Tag Archives: career paths

Embracing the Sophomore Slump

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Sophomore year: you’re not new, you’re not graduating, you’re probably to studying abroad, and you’re not writing a thesis.  So, what are you doing for a full year? Homework?  Riveting.  Welcome to the sophomore slump.

The sophomore slump mentality is definitely real, but if there is one piece of advice I would give first years, it’s to take advantage of this weird limbo year.  If fact, the sophomore slump is more of a blessing than a curse.  This is the year we declare our major, and in doing so start to consider the paths we could take as emerging professionals.  However, the jobs or internships you apply to for the summer do not make or break your future career.  Part of figuring out what we want to do entails figuring out what we do not want to do, so get a little crazy with your internship search.

Here I was, obsessing over finding different political campaigns or legal firms to apply to.  As a politics major, I was stuck on the idea of ensuring whatever internship I have this summer would directly pave the path to becoming President of the United States. In the mean time, one of my best friends, also a politics major, had just applied to intern at Cosmopolitan.  I asked her how her job search was going, and she said that a lot of her stress was relieved when a junior told her that sophomore year was about “figuring out what you don’t like.”

After my friend gave me this advice that she herself received from an older friend, I expanded my search.  For my Core 3 course last semester, Capitalism and Critique, I made a 35 minute movie with my three friends as our final project.  Digital editing, film making, and screenwriting are three things that have very little to do with my major, yet I thoroughly enjoyed each one, so why not try out a career in the media production industry? I applied to a marketing internship, a digital media internship, internships in New York, in D.C., a CNN broadcasting internship, and considered anything that sparked my interest.  As a sophomore, the world is my oyster.  Even though I do not meet every single desired skill or experience of each internship, I can amp up the experience I do have and use past experiences to tailor both my resume and cover letter, depending on where I am applying.

Don’t be afraid to send an application.  Whatever looks interesting, whether or not it directly relates to your exact field of study, is fair game during your summer intern search.  In other words, we know what we want to study, but do not know exactly what we want to do with it, and that is perfectly ok.

The Slump hit me pretty hard, especially at the beginning of second semester.  However, turning a negative into a positive was easy with the network of friendly peers and helpful faculty we have here at Scripps College.  Even alumnae want to help; Search the Scripps Community Network to see where different alumnae work in order to gain some inspiration and potential connections for my internship search.  Embrace sophomore year with excitement, know that having multiple career directions you want to explore is an awesome thing, and it is ok to feel the Slump.

What’s an internship?

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Although summer seems so far off in the distance, it will be here before we know it. And though that is a great thing, it is also somewhat unfortunate. With summer comes the necessity of a summer job.

Although I have spent the last few summers of my life as a babysitter, I have decided that it has come time to find a “real” job. And for this upcoming summer, that may mean an internship. But what exactly is an internship? To me, it just sounds like a fancy way to say that you will be getting coffee for other working people and doing their dirty work. I know that is not true for all internships, but it’s hard to know what to expect until you are actually there.

Though I don’t actually have an internship lined up yet for the summer, I have started to think about it. And I have many questions. Should I try to find one in a field that I may potentially want to be in? Or should I find one with some big-shot company that will look good on a resume? Should I shoot for the stars, or just stay local? I really have no idea. I don’t even know if I want to have an internship over the summer, or if I should instead find a job at J. Crew where I can get good employee discounts and stock up on cute clothes.

Realistically, you don’t have to have an internship after your first year of college. If you know what you want to do and have a company that you think would be great to experience, then go for it. However, if you need a little bit more time to figure everything out, then that is alright as well. Sometimes it may be best just to collect a bunch of ideas and look into internships in preparation for two summers from now. There’s no need to rush into it if it’s not something that you feel super great about.

Starting off with a smaller and more local business may be a good booster step for future bigger internships. Trying right away for a big corporation with lots of applicants may leave you in a hole. Make sure you have options and look for a variety of positions. Also consider whether or not it would be paid! There is lots to consider when looking for internships.

If having an actual job and earning money doing something else is a better fit for you, don’t be worried to just do that. The choice is yours, but don’t let the idea of an internship scare you! After doing some research, it already seems more plausible to me and less like a scary monster waiting in the closet for me.

[Editor’s note: Scripps has funding options for students seeking unpaid internships or research opportunities.  You can learn more about CP&R’s summer internship grant application process here, and be sure to check out Scripps Fellowships, too.]

Summer Transitions

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As I’m writing this, I’m facing my last week at my internship. The summer feels like it’s gone by in a blip. I’m doing a lot of wrap up—documenting the processes I’ve used so they can be continued, teaching a new analyst how to use a tool, creating slide decks for my two final presentations. The transition will be pretty abrupt for me. This Friday at 5 or so, I’ll leave work. Sunday morning I’ll drive down to southern California to visit with relatives, and then I’ll move back into Scripps on Tuesday for RA training. These last few weeks have been super busy, since I’ve been trying to cram in seeing all my friends and family around my normal work schedule. (I’ve had to sacrifice my daily workout, but hopefully Tiernan will be open when I get back).

I had a great, lengthy conversation with my manager yesterday about life choices and grad school and career options. She’s been tremendously supportive and appreciative of my work, and I was happy that she validated some of the unusual choices I’ve been making.

1.       Taking lots of math and economics, even though I’m all humanities on the inside: My manager got her MBA (while getting an MSW) for the same reasons — people who have quantitative or technical knowledge have power. I don’t want to let anyone mansplain why a policy I support isn’t economically feasible without the tools for refutation.

2.       Not returning next summer to my current internship, even though it’s well paid and at an organization I eventually want to work for: My manager (and my mentor, and my mom) stressed that internships are about exploration, and while they’d welcome me back, they understand that I want to figure out where I fit best.

3.       My semi-secret, maybe-probably-won’t-do it-but-maybe-I’ll-try-anyway dream of becoming an economist: My manager actually just assumed that path might be on my radar, since I’m interested in being a research assistant after graduation. It feels too big for me, and there certainly is a chance that I won’t make it all the way. I’m no math genius, and economic research is heavily math-based. Six years in a PhD program is a long time, and might conflict with babies and other life things. But there’s no danger in trying. It’s not as if I’ll be unqualified for any other jobs because I’ve taken too much math and econ. I can still go into policy, tech, teaching, or anything else, because of the magic powers of liberal arts education. At the moment, being an economist seems pretty appealing, because your work can involve theoretical research, policy focused research, and teaching. We’ll see if I survive multi-variable calculus!

I’m excited to switch gears next week for RA training. I’ve missed Scripps: the sunshine, the people, the beauty. I’m hoping that as much as I’ve stretched my analytical thinking at my internship, I’ll stretch my interpersonal intelligence in the next few weeks.