Summertime internships made easy

Well kids, it’s that time of year again. The time to start making plans for summer vacation: road trips to Mexico (or Canada), lying on the beach, backpacking in the mountains and hours of unpaid work. Yes, that’s right, instead of loafing around all summer, you should get out there and get an internship!

Now I’m sure you’ve heard the horror stories of unpaid and unappreciated interns slaving away for a byline (maybe) at a newspaper or a modicum of credit for research (once again, maybe). But not all internships are bad, and there are serious rewards for your hard work. First off, you get great experience in the field that you might end up finding a career in. Second, Grad schools and employers love to see them on resumes. Third, it sure beats sitting around all summer watching re-runs of The Hills, eating Doritos with Diet Coke.

Recent Lewis & Clark graduate Krista Stryker (’07) did three internships over the course of her time at LC. As an International Affairs major with a Communications minor, Krista wanted to get into journalism, and her internships helped her find entries into that field. She interned as a communications intern at Mercy Corps and as a news intern at Oregon Public Broadcasting and at Willamette Weekly. Krista applied for her internships by sending in resumes with cover letters, and was lucky enough to receive interviews. “As I got more experience, each internship became easier to get,” said Stryker.

“Working at a radio station and a newspaper helped further my knowledge of my chosen field, journalism,” said Stryker. “I was actually working in the ‘real world’ alongside real journalists. Being responsible for writing stories both for radio and print allowed me to get a taste of what it’s really like to be a journalist.”

There are a few ways to start looking for an internship. To start off, check any department’s website. The Communications department, for example, has a list of internships that students have had in the past. Internships sponsored by the Comm. department include marketing for Nike, event planning for the Portland Trailblazers, and news internships with the Oregonian and Willamette Weekly newspapers. The website also provides an email address of a professor to contact to get set up with an internship.

Another way to find internships is through the Community and Career Connections page on the LC website. Through this webpage, you can find a link to PioTRAK, a website hosted by Monster.com. On PioTRAK you can search a database of jobs and internships and upload your resume for employers to review.

A general search for internships in the Portland-Metro area yields hundreds of results. The pitfall of this site is that there aren’t too many recently posted applications. If you plan on using this site to find an internship, it’s probably best to start looking earlier in the year.

Jeff Corso (’08) is currently a communications intern for the Portland Trail Blazers. He got the internship after working for the Portland Beavers and Timbers last summer. “Interning helps you figure out what you want to do after you graduate from college,” said Corso. “After my junior year I was still not sure what I wanted to do with my communications degree. Then I got an internship with the PR department with the
Portland Beavers and loved every minute of it.” Corso also mentioned that gaining contacts and references is a huge benefit. “I have worked with many people who are able to help find me a job in the field I want to pursue.”

This summer Economics professor Jim Grant and Andrew Foote (’09) received funding through the school to conduct research. They will be studying whether or not peer groups influence the academic performance of LC students. “We are particularly looking at LC athletes in-season and out-of-season,” explains Grant.

Whether you already have an internship lined up for this summer or decide that you’ll wait until next year, keep in mind that, as cliché as it sounds, you get paid in experience and more likely than not your unpaid time will reap major benefits later on.