Congrats on the internship! You’re so right – motivation is extremely hard to come by when there is no guaranteed pay and no guaranteed satisfaction. That alarm clock goes off and you wonder “why am I even doing this?”…

Sadly, I agree with your future father in law; pariticipating in an organization as an intern is risky business, and you might not get the credit you’re seeking. However, being an intern is 1) a great way to learn, and 2) shows dedication and commitment to your chosen field. Reminding yourself of those two important factors is crucial to battling those first few “why do I even bother” thoughts in the morning.

When I moved to NY to do my internship with the UN, I didn’t come close to fathoming the sheer frustration that confronted me on several occasions. I was pushing paper, getting coffee…

But a few weeks in, I was editing concept and thematic papers that some very well-respected names (Albright, anyone?) were submitting for press…this of course, was after I finished cleaning up after the board meeting, and grabbing coffees for the directors.

And then a few more weeks in, between (you guessed it!) fetching coffee and opening mail, I was contributing a line or two to some of our press releases. I was making the effort to make myself needed, not because I wanted to impress anyone, but because I wanted to take part and make a difference.

And then..the unthinkable happened…the Commission’s Communications Director let me write a whole paragraph that was published in Time Magazine.

In all of this though, there was rarely a “thank you”, and certainly never any credit to my name for writing. But I made them need me!

No pay.

No gratitude.

No chance of promotion or getting hired on, and I knew this in teh beginning. For some reason, I tricked myself into believing I’d be okay with it!

The good? By the end of it, I think each of the Commission’s Directors might have known my name (well, at least one because I was most definitely walking out of there with a terrific reference!). I got to live in New York. I networked the shit out of the city and the UN. I got to work with an organization that I believed in, and participated in work I had a passion for.

And my GOSH, to me, it looks really pretty on my resume. If someone else notices, great. If they don’t, I still get to look at it and remember the things I learned, and will always have that great story to tell about the ‘time I interned at the UN’. It doesn’t matter to anyone really…just me. I think fondly of my coffee fetching, cleaning lady days…and even more fondly of the times I got to make fun of my boss (in my head) for her grammatical errors.

And each morning, walking into that building knowing to me, it was worth it.

If you love it, get out of bed and do it. Make it about you: what does it mean to you? Is it important to you? Do you live for it?

Then it’s worth it.

I do have to say however, that my experience was great. I’ll admit that things looked bleak at the beginning… staring at a blank computer screen, wishing I could get someone a coffee… but after a few weeks I felt like an integral part of the organization.

I wouldn’t trade my internship experience for anything, but I am very familiar with the feelings of listlessness that can come up. You’ll find that in a short time you’ve become indespensible.

So keep your head up and do the best work you can do so that people take notice. Oh, and go get me a coffee.

-Sarah

Best of luck!

I have mastered the art of writing a resume and this is only because of the tips we received in career management. I reformatted my old dreadful resume and created something dynamic.

I’m proud of my resume now and I finally understand how to “wow” employers. Resume writing, comes down to practicing and confidence. Be confident in your accomplishments and show them off in a tactful way. A prospective employer will love you for it!

What you haven’t said about your personality and this wonderful encounter: 1) you were open to the possibilities of this conversation; 2) you took a risk; 3) you were gracious and well-mannered and, most importantly, you likely showed genuine interest in what she had to say. Your seat mate sensed your obvious interest and lack of “it’s all about me” focus. Networking 101. It works.

I’ve met people in the most peculiar of locations – the elevator (to illustrate that saying), the airport, the hair salon, even eating sushi in a restaurant (a woman was eavesdropping into my coversation and interjected). It can really happen anywhere!