Almost every college student I know either has or is looking for a summer internship. Recently, my LinkedIn has been swarmed with peers announcing their dream internships. These announcements have become more prevalent lately, however, as far back as November I was getting notifications about my classmates getting internships for the following summer.

I have been applying for internships since last October and haven’t been offered a position yet. I’ve spent months critiquing cover letters, interviewing and then receiving lots of rejection emails. It’s a huge blow to someone’s confidence to see peers achieving their goals and getting these amazing opportunities when you feel stuck. This isn’t to say that I am not awed by their hard work and talent, but I wish that I could share some of their joy.

This frustration seems to be felt by a lot of college students. Maybe you are applying into a competitive field, starting applications too late, don’t know where to start or you don’t have enough experience on your resume. Alternatively, maybe you have an internship or job lined up but feel like it doesn’t look as good as your peers who got internships at internationally known companies. Regardless of your reasoning, you might be feeling upset about your summer plans and it’s important to note that feeling is shared by others.

The two most common feelings I’ve encountered throughout this process are imposter syndrome and embarrassment. As I continue to see my peers getting jobs, I find myself questioning my worth and my career. Will I make it in my field without these experiences? Will I get into graduate school if my resume doesn’t include years of summer internships? What are others doing that I’m failing to do? It’s hard to feel like the work you’re putting in is not enough which makes it difficult to feel confident about your future.

This feeling doesn’t just include not having a summer job — I have several friends who feel similarly even though they do have plans, just not doing corporate work. As I get older and closer to entering the workforce, it can feel like the only acceptable summer position is working for a widely known company or organization and that anything else isn’t nearly as impressive.

These feelings shouldn’t overpower anyones perceptions of their summer. Summer internships are not the end all be all path to a successful career. Students should feel inspired and empowered about their summer plans, whatever they may be. Dread and shame shouldn’t be the predominant feelings going into summer, but instead excitement for opportunities and experiences to come. Don’t put so much pressure on your summer that you can’t even enjoy it.

Plus, there are so many other ways to fill your summer than through an internship. You can spend the summer assisting in a research lab or working on an independent project, or you can get a local job at a restaurant, working retail or babysitting. Last summer I worked in a warehouse and it was genuinely an incredible learning experience.

You could also take summer classes with Syracuse University or through a local community college to boost your credits, or volunteer for a charity organization or political campaign. You can reach out to professionals in your field and shadow them at their job without being employed at their company. There are countless opportunities that can boost your resume that don’t include a fancy summer internship, and the experiences might even be more rewarding.

There’s no need to stress if your plans don’t look like everyone else’s. Your future is uniquely yours and not having a dashing internship for one summer will not define you, your life or career.

Hannah Starorypinski is a sophomore political science major with a minor in public communication. Her column appears bi-weekly, and she can be reached at hkstaror@syr.edu.

Published on April 24, 2022 at 10:20 pm