Initially, I was hesitant to share my story because I was working from home during my internship. Work from home, lacks the glamour and the fun stories that come with an in-office internship. However, I went through the same struggles that most teens who are hungry for an internship go through.
I was looking for an internship to make a productive use of my free time and to add a star to my resume. I would be lying if I said the prospect of making money wasn’t a big factor itself. My cousin had found extremely lucrative internship opportunities via Internshala but I never registered with them at that time, because I believed that internships required me to be a college student. I had waited, albeit impatiently, but hoped that it would be worth the wait in the end. I started building my resume and realised that I had certain skills that I could put to use. Being skeptical about finding an internship in Sociology, my field of study, I decided to give content writing a try. After all, I had always had a knack for writing.
I added MS office skills, mentioned that I was fluent in three languages, was familiar with blogging and using WordPress, and that I had my own blog too. This improved my resume score significantly and when I applied for the fourth internship, it definitely proved to be decisive in my selection. I gave a Skype interview and got hired but on receiving the terms of the internship, I realised that I was going to be overburdened and underpaid. I declined the offer because my favourite villain had taught me, “If you are good at something, never do it for free.”
I kept trying and finally landed an internship with a travel company, named “Backpacker Panda”. I was asked to submit a sample write-up. I submitted an article on the infrastructure of Bangalore, which I had written for a college magazine. Since they just wanted to assess my writing skills, the topic didn’t make any difference. I was shortlisted for the telephonic round wherein they asked about my daily schedule, how many hours I could devote to the work, and whether I would be able to manage my studies and work together. I was briefed on the exact nature of work and the remuneration I would receive for it. They were impressed with my write up and my interview went well too, so I was hired immediately.
Now, I get to write reviews of travel articles from the comfort of my home and the pay is pretty decent too. I’m given travel articles and blog links, which I read thoroughly and review and/or summarize in a specific format given by the company. I provide blog links, article links, names of the authors, etc. to them and grade them on a scale of 10 based on various parameters. The internship has been really smooth so far and my love for both travelling and writing makes the job fun and passionate. My mentor too, has been extremely cooperative. I keep updating my achievements to my resume from time to time.
In the end, I’d like to give a clichéd but important advice – “Rejection is inevitable; accept it and move on. Do not give up under any circumstances. Sooner or later, you’ll find what you’ve been looking for.”
About the Author: Sumedha Bose is pursuing B.A. in Sociology from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. She shares how an internship brought her closer to things she cherished – writing and exploring places. This story was first published on Internshala.