The Good, the Bad, the Internship Experience.

Have I mentioned internships are important to your growth and development as an individual and a professional? That internships are great for gaining real-life work experience?
OF COURSE I HAVE, MY FINE INTERNEES!
Dear 'ole Alice has been giving you advice, tips, and information on how to find, get, and keep an internship. Hopefully, they have been helpful, whether you're searching for an internship or at an internship now and you're struggling with any ethical decisions.

What I have failed to mention, however, is that in reality sometimes...
SOMETIMES
...internships don't always have the fabulous outcome you were hoping for.

Whether you realize you didn't like the job/career/field, you and the boss man did not get along, or perhaps you're like me, and you just set your expectations a little to high. The truth: sometimes internships just aren't what you were looking for.

Here are a few examples of some peeps who had terrible internships and lived to tell about them.

• Richard Bottner - He interned at one of Boston's largest companies and had a tough time. He makes an awesome point when he discusses the moral of the story!
• Dan Marley - He writes about an internship at The New York Sun, where he expected it to be completely...different. (He is an insanely hilarious writer!)
• "The Atlantic" - Offers jobs to interns with requirements that really shock them!
• The Gawker - Writes about the worst internship ever.

Now that you've read about bad internships, it's time to put you in the middle of the madness! You are an intern (if you're not already), you are interning for a company you thought you would love but you HATE. Despise. Loathe. Not only do you have to get coffee everyday but, excuse my french because I'm going to say it, you're their little intern bitch. That's right, it's not just coffee, it's lunch, cleaning, printing, mail, errands. (I consider this the "stereotypical internship" because I know for a FACT not all internships are like this, but most TV shows, movies, books, all make internships sound like this.) So, you're interning and it is the pits. How do you deal?

Have no fear, miserable internees! Quint Careers is here to help you! They offer you advise on how to make the most of your internship, even when it sucks.

The key is to make it your own. So you have to get coffee everyday and hand out mail and bla bla bla. Say you're at a TV station, as I was, and you want to learn the ins and outs but your boss is only interested in you answering phones and running prompter. Yes, you are learning something, but you want to edit and record and all that good stuff! What do you do? YOU TAKE MATTERS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS, INTERNEES! You want to make sure you're getting what you want out of the internship! Make friends who will teach you about the career and help you learn programs, explore on your own! As Quint Careers explains, take initiative, ask questions, NETWORK. It may suck, but you could get a better internship out of meeting the peeps in the office and getting to know them and who they know.

DEFINITELY read the full article on Making the Most of Your Internship, it will help you whether you love or hate your internship! (Especially hate.)

So, your internship is crap. Take the advice of Quint Careers and don't be afraid to take matters into your own hands. Your internship is what YOU make it. Plus, the important thing is what YOU get out of it, and if you don't want to leave with permanent burns from coffee and paper cuts from mail, then do something about it!

Lastly, if you really really really REALLY hate your internship and there is absolutely no way to fix it and make it better for you, talk to your boss/advisor and see what other options there are available for you. If worst come to worst, you can always leave. Because sometimes, as you know, internships just don't work out.

Happy interning!
Love, Alice

The Best Places to Intern!

Dearest internees,

If you're on the prowl for a grade A internship, you're probably wondering where the best place is to look for one. Luckily enough for you, precious internees, look no further!
BusinessWeek is one of the country's prime business magazine, ranking with Fortune and Forbes magazines.


Every year, BusinessWeek releases an annual list of the Top 50 Best Places to Intern and I have for YOU the 2008 list! (As 2009 comes to a close, keep your eyes open for a '09 list in early '10!) BusinessWeek ranks these companies according to pay, the percentage of interns who get full-time jobs, student feedback, as well as research. YAHOO!

For you, internees, I will supply you with the COMPLETE list but I want to highlight the top 10.

1. Goldman Sachs - An investment banking company who (in 2007) offered 79% of their interns a full-time job. This rate is not the highest, however, their PAY RATE is what you really should jump up and down about. In 2007 their hourly pay rate was almost $30.




2. PriceWaterHouseCoopers - PWHC is an accounting firm who reached BusinessWeek's number two spot because in 2008, the percentage of interns who received full-time job offers reached an astounding 93%. This rate was 3% higher than in 2007. Accounting anyone?




3. Ernst & Young LLP - This is another accounting firm and although their pay is not as high as Goldman Sachs and PWHC, their intern hiring rate was extremely high. In 2007, it reached 98% and in 2008 it was 90+%. CALLING ALL ACCOUNTING INTERNEES! This is the place to be!


4. Deloitte - Keeping it steady with the accounting firms, this company (in 2007) had a pay rate of approximately $25 an hour with an 85% full-time job offer to interns in both 2007 and 2008.
   
5. KPMG - Again, accounting. Full-time job offer rate? 95% in 2007. AND 95% in 2008.
   
6. JPMorgan - Investment banking. Although their full-time job offer rate was only 80% in 2007 and 70% in 2008, their pay rate is rather high at almost $30 an hour.
7. Microsoft - A technology driven company (as we are all aware) that continues to have a pretty stable full-time job offer rate. In 2007 it was 83% and in 2008, 85%.



8. IBM - Information technology products and services: approximately a 50% full-time job offer rate for both 2007 and 2008. Their pay rate is at $22 per hour.
   
9. General Electric - Good ole' GE and their manufacturing of all sorts of products! GE's full-time job offer rate and pay rate are both significantly lower than previous companies. Though, their job offer rate was 60% in 2007, it was only 30% in 2008. Their pay? $19 per hour.


10. Walt Disney - The happiest place on Earth! Which means you'll be the happiest intern on Earth, working here! At number ten, the media/entertainment company has more rates significantly lower than the other companies. A staggering 17% of interns were offered full time jobs in 2007 and it only raised to 22% in 2008.

Not satisfied with the JUST the top 10 best internships of 2008, according to BusinessWeek? See the complete list with links, percentages and both rankings to compare from '07 and '08.

You can also check out lists of the best places to intern by MSNBC, Fortune/CNN/Money, and, for those of you internees who are looking for a little laugh, CollegeHumor also has a list.

And remember, keep your eyes peeled for the 2009 lists in early 2010!

Good luck and happy interning!
Love, Alice

International Interns

Hola! Aloha! Namaste! Salem! Yia Sou! Bonjour! Jambo! Goedendag, Internees!

As you are aware, internships are important!
And there are plenty opportunities to go around here in the United States.
But there are more...
Look at the map below. Ever see yourself traveling to England? Iceland? Austria?

Internees, I'll tell you what.

There are an estimated 195 countries in the world. That is 195 different places to visit, work and experience!

But you're worried, nervous.

You've never been out of the country.

You can't speak a foreign language.
You don't even know what Haggis is.

NO WORRIES, internees! Here are some helpful tips for interning overseas and websites that can assist you in furthering your work experience abroad!

• 
  
  To find an internship, check out StudyAbroad.com. Here they offer featured programs and highlights, as well as a search engine that let's you choose which country you would like to intern.


• 
  
  International Internships or Transitions Abroad offers tips on where to look for opportunities, links to these sites and lists International Organizations, such as government, that you may also want to consider interning with.


• 
  
  If you'd rather see something in print, your university should offer a study abroad program or office where you can find information by the tons.

Now you have found your dream internship overseas. So what is next?

1. 
   
   GET YOUR PASSPORT!


2. 
   
   (Enter language here) to English Translation Dictionary - These helpful lil' guys are your bible while you will be interning. You can find these translation dictionaries on Amazon, Half, or at your local Barnes & Noble. They give you every word you will ever need and some even offer full phrases to help you. (There are also electronic ones!)


3. 
   
   READ UP! - Google your little heart out, about your country! What are some do's and don't's in the city? What is polite and impolite? What cities are close by? Don't be afraid to be ahead of the game! MapQuest has international maps, which would be excellent to look at before you go. ASK ALICE TIP: Find the closest McDonald's. Remember, they are everywhere. Just in case.


4. 
   
   Home Sweet Home - If you are not staying on a university campus, continue corresponding with the host family you will be staying with. Learn about what they like or don't like, get to know them and let them get to know you. Host families, if you do not know, are families that open their homes to students who are studying abroad. Rather than paying for a hotel, you are able to stay in their homes with their family. Consider it your international home, away from home.


5. 
   
   You PACK IT UP. - What will the weather be, what season is it? Will you need electronics? Can you bring your computer? Are you able to bring more than one bag? Can you buy school supplies there? What's the currency exchange?! Keep these questions in mind while you are packing. A great organizational tip is to make a LIST. And trust me, one list, is never enough.

Still struggling and need more advice on how to prepare? Amherst College gives a great summary of what to expect and how to prepare for an overseas internship. Also, the amount of knowledge and advice at Intern Abroad can help you, not only find an international internship, but will assist you while you are abroad!

Internee! Are you still not convinced? You know internships are AWESOME but you're skeptical on the whole overseas, different country thing? Life Changing Travel has a great article on how an overseas internship can boost your career prospects and also the benefits of an international internship.

So, internee, as per Stephen Stills' song "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes", WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO LOSE?
Plus, a little information never hurt anyone! Check out international internships!

Gelukkig interneren! Interner heureux! Glucklicher absolviert ein prakikt! Interning feliz! Or just, happy interning!!

Love, Alice

Great News for Interns!

Hello, internees!
It has been far too long. But I have not forgotten about you!
I have been doing some investigating and I have found some pretty awesome information to share with you!

Schmoogle GOOGLE founder, Eric Schmidt, is looking out for the interns!
Turns out, Schmidt has given an undisclosed amount to launch a website to help people who are looking for internships, connect with companies!

And not just ANY companies. Fortune 500 companies. YES!
The idea arose because of that damn economy. BOO!

The site is called InternInc.
It began in March 2009 in Denver, Colorado.
Keep in mind, the site is still under construction. You can, however, sign up for it.
heck out all the details at Venture Beat.

As for you, Eric Schmidt, you have just received an infinite amount of cool points. Thanks for looking out for us interns.

I'll keep you posted, internee, with more news on interning and internships!

For now, happy interning!
Love, Alice

Intern Sex Scandals: The Mother Load

What do Clinton, Stanley, and Letterman have in common?
A sex scandal with an intern, of course.

I don't need to tell you, my little internees, that inter-office dating is a big no-no.
(We've discussed this once before.)
So, I'll assume that you know that inter-office "sexing" is an even bigger NO.
Actually, it's more like an ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Ooooh, it may seem like a good idea...your boss is hot. He/she is definitely flirting with you. You're imagining...WHOA! Enough.

Inter-office dating/sex often has extremely severe consequences. Don't believe me?

ALAS! The proof! (Is in the pudding. Eww.)
Alice's List of Intern Sex Scandals Throughout History

1. "Devil with the Blue Dress" - The Clinton/Lewinsky Scandal - The President of the United States and a White House intern. It was impeachment at first sight.


2. "Funny Honey" - Letterman/Hester Scandal - Late night talk show host, David Letterman, gets into quite a bit of trouble for having an affair with a former intern for his show. Jokes on him.
   
   
   



3. "Love Train, Love Train" - Stanely/Morrison/Watts Scandal - Tennessee Senator Paul Stanley and intern get hot and heavy, which, in turn, makes the intern's boyfriend pretty hot tempered. Can you say triangle.?


4. "Let's play a Love Game" - Adams/Breedlove Scandal - Portland, Ore. Mayor Sam Adams has sexual affairs with 17 year-old, male intern. "Oregon. We Love Dreamers."



5. "We're playing basketball" - Marbury/Intern Scandal - Oooh, the New York Knicks. From Ewing to Mason to Curry, they have quite the reputation for sex scandals. Enough said.

Interns. You're like a piece candy in an organic food store, a freshman entering high school, carbs when you're on a diet. Can you say, TEMPTATION ISLAND? And I don't mean that terrible TV show. (That goes for both males and females!)

Consequences. These are just 5 examples of news worthy mega-stars who have dipped their brush into the wrong color. Imagine the small business managers, CEOs, and other people involved in corporations who have made their interns grab more than just coffee. It's not just celebs, it's everywhere. Temptation is everywhere! Interns, beware! It seems like a nice fantasy, but it often leads to lawsuits and termination.

Remember the consequences, my little internees!

AND. Don't ever let anyone put your in an uncormfortable place. Is a boss crossing the line? Be direct, say no. Tell someone. This internship may be an opportunity for a job, but if a boss is being nasty, you probably don't want to work for him/her anyway.

Want to learn more about naughty politicans and celeb scandals? Visit Google's Timeline for Scandals or MSNBC's Decade of Sex Scandals.

AND REMEMBER INTERNS. Use common sense, remember your morals, and keep in mind this is your future at stake! Don't pull a Monicagate and be a good lil' internee.

Happy interning!

Love, Alice

WHY INTERNSHIPS ARE IMPORTANT.

So. We have discussed fashion, smart phones, ethics, and moo-la when it comes to an internship.

But, lo-and-behold! I have forgot something mucho important.

WHY INTERNSHIPS ARE IMPORTANT!

How terrible of me not to mention, first and foremost, why you should apply/do an internship!
It is key to understand that if you do an internship in college, you will definitely have a leg up when it comes time to graduate. This is why:

Here are Intern Alice's 10 reasons why internships are important!

1. They help you decide if THIS career is right for you! I have done 3 internships because my first 2 made me realize that it wasn't what I wanted to do. This was extremely helpful.
2. They prepare you for the real world and what a real job is like.
3. It's AWESOME experience for you.
4. It lengthens your resume! (See below for resume help!)
5. Connections, connections, connections. The people you meet at your internship could possibly help propel you into the work field.
6. It keeps you aware of what skills you may need to improve.
7. You could gain full-time employment from an internship!
8. It helps you to determine your "next step".
9. Internships are often, but not always, required from universities.
10. They help you understand what employers are looking for in a new hire.

Take it from Lindsey Pollak, author of the book "Getting From College to Career", who says "Internships are more important than ever." THEY ARE!

It is interesting, I often hear students and friends talk about internships, but that they do not have the time or desire to really get involved in an internship. Guess what? Internships have perks! Such as:

1. You can receive school credit for signing up for an internship through your college/university.
2. Sometimes, but not always, you get PAID. Yep, more moo-la for you, my dear internee.
3. You meet friends! And EVERYONE loves friends, come on!
4. You build your resume, gain experience, all the good things I listed above! (Helloooo, leg up?)
5. Plus. You automatically gain millions of cool points. Who's the coolest thing since sliced bread? YOU ARE! You pass go AND collect $200!

Seriously. Take it from someone who has done 3, count 'em 3, internships. They are absolutely, 100% worth it and extremely awesome for your resume and your LIFE! YEAH!

So, if you're interested in being ahead of the game when you graduate college, definitely consider an internship. Strengthen your resume? Get school credit? Be uber awesome? Yep, internship. So get out there and be all the intern you can be!

Happy interning!

Love, Alice

Interns, Don't Bite Off More Than You Can Chew!

A nice analogy for my dearest internees!

In the REAL Wonderland, Alice has this issue with becoming too small or too big.

If you remember the 1951 film, Alice eats part of a mushroom and she grows so big that she ends up stuck in a house.
What does this have to do with internships, you ask?
I will tell you.

Ask Intern Alice Tip:

• Treat your life like a mushroom. If you eat too much of it, you become too big, get too overwhelmed. Although, it is awesome to have the opportunity to be involved with internships, keep in mind, the other things you have in your life. I'll use mine as an example. I work (a paying job), intern, school, and I also do volunteer work. I am often on overload because I perhaps, have bitten off a bit too much of my mushroom. Sometimes, things like my social life or even my school work, tend to suffer because one class is more demanding than another or I had to pick up a shift at my job or I have to work an event for my internship. Plus, if I am stressed, I will often fall ill. Which, with a busy schedule, does nothing bu create more problems. I want you to stay happy, healthy, loving life interns! Not miserable, stressed, frazzled interns.

Say you're like me and you're saying, "But Alice, I can DO THIS! I want to do this! I need to do this because... (enter excuse here on why you need this busy schedule, for me, I need to do this so I can graduate on time!)"

Well. I have another tid-bit of advice to assist you in your busy life!

If you have taken on a bit too much during a semester and you're feeling like your school work or your state of life is suffering, always always always talk to your internship boss first. Say you're there 3 days a week and you really want to cut back because you're classes are really hard. You can simply tell them the situation and ask if you can come in 2 days instead of 3. BE HONEST WITH THEM! You're boss will respect you for a) being honest and b) caring about your school work.

Don't expect sympathy from them if your "state of life" is suffering but you're only taking 2 classes and you want some time off.

This is not an excuse for you to be lazy, silly pants! Internships are important, they give you the experience you need for the "real world". And these people in charge of your internship will be writing letters of recommendation. You definitely don't want them to write that you were a lazy S-O-B, now do you? Exactly.

Check out this story from a student who was overloaded. Accounting? Ouch. He needed to eat a little less of his mushroom.

Or how about this student who needs to look into an internship!

So, REMEMBER. Life is like a mushroom from Wonderland, if you bite off too much, you may get maxed out. Don't bite off more than you can chew! Do what you can. Intern when you can, work when you can. Keep college your number one priority. Organize your time so things in your life don't suffer! And if you ever feel overwhelmed, talk to your boss, they'll understand.

And always stay happy, healthy, and keep smiling.

Happy interning!

Love, Alice

Resume Writing 101

Good afternoon, internees!

Resumes.
When you get an internship, you must provide a resume. When you head out to your next endeavor, you must provide a resume. When you apply to a job or graduate school...jeeze, if you make pancakes, AUNT JEMIMA might even need to see your resume.

Since we have distinguished in that short paragraph that a resume is extremely important, you are going to have to GET ON THAT!

But what? What was that, dearest internee? You do not know how to write a resume?!

POPPYCOCK.
(Insert Superman entrance music here)
This is what I am here for! I shall assist you in beginning your lovely resume!AND give you great sites to check out for additional help!

Here we go.

The first thing you're going to want to do is make a list of EVERYTHING you've done. Every group you've been involved with, sport you played, job you had...include everything. As they say, the more, the merrier! Here is a list for you to start with:

• clubs, sports, groups, titles you held (such as student body president or student government treasurer), if you took AP classes or were involved in the "accelerated track", volunteer work or projects, jobs, etc. Anything you deem worthy and feel like someone at a job interview should know that you were involved with a certain performance, group, anything. Write it down!

Next, make a separate list for all of your education background. You do not need to include elementary/middle school, only high school and college (unless they tell you to do so). For college, write down a couple of classes from your core curriculum (your major) that you can list on the resume.

Before we begin putting it all together, keep in mind, there are VARIOUS different templates or ways to build your resume. A lot of websites offer sample resumes such as How to Write a Resume and About.com (this is the site I used) both offer a lot of sample templates on how to make your resume look. I, however, am going to teach you the most common template. You can always change it up.

Moving on.

When you have your list of activities, educational info, and job lists together, you can begin putting it all into a word document. This will need to be TYPED. I believe, if you were to give a future employer a hand written resume, they would laugh at you. Many websites will be different in the way you list things on your resume (as I said before). I don't think there is necessarily a wrong way to write a resume, but you will ALWAYS want to make sure the most important information is at the beginning of your resume and the not-so-important is at the end.

So, with that said, here is the way you should begin constructing it (Take a peek!):

1. CONTACT INFORMATION - Include your full name, address, phone number, and email
2. EDUCATION - Most current goes first. So, if you received you Master's, you would want to list that first and then your bachelor's degree. Example: MBA - University of Texas, BA - Texas A&M, High School - Texas High
3. EXPERIENCE - Again, current goes first! Your present job should be the first one you list and so fourth and so on.
4. ACCOMPLISHMENTS - The example resume I offered as accomplishments at the beginning, however, being that you may be fresh out of college, your accomplishments should come after experience UNLESS you have some really important accomplishments. In that case, go you! Accomplishments should include awards you have won, contests you've been involved with, etc. (National Honor Society, Best Person Ever...those awards go here).
5. VOLUNTEER WORK - I had quite a lengthy list of volunteer work. If you do as well, include it in it's own category! Internee! What a good heart you have.
6. ACTIVITIES/INTERESTS - All those sports, clubs, extracurricular activities go here.
7. SPECIAL SKILLS - Computer skills, MAC skills, software, camera/video equipment, that goes here.
8. LANGUAGE - Make sure to include if you can speak/are fluent in a different language. (his is good for southern areas of the United States!)

KEEP IN MIND

Feel free to change items area, switch it up like this admin resume, a target resume, or this one!

You can always make your own categories if you want, no harm in adding more stuff AS LONG as it is significant. I would advise you NOT to make 60 thousand different categories with one item listed in each. Don't try to force it to look long! Your resume will be superb!

Always put the most recent first!

Dates are important! You worked at Burger King from 2000-2005 or you were an intern from May 2009 - July 2009. It is not necessary to provide EXACT dates, but you can if you really, really want to.

When it comes to the dreaded job descriptions, which you will want to include when you list your jobs/experience, don't be afraid to look online for help. This teacher resume has extremely detailed job descriptions. If you worked at Burger King, one of the descriptions you will want to include is cashier/cash register work and cleaning duties. But, again, don't be afraid to utilize the Internet!

This should definitely be enough to get you started writing one awesome resume! Need more assistance? I'd be happy to answer your questions!

OR. You can use these sites with more pointers on resumes!

A How-to video can be found my clicking here!

Rockport Institue has helpful tips on how to write the ultimate resume

Or you can click here for a resume builder.

GOOD LUCK and happy interning!

Love, Alice

The Tardy Intern: "I'm late for a very important date!"

And hello my dearest internees.

So. When it comes to your internship, you always want to look, act and do your best.
This includes: SHOWING UP TO WORK ON TIME.

My middle school band teacher always used to say, "To be five minutes early is on time, to be on time is to be late."

Unfortunately, he is, even thought I don't want to admit it, right.

Being on time for your internship is key! Be sure to make sure when you FIRST receive your internship that you calculate the amount of time it will take you to get where ever you may be going. Use good ole' MapQuest if you're in need of someone to calculate for you!
Also, be aware of traffic!
I drive pretty far to get to my internship and often get stuck in traffic on the busiest highway. It is terrible because I am constantly calling or emailing them to tell the office that I am running late.
HOWEVER, this does not mean it's okay.
Internees, I am an example of a big no-no. No matter how long I've been a part of the PR firm/internship, it's still my responsibility to show up on time.
Check out this article by AIGA - The Professional Association for Design.
The number one item mentioned under the "good intern" category? BEING ON TIME!

Take my advice. Show up on time for you internship. It proves you're reliable and responsible.
Your internship is your important date, so don't be late!

Happy interning!
Love, Alice

Search for the Best Internship!

Hopefully, my little internees, you have recovered from that fabulously emotional blog from yesterday.
(Insert aww here.)

Today, I want to share a few websites where you can (if you have not already) find awesome internships!

El numero uno: Internship Programs
This site allows you to search for the world's most perfect internship.
You can search by employeer, field, date, or location.
Keep in mind, many companies are searching for SUMMER interns.
They also post recently added internships, and there are quite a few from Boston Pads and The Art Farm!

Two: Student Jobs - A government based website.
This site helps you to create a resume and search for jobs/internships.
They also offer a scholarship. (and don't we all just LOVEEEE free moo-la!)

Three: Intern Zoo
You must have a login but they offer search engines and awesome internship advice.
(Not as good as mine, but I try not to be selfish! I want you to be an awesome intern, so take ALL advice!)

Four: MONSTER! College
Monster.com is the most amazing website, designed for students (as well as those seeking jobs).
They have absolutely everything you need to find an internship, so as I stated once before, DEFINITELY sign up with Monster.com.
However, be prepared that everytime you search on their site, they send you emails.
I get, at least, 5 a day. It's great.

And the fifth and final website: InternWeb
What's uber awesome about this site is on the home page is a list of ALL the recent internships available AND they range from California to Pennsylvania.
So anywhere you want to go, you can!

There are many other awesome sites available online, so make sure to utilize that google, man!
When you search these sites make sure you check out a few minor details!

• Do they pay? (A major plus if they do!!)
• How many hours MUST you be there or how many days a week, etc?
• What will you be doing? HELLO, you DO NOT want to apply for a PR internship where you're going to be scraping dog poo off of sidewalks.
• Do you need letters of recommendation? If it's for a summer internship, you're going to want those letters written before school gets out because during the summer, you may not be able to contact the professors.
• Get the contact information!!

Hopefully you find these websites as helpful as I did when I was looking for an internship!

Happy internship hunting!
Love, Alice

Life's a Journey, but Don't Stop Believing!

Dearest internees,

In order to help you become the best intern EVER, there is one serious topic I want you to be knowledgeable on.

Walter Bagehot once wrote,

"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."

There is this thing people refer to as "the ladder". This "ladder" is an invisible thing you must climb in order to move up in the ranks. Whether it be from intern to paid employee or account executive to CEO. It is often understood that you must pay your dues, work your way up, in order to become "something". Everyone in corporate America knows about the ladder.

And, trust me, as an intern, you will hear about this "ladder". From employers, employees, family members, jealous colleagues, it's all about this DAMN LADDER.

Intern Alice Story:
When I worked at the TV station, I was convinced (as most girls going into television often are) that I wanted to be an entertainment reporter. I thought I could rock it and that is what I wanted to do, no questions. When I told one of the reporters who was showing me the ropes my dream, he told me "Oh, well, you can't just do that. You have to work your way up the ladder, first. Gotta start somewhere."

Little internees, let me be honest with you. I was devastated, heartbroken.

You tell someone your dream and they just tell you, No?

Just like that?

I can't just do what I want, what I love?

I have to do a bunch of things I hate before I can go do what I love??

It didn't matter how confident I was, it disappeared. My spirit, enthusiasm...my dream, died. Just like that.

That was, undoubtedly, one of the worst moments in my life, thus far. Not just because of what the reporter said, but because picking up the pieces afterward was a mess. I questioned myself: if that was what I REALLY wanted to do, what was I going to do with my life now? Does this mean I am not a good journalist? Am I just not good enough? My confidence was shot. And recovering from such a tough blow, it just wasn't easy.

Internees, I'm not telling you this story to scare you or to get sympathy from you. I want to tell you this secret, give you a clue to one of the most important lessons you will learn at your internship.

THE TRUTH is, he was right. There is a corporate ladder to climb. And you do have to start somewhere.

But that is for the people that settle. They settle for the inevitable ladder, they believe that is the only way to move up in a company. They settle for a cubicle, when their dream is an office or their own company. They settle for second best when they know they deserve number one.

I AM NOT SAYING THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE, UN RESPECTABLE WAY TO LIVE LIFE.

(I'm just saying there is another way!)

What I want YOU to do, my little internee, is this:

I WANT YOU TO NEVER, EVER, EVER GIVE UP.

In the words of the late Patrick Swayze, "No body puts Baby in a corner."

Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't do something, that you can't go somewhere, that you can't change the world. BECAUSE YOU CAN. You absolutely, 100% can. If you are motivated, determined, passionate then you can do anything in the WORLD.

You can say f%$& the ladder and fly to the top if you want!

You don't have to settle, you can live your dream!

HOWEVER.

I'm not going to tell you it's not hard work. Because it will be.

I'm not going to tell you you won't be disappointed. Because at some point in time, you will be.

I'm not going to tell you people aren't going to try and bring you down. Because they will.

I'm not going to tell you that you'll feel great. Because sometimes, you're going to think there's absolutely no hope.

BUT,

DON'T EVER QUIT.

DON'T STOP...

DON'T STOP BELIEVING! (I often listen to a little Journey ever now and then for inspiration!)

Have faith in yourself, internees.

Because I may not know you, your story, your life. But I have faith in you.

And I am telling YOU, that you can do anything. No matter what anyone says!

So. Be confident, in yourself and all you do (like interning!). Be determined, never lose site of that dream you have. Beware of those who are NEGATIVE NANCYs who will say you CANNOT. Because you can. Remember the great words from Walter Bagehot (yes, at the beginning of the blog!) and know that IN THE END, after all the hard work and the waiting and the whining and the trials and tribulations and the tears, it will be SO WORTH IT.

Glee - Don't Stop Believing

Don't ever stop believing, in you.
Happy Interning!
Love, Alice