WHO ARE WE?

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WHO ARE WE?

• Andres G. gt PW alum gt Digital and Technical
  Writing
• Karon H. gt PW senior gt Editing and Publishing
• Lisa S. gt PW senior gt Editing and Publishing
• Ashley W. gt PW senior gt Communities and Cultures
• Luke C. gt PW/James Madison senior gt Communities
  and Cultures

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WHERE DID WE INTERN?

• CrazyLabs in Madrid, Spain (3.5 months)
• Two internships gt one at CAL Career Center (with
  Courtney Chapin), one at Message Makers (in
  Oldtown, Lansing)
• Fourth Genre (literary nonfiction publication _at_
  MSU)
• refugee services and assistance agency in Boston
  (NGO gt 80 year history) gt while taking a class at
  Boston University, living with people who were
  doing internships
• worked at Michigan capitol gt research, archiving,
  gathering information about the governor and her
  work (talking directly to press secretary and
  communications director)

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WHAT DID WE LEARN?

• learn more outside of the classroom than you
  could learn in the classroom (nothing against the
  profs!) learned how to perfect communication
  skills (because in another language) big wide
  world outside of the U.S., and things operate
  differently in other countries
• internships are learning experiences (along with
  employment experiences)
• even unrelated work helps (e.g., preparing data
  analyses might not seem related, but can be
  really helpful for the future)
• be ready to dog people sometime gt seek
  opportunities, and ask for possibilities!

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WHAT DID WE LEARN? (contd)

• hands-on work counts seek opportunities where
  you can do a range of work and have a span of
  responsibilities
• do research while at your internship gt what
  people do, who does what, what the networks are
• develop tangible work to bring away with you
• talk with other interns while youre interning!
  (have a social and decompression network)
• be ready to get labeled the xxxxx person but
  also be clear about your skills and learning
  goals
• be ready for surprises be ready to tailor your
  expectations dont let any assumptions hold you
  back in any way
• Michigan Leadership Development Program does a
  lot of research for you if you go after an
  internship through the Program (downside its a
  structured program, so your work and role are
  predetermined)

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WHAT DID WE LEARN? (contd)

• develop your time-management skills
• network, network, network
• get comfortable customizing your style and
  approaches to an organization (and the tools
  available to help you do so)
• be ready to be confident and work independently,
  but know when to ask for help get comfortable
  bouncing ideas off of other interns, other new
  folks
• build your resume, collect work samples, develop
  references boost confidence!

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WHAT ADVICE DO WE HAVE?

• HAVE to be proactive in your own search gt yes,
  get help, but be proactive have to put the work
  in to find the ideal internship
• Directory of International Internships gt
  http//www.isp.msu.edu/InternationalInternships/
  (just ONE source)
• leave with contacts, and also leave with friends
  work to keep those contacts healthy (keep in
  touch with folks)
• dont be intimidated reading listings and
  internship posts gt you cant get fired! youre
  there to learn!
• an internship is the best class you can ever take
• talk to people who have done internships! talk to
  potential companies! talk to MSU alums! build and
  keep your network gt career networks are
  spiderwebs

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WHAT ADVICE? (contd)

• dont be afraid to screw upthis is your chance!
  And once you do something wrong, you will never
  do it wrong again
• dont be afraid to ask questions (others likely
  have or have had those questions in the past)
• make the most of it and be proactive
• if short internship, be ready to hand over work
  and transition gracefully out of your internship
• dont reject invites! go out for drinks, go out
  for dinner, go to social events (important
  networking opportunities!)
• research as much as you can gt know what you want
  to do and learn and see if you can seek those
  opportunities
• ask for projects know when and how to ask for
  additional work
• consider seeking an internship at a larger place
  with multiple interns so you are working closely
  with other interns
• use the internship as a place to learn what you
  want to learn (in another internship, in an
  entry-level job)
• balance your time and identify the best time to
  do your internship, and how much time you can
  devote to an internship (consider, e.g., two
  5-hour-a-week internships across two semesters,
  or consider one 15-hour-a-week internship in one
  semester)

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WHAT ADVICE? (contd)

• dont be afraid to look off campus and outside of
  the area
• plan carefully gt can you do an internship with a
  full course load? (some you can, some you cant
  some last all year long)
• being away and completely, fully immersed in an
  experience can be good (depending on your goals
  and what youre looking for)

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QUESTIONS?

• what was most important factor in getting the
  internship? (best resume? contacts?)
• stupid luck (this is not true) really fan of
  soccer team and WoW player
• talk, talk, talk, talk gt plan early on, ask lots
  of questions jump on tidbits, advice, and ideas
• alums are HUGE resource! (go to alum events,
  meet-and-greets) find people involved in the
  field
• program-based internships are available
• ask profs about ideas and possibilities
• email list opportunities

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• What did you do in your internship?
• CrazyLabs gt refined design skills (expanded
  210/410 and Photoshop skills) laid out and
  designing internal sites long-term project
  design portfolio representing work (leave with
  tangible product) big project converted major
  site to table-free design in CSS
• www.bunac.org/ gt Work, Volunteer, and Teach
  Abroad program
• MSU Study Abroad gt www.msu.edu/wrac/pw/resources/
  tranberg.html
• www.capa.org/ gt Centers for Academic Programs
  Abroad (CAPA)

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