To intern or not to intern?

[spud]

So I'm staring at graduation here in May and I'm wondering if it's worth it to try and squeeze everything I can out of my college eligibility and grab a paper internship while I still can. I'm wondering, though, if it's the smart thing to do.

The only real reason I'm considering it is because of the potential benefits of having another tick on my resume and some more clips, but will it really allow me more freedom when choosing my first job? I already have an internship (albeit not at a paper) and some good experience in my pocket, but would this help further? Or will the benefits be negligible and would I be better served just spending my time trying to find a job straight away?

The pay is peanuts for the internship(s), but I figured it's going to be like that anywhere I go. I'm just not sure on which direction to spend more time. Anybody have any experience with this? Any advice they'd like to levy on me? I think that "oh **** I have to get a job" panic is starting to set in.

 

[SixToe]

If you can afford to do it, try to land an internship.

It will give you some experience, maybe some variety if you are willing to work in different areas of the newsroom, and may provide some networking opportunities.

 

[Jeremy Goodwin]

I think it all depends on the internships you are going for. If you get one that allows you to go to a bigger paper than you'd be hired at and gain good experience, then go for it. If it's an internships at a paper the size you'd be applying for jobs, you might as well go straight for the job.

Apply for internships, though most of the deadlines have probably already passed or are Jan. 1. I had an internship after graduation and I think it helped me land my job, but my internships was at a large, respected sports section. FWIW, I didn't land my internship until after spring break.

I liked having an internship and knowing what I was doing after graduation. After the internship though, i spent about two months living at home until I found a job.

Internship or not, start sending out resumes and networking.

 

[Diabeetus]

I think it all depends on the internships you are going for. If you get one that allows you to go to a bigger paper than you'd be hired at and gain good experience, then go for it. If it's an internships at a paper the size you'd be applying for jobs, you might as well go straight for the job.

Apply for internships, though most of the deadlines have probably already passed or are Jan. 1. I had an internship after graduation and I think it helped me land my job, but my internships was at a large, respected sports section. FWIW, I didn't land my internship until after spring break.

I liked having an internship and knowing what I was doing after graduation. After the internship though, i spent about two months living at home until I found a job.

Internship or not, start sending out resumes and networking.

Listen to Jeremy.

 

[BRoth]

Aside from losing some hours to the paper every week, there really isn't a reason not to intern somewhere. All it would do is make you more attractive for papers after graduation and give you the chance to have more clips. Hell, you might even get a job offer from the place.

 

[GBNF]

Wait, I don't know if this is clear or not— are you talking a post-grad internship or an in-semester gig?

In semester, you'd be nuts if you don't go for it. For the summer, it's a bit too late for any of the bigger papers...

 

[MU_was_not_so_hard]

Post-grad internships can be very good, because as someone else said, it can be a bit of a buffer between college and the real world.
You will be expected to work your ass off, and after your 3-4 months, you'll have a better idea of what you'll be able to do for a year or two in your first full-time gig.

 

[User 1019]

Yeah, I'd intern. At the Merc on South Wacker.

At a newspaper? No.

 

[Jeremy Goodwin]

For the summer, it's a bit too late for any of the bigger papers...

This is about 99% true. I know most major papers have decided their interns, or will in the next few weeks. Sports, however, can be a little different. Spud, if you send out resumes or inquiry e-mails, be sure to ask about internships. I met a news recruiter at an internship fair during the fall of my senior year and got the info for the sports editor at that metro paper. I e-mailed the SE, then eventually got around to sending in clips after the first of the year. I didn't hear anything until mid-March when I got an e-mail from an ASE saying they just got the OK to go ahead with a summer intern. They asked if I was still interested and available. I was and I was, and I ended up having a great internship at a great paper.

You might have missed the boat for most internships, but it's never too late to ask. You never know what you could end up with.

 

[mike311gd]

Ultimately, you've got to do what's right for you now. But I suggest you try and get an internship, even at a small paper. The experience you'll pick up there should be very beneficial and look great on your resume.

I regret not doing one. It was a deterrent when I was looking for a job out of school, and every now and then, I think of how much further ahead on my career I'd be if I had the patience to do an internship and begin the "professional" developing process sooner.

 

[Cansportschick]

If you can do another internship, you should because it can also give you more contacts if you need them in the business. It will help bolster your resume and give you added experience.

I would consider doing another one spud.

 

[EStreetJoe]

My journalism professor had these words about internships, that I still remember 20 years later:
-- Never take an unpaid internship. Lincoln freed the slaves. Get paid for your work. Don't let a newspaper use you as a source of unpaid labor

 

[User 4755]

Agree on the unpaid. I made $255 a week and $290 a week (cheap even for those days, yes, but better than nothing) doing a pair of internships for major metros back in the mid 1980s. They were well worth it and 15 years after the fact, I'd have a hiring manager see that on my resume and say "this guy worked at such and such, and such and such....he's good, we gotta get him in here!" In short, find a paid internship if it's going to be after you've already graduated. If all you can find now is unpaid, you're better off finding a regular job that pays. I know when I applied for mine, early December was pretty much the cutoff date for the big boys. But you may find some of the mid-sized papers that offer paid internships -- and there are a lot of those out there -- are still looking. But I'd get a packet together ASAP.

 

[Sxysprtswrtr]

Depending on what you want to do in newspapers, I suggest looking at another avenue - such as working as an agate clerk or some other lower-level entry job at a major metro instead of doing the internship. If you're working at the large paper already, then you can acquire real-world experience, you're getting paid for it, and you have access to columnists and editors with whom you can network.

And, most importantly, that old saying - in the right place at the right time - could work to your advantage because if you're already on the payroll and you've made it known you want to work your way up the ranks, then the SE or ASE might consider you for more opportunities and wah-la, you're now working at a major metro full-time.