Summer Media Internship

“The most talented students are going to continue to seek the paid positions.”
-Penny Bender Fuchs
Whilst searching for an internship last spring, I realized that a serious issue was happening around me. I have been working in the Journalism and Public Relations fields all throughout my college career, and consequently have acquired the indispensable skills needed to thrive in both domains. Now, I do not wish to come off conceited, but thanks to the wonderful supervisors and mentors I have met during the last four years, it is safe to say I am much more experienced than many graduates entering these professions. Yet this summer I am “working” (a.k.a. interning) for free. I cannot begin to express my frustration in seeing incompetent and lazy people around me, who fortunately are not part of an internship class, receiving paychecks for their lousy work, while I slave away without any compensation. This is why I completely agree with Penny Bender Fuchs’ commentary on students with talent leaning towards paid positions. I will be honest in this entry, and express my deepest sorrows in having to work all summer and receive no monetary reward. I also find it ludicrous that the CUNY system has the audacity to charge its students tuition for an internship that takes place outside the walls of the school. Though it is clear that my feelings are pro paying internships, I must also state that I have learned a tremendous amount in the short time that I have been interning at the JCH. I too believe that accepting and participating in an internship program is a vital step for college students in gaining not only experience in their respectful professions, but an important way to learn how to manage and succeed outside the safe haven that is college. Therefore, I will sign off by quoting Peter William: “No matter what you do, no matter how stupid, dumb or damaging you judge it to be, there is a lesson to be learned from it. No matter what happens to you, no matter how unfair, inequitable or wrong, there’s something you can take from the situation and use for your advancement.” I believe that says it all.
-Julia German