On combining an internship with studying (and how CF’s interns do it!)

Today, we’re talking about the ladies taking on an internship as a way to quickly learn a lot about the industry they hope to break in to. I (Yara) did a half-year one at Grazia magazine at age 19 and later put my Master thesis on hold to intern at ELLE magazine as a writer (I was 22 at the time and it was a great decision; it landed me a job as a Junior Editor and I later became a Features Editor there).

Why I think interning is a great step to take
I’ve always been a firm advocate of developing yourself professionally outside of school as well. As actually going in to the work field is one of the only ways to gain true experience and see where your talents are. So often, ideas and notions you have about a job aren’t like that – and sometimes everything falls in to place. There’s no better way to discover what you want and are good at, than by doing it in the real world.

So. In case you’ve landed an internship, or are thinking about it or need to do so for school: how to manage it all? I let my intern Judith tell you her story.

Judith: “Having done three internships – on a voluntary basis – while also studying at University, I often get the question how I pull it off. Though it’s a tough job at times, I also gives me great pleasure and I’d recommend it to anyone who’d ask. Which is exactly why I decided to share some insider tips on how to do an internship and a study at the same time.

To be honest, it’s a constant battle to work on two, three, four different tasks (all equally important) – varying from reading scientific articles to keep up with your classes, preparing for exams and, in my case, writing articles for an internship – and keep everything in balance at the same time.

At some point, things get slightly blurry. Are you a student or a working gal? Are you spending your free time studying in the library and drinking wine with friends (as a student) or are you doing research for new articles and catching up on sleep on Sundays (as a working gal)?”

BEFORE I STARTED: STEPS THAT I TOOK FIRST
Is it possible?
Before I dive into an internship, I ask myself if I actually have the time to do one. An internship takes dedication and time, whether it’s on voluntary basis or not, and it’s not always possible to do a study on the side. It took me about a month to consider all possibilities – like putting my study on hold. It’s hard to make a decision when you’re really passionate about a certain company or internship. When Yara asked me in September to stay for three more months, I had to be realistic about whether it was possible with my exams in October. Luckily, it was ; ).

Part time or fulltime?
Once I decide to go for it, I figure out whether I’ll do a part time or a fulltime internship. I’ve never really had the option to do an internship for my studies. But, since I really wanted to experience what it was like to have a fulltime job and find out what I really liked, I decided to give up my summer to do an internship. A tough choice, as all my friends were hanging out, but it surely was worth it.

When I started my third year, I wanted to do a second intership. At the time, I was still busy finishing up my studies, but I did have time to do a part time internship. So I e-mailed a company that only offered fulltime internships and persuaded them to hire me anyway. Most companies are open for part time interns, even though their websites or vacancies don’t menion it. Always give it a try!

ONCE I DIVED IN: THINGS I DO WHILE INTERNING
Be motivated
It takes a lot of effort to intern at a company and study at the same time, so I find it really important to be motivated. I remember at some point during my second internship I was so tired and stressed, it wasn’t beneficial for both my internship and my studies. Now I’ve been wanting to intern at This chick’s got style (and later CHAPTER FRIDAY) for years, so I knew I had to grab this opportunity with both hands. But even though I’m super motivated, it’s hard at times (hello exams!). It’s like ‘the survival of the fittest’: only the strongest come out. Tip: ask yourself (three, four times if necessary) whether this is something you really want to do. Leaving an internship after a month isn’t exactly something to put on your resume…

Divide work from studies
One of the most important things is that I can communicate with my team clearly. I always tell them which tasks I’ve completed and which tasks aren’t finished just yet, so that they don’t have to contact me when I’m not there. This way, I can leave my work at the office. Once I get come home, I can focus on my studies one hundred percent – or watch Orange is the New Black ; ).

Sleep, sleep, sleep
This is something where I often go wrong. Sleep is the most important thing when it comes to managing a busy, two job lifestyle. It took me quite some time to get used to the whole nine-to-five rhythm (to be honest, I’m still not entirely used to it). Especially in the beginning, when I was faced with new impressions daily, it really took its toll on me. I had to spend a week in ‘quarantine’ (as my boyfriend liked to call it) and go to bed at 9.00 PM.

Plan a date weekly
No, I’m not talking about dating multiple guys here (though that does sound tempting..). I’m talking Friday night drinks with my gals, Sunday brunches and as many coffee dates as I can squeeze into my schedule. With most of my days spend at the office and my evenings and weekends spend studying (OK, not every weekend), I think it’s really important to keep a weekly date with my friends so I won’t become a lunatic.

Have you ever done an internship? How did you manage to pull it off?

The post On combining an internship with studying (and how CF’s interns do it!) appeared first on CHAPTER FRIDAY.