Every journalism student at SUNY Fredonia must complete an internship for credit to fulfill their degree requirements.
Because I transferred as a junior from a community college to Fredonia, I was already behind. Therefore I made it my mission to seek every and any opportunity I could to obtain an internship.
Fast forward two years later, and I’ve had five internships. You may be wondering how I did it.
Here are three ways I went about obtaining internships.
Networking
The second internship I solely obtained by networking. In May 2019, I attended a conference in New York City for young professionals hoping to embark in the media and entertainment industry. I was encouraged over the three days of the conference to network and to reach out and seek opportunities.
About a month after the conference, I took it upon myself to reach out to the founder of the conference. I understood the conference was relatively new, and there could be room for volunteer work. I used this to my advantage and ended up being offered an internship instead.
Volunteer Your Time
Some people won’t volunteer their time. They believe it’s a waste of time. They couldn’t be any more wrong. This is how I received my first internship. I got as email one day during the summer from one of my professors asking if I could help him out with shooting a concert for a not-for-profit organization that he’s involved in.
The semester before, I had taken a studio production course, so I understood the basic rules of shooting video. Was I any good at it? That depends on who you ask.
That following fall, I was offered an internship working with him for that same not-for-profit organization.
Pure Luck
To this day, I am surprised I obtained this internship.
It was late one night around midnight, and I was scrolling through Handshake. Handshake is a platform in which students can apply for internships and search for jobs.
It was midnight. I was exhausted, but I saw a post for an internship writing food reviews and travel pieces. I’ve always wanted to be a travel journalist. So naturally, I was intrigued. Long story short, I applied for the internship, and later that morning, I received a response. By the end of that week, I obtained my third internship.
Was it luck? Most likely.
Opportunities won’t appear in front of you. It takes time, effort and a little luck to make them happen. What opportunities are you making happen?
