Another company that I had interviewed at seemed like it had gone so well. At the conclusion of the interview, the hiring manager expressly said that she would follow-up with me within a week. It is about 3 months later, and I have yet to hear back from that hiring manager. I will say this, I have learned so much about myself during the job hunt process (post-college life) and I am so happy that I did — then I feel like I was not putting my best foot forward. With each interview that I went on, their was a takeaway that I would incorporate into my next interview.
The Decision
Then one day, I decided that I would use LinkedIn to my advantage. I have about 500 followers on the platform and had tried to get a job all on my own. In this day and age, knowing someone that knows someone that knows someone makes a world of a difference in the business world. Unfortunately, I wish it was not that way, because it makes it very hard for qualified applicants to get a foot in the door, but I was forever greatly for LinkedIn at the time.
Finally, one day, a referral of someone that I know got my foot in the door. Although it was not the ideal position I was looking for, I kept an open mind because being an intern means that I still get the perks of working at the company, but getting to learn much more than just having work shoved (or emailed) in my face. This opportunity spoke to me, not only that, but the people that I came in contact with during my interview, made me feel welcomed and I did not feel intimidated or unwelcome. It was a fantastic feeling.
